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Author: Saskia Hoving

Editor-in-Chief

Research data is becoming one of the most valuable assets universities manage, bringing new opportunities for discovery, collaboration and open research, but also new responsibilities around security, governance and resilience. Academic libraries are increasingly at the centre of these conversations. In the previous blog, we looked at how these trends are reshaping library priorities. Here, we explore one area in more detail: the growing role librarians play in helping researchers manage, share and protect data, while working across their institutions to support security and resilience.

To understand how libraries are responding, we spoke with Lauren Dodd, Director of Collection Management, Discovery and Strategic Communication at Bryn Mawr College; Amy Lewontin, Collection Development Librarian at Northeastern University; and Lisa Redlinski, an Information Strategy Consultant who works with libraries across the UK. Together, they offer firsthand perspectives on how librarians are supporting researchers, working more closely with IT and research office colleagues, and helping institutions balance openness with security.

How librarians are responding to growing data and cybersecurity challenges

For many libraries, the 2023 cyberattack on the British Library served as a wake-up call, highlighting the importance of secure and resilient digital infrastructure for research and library services. “At the time, there was suddenly renewed interest in cybersecurity,” says Lisa Redlinski. “How do you handle a major hack? What happens if material is erased? And how do you communicate the consequences to researchers and faculty?”.

While libraries are not expected to become cybersecurity specialists, their expertise in stewardship, discoverability, access and information management makes them natural partners in addressing these challenges. They help researchers understand what data they have, how sensitive it is, where it should be stored, who can access it and what can be shared. A good example is the , which supports researchers with every aspect of research data management.

Today, the role of librarians extends far beyond traditional library services. Librarians are increasingly:
 

• Working across the institution with IT and security teams to balance accessibility, security and research needs.
• Supporting open and responsible data sharing by helping researchers navigate the opportunities and risks of open research.
• Connecting policy and practice throughout the research lifecycle, liaising with researchers, research offices and other stakeholders to ensure data is managed effectively from creation to preservation.

So how are libraries responding in each of these areas?

Working across the institution

Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility and library systems are part of wider campus networks. As a result, librarians increasingly find themselves working alongside IT and security teams to balance two equally important goals: protecting information whilst maintaining access to it.

The relationship between the library and IT is not always straightforward, as pointed out by Amy Lewontin. “At Northeastern, the IT teams are outside the library and have their own priorities,” she says. “They are their own arm, so it’s quite difficult for you to get their time.” As a result, the library is less directly involved in cybersecurity yet is content to rely on the institution’s central IT function.

At Bryn Mawr, the library and IT functions are combined. “We are actively strengthening authentication across campus,” says Lauren Dodd. “It’s not specifically a library initiative, it’s part of a wider institutional response to an increase in cyberattacks.”

The Scholarly Networks Security Initiative (SNSI)’s provides helpful practical advice for librarians on how to work with their institution’s IT and security teams to better understand potential cyber threats.

Supporting open and responsible data sharing

As research becomes more data-intensive, librarians are helping researchers navigate one of the biggest challenges in open research: how to make data accessible without making it vulnerable. Their role is not to decide what should be open, but to help researchers understand the distinction between what can be shared and what needs to remain protected. “There’s this push and pull between making scholarship openly available and locking it away,” says Lauren Dodd.

It’s not the library’s role to make data open and freely available, which is often the assumption with open research. It is their role, however, to help researchers understand the distinction between what can be open and what needs to be secure. A good example of this is how UCL explicitly frames research data management as an institutional responsibility, involving researchers, staff and the institution as a whole. Their Library Services’ states “Ensure data are as open as possible, as closed as necessary”, and “Share responsibility for managing and preserving research data between all members of UCL.”

Connecting policy and practice across the research lifecycle

Research data doesn't sit in one place or belong to one team. From funding applications and data management plans to storage, sharing and preservation, responsibility is spread across researchers, research offices, IT teams and libraries.

This is where librarians play a unique role. Because they support researchers throughout the research lifecycle, they are often well positioned to connect institutional policies with day-to-day research practice. Whether advising on data management requirements, supporting open research initiatives or helping researchers understand how and when data can be shared, librarians increasingly act as a bridge between researchers and the wider institutional teams responsible for research support.

The research office is an important part of this picture. While research offices focus on funding requirements, compliance and institutional policies, librarians help translate those requirements into practical guidance for researchers. Together they can support a more coordinated approach to research data management and open research.

As promoters of good research data management practices, libraries are helping institutions ensure that research data remains accessible, reusable and compliant throughout its lifecycle, from creation and analysis to preservation and sharing. This is a growing area for the library at Northeastern, according to Amy Lewontin. “We’re involved in a lot of new groupings now across the institution, to address issues around data, and research tools. All of a sudden we’re getting a lot of requests for data, which we have to house and make accessible across all our campuses - lately we’ve been very busy with accessibility because the laws are stricter now. New roles have sprung up in the library too, dedicated to things such as text and data mining, geographic information systems, and visualisation. It works really well as our library dean is very connected to what’s going on in the library and on campus – this makes a huge difference.”

Libraries as trusted data advisers

As research data becomes increasingly valuable, librarians are helping institutions move beyond simply complying with security requirements towards building a culture of responsible data management. That means balancing openness with protection, while helping researchers navigate an increasingly complex data landscape.

According to Emanuele Bellini, Professor at the University of Rome Tre, institutions should "aim for a comprehensive understanding of their security landscape" and focus on proactive security measures and adaptability. Training is also crucial. As Lisa Redlinski notes, many librarians are still navigating what cybersecurity means in practice and where their responsibilities begin and end.

This is precisely where libraries can add value. Lauren Dodd identifies a growing role for librarians in helping researchers understand how their work is shared, who can access it, and what protections are available. Her advice to libraries includes:
 

1. Work more closely with IT and institutional security teams.
2. Strengthen authentication and access controls.
3. Monitor institutional and digital repositories.
4. Pay closer attention to licence terms and user rights.
5. Help researchers understand the protections and restrictions attached to their work.
6. Think carefully about the balance between openness and protection.
7. Participate in conversations about security rather than treating it as someone else's responsibility.

Ultimately, cybersecurity is not separate from the library's mission. It is another aspect of managing and protecting research data. Libraries have long helped make research information discoverable, accessible and usable. Today, those same strengths are helping ensure research data can be shared and reused while protecting security, privacy and research integrity.

Related content

• Cybersecurity, data, value and partnerships: The new priorities for academic libraries
• Emerging librarian roles in supporting ethical and rigorous scholarship
• Exploring AI futures in libraries with the Futurescape Workshop community
• CINCEL libraries explore the opportunities and risks of AI in research support
• Evolving roles of academic librarians adapting to change and new technologies

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