How information science professionals add value in a scientific research center

In response to the increasing need for a data curation workforce, the Data Curation Education in Research Centers program is educating library and information science students in scientific data curation. During the summer of 2012, the authors worked alongside scientists and data managers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, to learn data curation within the context of a research center. Each student was matched with a “Science Mentor” and a “Data Mentor” based on prior work experience and the results of a placement questionnaire completed before the internship. Though NCAR has robust data services, we found that there was nevertheless still a role for data curators who can foster close collaborations between scientists and repository managers that may have traditionally not existed. This collaboration supports an otherwise impossible mutual education that benefits all involved. This poster demonstrates tangible outcomes of these internships.