University Libraries

Data Services and Education

University Libraries
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5353 USA
(269) 387-5059 for information
(269) 387-5155 for hours

University Libraries assists the campus community with finding and managing data for their research needs. From creating project workflows and managing data to finding secondary data and preparing data for sharing, we're here to help.

Our services

Finding and curating data

Our data librarian can help you find the right data for your project needs and look over your data before deposit.

Managing data

Our data librarian can help you with your data management plan (DMP) whether you are just getting started or have a plan that's ready to review.

Whether you are just starting your project or nearing the end, our data librarian will meet you wherever you are and guide you through the next stage of your project.

Guided help

Beginning of project

  • Creating a project workflow.
  • Finding secondary data.
  • Identifying active storage solutions.
  • Identifying data needs.
  • Tips for setting up data structures for success.
  • Writing a data management plan (DMP).

Mid-project

  • Continuing data education through workshop attendance.
  • Documenting for reusability.
  • Redefining data needs.
  • Re-establishing data responsibilities.
  • Refining data structures (such as file naming conventions and tabular data setups).

End of project

  • Curating and documenting a final dataset.
  • De-identifying data for sharing.
  • Selecting a data repository.
  • Revisiting preservation and destruction responsibilities.

Funding for datasets

We have limited funding to add datasets to our collection. Complete a Request for Data Purchase form to find out if we can help you procure data for your research project. All requests for data are subject to our Data Purchase Policy.

Featured projects

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Collections as data

Explore a collaboration with the University Archives as part of a student internship, culminating in datasets of the digitized South Haven Lighthouse Logs. Datasets can be used in the classroom as a secondary data teaching tool, for conducting primary source research, or as an example of documenting archival material for reuse.
Lighthouse Passing Vessel and Expenditures datasets
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Preparing data for sharing

Review the Community Pandemic Accounts Project, an example of quantitative research prepared for data sharing. If you are considering sharing your data as part of a journal or granting mandate, consultations can be set up to discuss curating datasets, de-identification or choosing an appropriate data repository.
Community Pandemic Accounts Project dataset

Data tools

The University Libraries provides access to the following tools to help you analyze data:

  • ArcGIS Pro
  • ArcMap
  • MATLAB r2020a
  • Minitab
  • NVivo
  • PyCharm IDE
  • R
  • R-Studio
  • SAP
  • SAS
  • SPSS Statistics 27
  • Tableau

Visit our Available Software page to find out which computers at Waldo Library have these tools.

You can find free training workshops on how to use some of these tools at datacarpentry.org/lessons. Training for data tools is not provided by the Libraries.

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Have a data question?

Reach out to our data librarian Daria Orlowska and schedule a consultation.
Make an appointment
Contact Daria