Free Online Presentation: Embedding Data Services within a Digital Scholarship Lab
Presenters: Eli Wachter, Jonathan Barber, and Justin Wadland
Live Session: Apr 22, 2026 01:00 PM Central Time
Registration Link: Embedding Data Services
Sponsored by the ACRL ULS Professional Development Committee
This program explores how to effectively incorporate data services into existing digital scholarship services at an academic library. An early-career Data Visualization Librarian will begin the program by presenting their experiences joining a new position for a university library's Digital Scholarship Lab. They will share their strategies of surveying needs with subject liaisons and building relationships with other educational units on campus to inform their priorities in developing data visualization resources and services. To expand beyond individual actions to improve services, an established Data Services Librarian within the same unit will describe his efforts re-establishing a Research Facilitation Network, which highlights and connects the research support services provided throughout the university. In re-establishing this Network, the team adapted the Campus Research Computing Consortium's Capabilities Model to assess the research computing and data landscape at the university. In addition to building a sense of community among researchers and service providers, the Network provides regular events that address gaps in research support on campus. The unit lead will provide context for the intersection of data services and digital scholarship within academic libraries, using the Big Ten Academic Alliance libraries as a subset model. He will also illustrate how he has used appreciative inquiry to facilitate unit-level strategic planning as an active and ongoing conversation with team members, affiliate faculty, and constituents. In his presentation around strategic planning, he will share approaches for advocating for new positions, refining existing positions to meet emergent needs, and planning within the context of budget reductions.
Presenter Bios:
Eli Wachter
Eli Wachter joined the Michigan State University Libraries as the university's first Data Visualization Librarian in July 2025. They provide consultation services, workshops, and course-embedded instruction sessions on topics related to data visualization and immersive content creation. Prior to MSU, they were an Associate Fellow for the National Library of Medicine, where they supported projects around Collections as Data, content evaluation, and web archiving.
Jonathan Barber
Jonathan Barber is currently the Data Services Librarian at Michigan State University Libraries and has been in that role since late 2022. He has been an academic librarian (with some side journeys) since 2004. His background is in reference and instruction, electronic resources, digital information management, digital technologies, data organization and general data wonkiness. He specializes in research data management principles, data management plan development, basic data wrangling, preparation and analysis and the technologies around managing, storing, working with and accessing your data.
Justin Wadland
In April 2023, Justin Wadland joined the Michigan State University Libraries as the Head of Digital Scholarship Services. His responsibilities include leading the Digital Scholarship Lab (DSL), managing DSL librarians and staff, and facilitating the development of programs and services that support immersive technologies, digital scholarship, and research data management.
Prior to MSU, he worked for seventeen years as a librarian at the University of Washington Tacoma Library in a variety of roles that ultimately led him into digital scholarship activities on campus and across the University of Washington Libraries. From December 2019 to June 2021, Wadland served as Interim Director/Associate Dean of UW Tacoma/UW Libraries, filling a key leadership role as the library underwent a renovation project and experienced the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This free presentation is sponsored by the ACRL University Libraries Section Professional Development Committee. It will take place on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 1pm-2pm CT via Zoom. Register: https://ala-events.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PjjRacKlT1C5DjeH8wgiKQ#/registration
If you can't make this session but wish to view a recording later, please register so that you'll receive an email that includes a link to the video of the presentation.
Please direct questions and concerns to Jane Hammons (hammons.73@osu.edu) Co-Chair of the ACRL ULS Professional Development Committee. A full list of the committee's past programs is available on the ULS website.
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Jessica Dai
Organizational Development and Learning Librarian
University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press
She/Her/Hers
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