RESEARCH DATA MANAGEMENT AND IT'S FAIR PRINCIPLES: EVOLVING ROLES FOR ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS
Authors/Creators
- 1. Department of Library and Information Science, Periyar University, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India-636011.
- 2. Periyar University, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India-636011.
Description
The exponential expansion of digital research output, coupled with funder and publisher
mandates for open and reusable data, has established research data management (RDM) as a
major topic of contemporary scholarly communication. The FAIR driving Principles – Findability,
Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability – along with the complementing CARE Principles for
Indigenous Data Governance, have become the main normative framework driving institutional
data practice. In this study I analyse how academic librarians are orienting themselves within this
context, shifting from traditional custodial and reference responsibilities toward data stewardship,
curation and advocacy. This research synthesises evidence on the motivations, practices and
difficulties of RDM in academic libraries from fifteen studies published between 2012 and 2026 in
the library and information science, data science and higher-education literature. The review
identifies eight emerging librarian roles (including data steward, metadata and FAIR-compliance
specialist, data management plan consultant, institutional repository manager, data literacy
educator, policy advocate, ethics/CARE advocate, and embedded disciplinary partner) and
highlights persistent challenges such as skills gaps, uneven institutional investment, and
disciplinary variability, especially in the Global South. The report concludes with proposals for
curriculum reform, continued professional development and cross-institutional collaboration.