Making job postings more equitable: evidence-based recommendations from an analysis of data professionals job postings between 2013-2018

Over the last decade, many academic libraries have hired data professionals in order to offer research data services. As these positions often require different types of experience than traditional librarian positions, there is an increased interest in hiring professionals from outside  the typical library and information science (LIS) pipeline. There has also been an increased interest in academic libraries and higher education more broadly to incorporate the principles and practices of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI&A) into their work. These phenomena allow an opportunity to examine the growing area of data professionals and library hiring practices through the lens of DEI&A. We present data collected from 180 data professional job positions -- including the education, experiences, and skills -- to better understand the evolving and complex landscape of data professionals and provide evidence-based recommendations on what we, as a profession, can do to en...