Championing Sustainable Data Services: Strategic Scoping As Advocacy

Data professionals increasingly find themselves at the nexus of competing demands: supporting diverse research needs, implementing ethical data practices, integrating “AI” into everything, all while navigating resource constraints. While we champion data in our institutions, we must also champion sustainable models for data work itself. This session addresses a critical challenge facing data services: the expectation of perpetual expansion despite limited capacity. As data professionals take on roles spanning data management, consultation, literacies training (data, AI, etc.), ethics guidance, and more, setting realistic boundaries becomes an act of advocacy—for ourselves, our colleagues, and ultimately for the quality of support we provide to researchers. We present a practical scoping matrix developed to align data services with actual capacity. This tool enables data professionals to: Visually map current and potential services against available resources Identify strategic areas for service reduction or redesign Communicate realistic expectations to stakeholders and administrators Make evidence-based decisions about service priorities Grounded in frameworks of sustainable practice and strategic refusal, our approach rejects "doing more with less" narratives that lead to burnout and compromised service quality. Instead, it positions intentional scoping as essential to championing both data and the professionals who steward it.