Investigating and understanding library data services to support college student data literacy competencies: A conceptual framework

Abstract

Guided by a conceptual framework based on the baseline data literacy competencies (DLCs) mapped to the ACRL information literacy framework and the extended technology acceptance model, this study uses an online survey to investigate the factors related to student users’ potential acceptance of library data services supporting DLCs in a master’s college environment. With quantitative and qualitative data analyses, the study builds three conceptual models to demonstrate how students’ study-related data engagement and backgrounds may influence their attitudes toward multi-aspect library data services, including general data services, an institutional data repository, if available, as a data resource, and institutional data repository-based services. The study’s findings support library data services’ cross-disciplinary, multidimensional, and multilevel nature, addressing the value of institutional data repositories and repository-based data services in comprehensively promoting data literacy competencies of all groups in all disciplines. The contribution of this study, beyond being among the first to look at library data services from a holistic perspective to support college students’ DLCs, includes a call for further explorations of student data engagement practice and verifying and generalizing the current study findings by investigating more students’ data services need in more college communities.