Data Management Librarians Role in a Large Interdisciplinary Scientific Grant for PFAS Remediation: Considerations and Recommendations

Abstract

This  article  explores  the  conflicts,  disparities,  and  inequalities  experienced  by  two  librarians  when  collaborating  on  a  federal  grant  proposal.  The  authors  discuss  concerns  related  to  time  and  salary  expectations  and  the  inequities  that  can  occur  during  faculty  and  staff  collaborations  on  research  grants. The bureaucratic structure and the job classifications of staff at academic institutions in addition to the contract limitations of non-faculty status librarian positions can hinder successful collaborations. The authors also describe data management needs that may occur when working with interdisciplinary research  teams  and  detail  the  type  of  work  that  is  included  in  writing  a  data  management  grant.  This  article  concludes  with  considerations  and  recommendations  for  other  data  librarians  who  may  undertake similar projects with a focus on ways to create parity between faculty and staff collaborators.

Keywords

• data management
• data librarianship
• collaboration
• interdisciplinary research
• grant proposal
• grant writing