Introducing Data into Canadian Academic Libraries: The Straw that Didn’t Break the Camel's Back

A decade ago, Canadian universities and Statistics Canada embarked on a joint adventure called the Data Liberation Initiative (DLI). While this initiative greatly increased the availability of data for academic research and instruction, it also created new challenges for the librarians and information professionals who were confronted with the task of organizing and supporting access to these resources. This paper will examine the challenges involved in the introduction of data into the traditional academic library. The experience of Canada’s DLI will be used to illustrate the types of issues involved and the approaches used in the Canadian context to address them. The paper will conclude by identifying the best practices that have emerged after a decade of experience in developing, refining and promoting the use of data as a means of strengthening the underpinnings for teaching and research.

十年前，加拿大各高校与加拿大统计局（Statistics Canada）联合启动了一项名为数据解放倡议（Data Liberation Initiative，缩写DLI）的合作项目。尽管该倡议大幅提升了学术研究与教学领域可用数据的可及性，但也为图书馆员与信息专业人员带来了全新挑战——他们需要肩负起组织此类资源并保障用户访问该类资源的职责。本文将探讨将数据引入传统学术图书馆所面临的各类挑战，并以加拿大数据解放倡议（DLI）的实践经验为案例，阐释其所涉及的各类问题，以及加拿大境内针对这些问题所采取的应对方案。最后，本文将基于十年间在开发、优化与推广数据应用的实践中总结出的经验，梳理提炼出可用于夯实教学与研究根基的最佳实践方案。