A pilot program at University Libraries to help researchers manage complex data has proved so successful that it will be expanded for the 2024-25 academic year.
Launched in August of 2023, the Libraries’ Research Data Analysis and Statistics Support program provided one-on-one help to almost 100 members of the University of South Carolina community last year. Graduate students used the service most frequently, but faculty, undergraduates, and staff also availed themselves of the assistance.
Staffed by highly skilled Ph.D. students, the program provides support to researchers across all disciplines who are working with advanced or complex data. Available services include help with exploratory data analysis and statistical tests as well as with software including SAS, SPSS and NVivo. Faculty and students from almost every college on campus have used the service.
In the program’s inaugural year, it was staffed for 10 hours a week. Because demand increased steadily, from fewer than five consultations in September 2023 to 24 consultations in April 2024, hours will be doubled beginning in August 2024. Any member of the USC community, including undergraduate student researchers, can book an appointment, although help is not available for statistics coursework.
Undergraduate Fatima Jatoi’s use of the service to help with data management for her Honors College thesis, “Coping with Racial Trauma: Exploring Moderators and Health Outcomes,” helped net her one of the Libraries’ 2024 Undergraduate Research Awards for outstanding use of library resources.
“For this study, I needed to conduct complex data analyses which I have not learned about in any of my classes,” Jatoi says. “It was challenging to try to learn on my own until I saw a sign in the library for free statistical mentorship and tutoring in the Technology Lounge. My work with Tong Shan, one of the assistants, greatly improved my understanding of how to recode data, compute standardized terms, and conduct a variety of analyses needed for my project. From the help I gained through the library’s statistical mentorship, I truly believe I have greatly advanced my statistical analysis skills.”
Graduate School Dean Ann Vail says the program has also been of significant value to graduate students: “I am grateful to the University Libraries for stepping up and filling a great need for graduate students. Data analysis and statistical support is key to graduate student success and timely completion of their research whether it be the thesis or dissertation. As The Graduate School continues to emphasize increasing the completion of degrees and reducing time to degree, we will depend on this valuable resource more and more.”
University Libraries’ core mission of supporting research activity across campus makes it a natural home for the program. “For many researchers across campus, there’s been nowhere to go for help analyzing research data or doing advanced statistical work,” says Research Data Librarian Stacy Winchester, who oversees the program. “University Libraries tries to provide services whenever it sees a campus-wide need.”
Data Analysis and Statistics Services are just one component of the Libraries’ Digital Research Services program, which also offers support for digital scholarship, research data management, scholarly communication, and data visualization.