As a recent graduate of a Master of Library Science program, the 2025 RDAP Summit proved to be beneficial by providing resources and opportunities to be in community with data professionals. As a first time attendee of the RDAP Summit, I was able to gain insight into how organizations are responding to evolving information needs and technologies. I believe that the theme of the Summit, Evolutions in Data Services: Forging Resiliency, was a timely and significant topic for data professionals. For example, the session Ethical AI Practices and Documentation ["Navigating AI’s Ethical Complexities: Building Resilience with a Library-Centered Literacy Framework"; "The Chat’s Out of the Bag"; "Documenting AI Prompts"; "Data Licensing: Forging Resiliency Through Open Datasets"] allowed me to gain an understanding of how technological advancements such as artificial intelligence may impact the retrievability and accessibility of research data.

Additionally, the session Innovative and Engaging Data Literacy ["The Quest for Effective Data Management: Resiliency Through Serious Play"; "Byte-Sized Data Encounters: Empowering Doctoral Students’ Data Skills Through Practical Micro-Education"; "Sustaining Humanities Research with Data Collectives"] was instrumental in emphasizing the importance of Research Data Management (RDM) services. The various sessions at the Summit included lighting talks and presentations, making the Summit jam-packed with content that was both informative and engaging for attendees. The Pheedloop platform was effective in allowing attendees to access the Zoom links for each session. Also, a shared notes document was available on the Pheedloop platform, allowing Summit attendees to share key takeaways from each session. The shared notes document was a neat way for Summit attendees to contribute to one working document, making information from the various sessions accessible to all attendees. 

I particularly enjoyed the social sessions at the RDAP Summit because they offered me the opportunity to learn about other RDAP members and their work. The New Members and First Time Attendees Get-Together made it possible for me to learn about the different RDAP committees and the meaningful work that is done by each committee. My interactions with other members of the RDAP community during this summit highlighted the collaborative and welcoming nature of the RDAP community. My attendance at the RDAP Summit increased my excitement for working in interdisciplinary information environments that emphasize data services, research, and technology. The RDAP Summit also served to increase my awareness of ethical considerations such as data privacy in an age of technological innovation. Ultimately, the RDAP Summit made me optimistic for the future of the data profession, highlighting many of the challenges and opportunities in this growing field.

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