Challenges to the Data Librarian

Abstract

Computing advances favorable to the data analyst have fundamentally changed the nature of running a data library. Data librarians struggle apace to keep up with changes in software, storage media, and commumcations in order to provide the assistance needed by users. This article envisions a future, perhaps five years away, when massive amounts of microcomputer storage, wide-area networking, and continued improvements in user interfaces will result in a new equilibrium between user and librarian. Getting from here to there will be difficult. Keywords: data h-brary, data storage, computer, network.