Learning from data reuse: successful and failed experiences in a large public research university library

Abstract

This paper illustrates a large research university library experience in reusing the data for research collected both within and outside of the library to demonstrate data reuse practice. The purpose of the paper is to 1) demonstrate when and how data are reused in a large public research university library, 2) share tips on what to consider when reusing data, and 3) share challenges and lessons learned from data reuse experiences. This paper presents five proposed opportunities for data reuse conducted by three researchers at the institution’s library which resulted in three successful instances of data reuses and two failed data reuses. Learning from successful and failed experiences is critical to understand what works and what does not work in order to identify best practices for data reuse. This paper will be helpful for librarians who intend to reuse data for publication.