My name is Nikki Galloway, and I am a Research Data Management (RDM) Librarian within the Old Dominion University (ODU) Libraries, in Norfolk, VA. I have been in the full-time RDM librarian position since July 2024. This position is new and was created as library and university priorities and strategies evolve with the research landscape. I am a spring 2024 graduate of the ODU MLIS program and while in the program I worked with the ODU libraries as a graduate assistant and then a part-time RDM specialist in the Scholarly Communication department.

Prior to joining ODU, I completed an M.S. in Earth Sciences: Ocean Mapping and worked for 10 years as a marine geoscientist. The teams I worked on were responsible for processing, compiling, storing, delivering, and archiving the large amounts of data collected. Having participated in those activities, I recognize the transferrable nature of the skills involved, and it is exciting to expand my knowledge to different disciplines and both learn and share best practices around RDM. However, being in a new data librarian position at my institution, in addition to being relatively new to academic librarianship in general, I recognize the need to engage with a broader community. The RDAP Summit has been an ideal venue for this, and the involvement has allowed me to better understand the role of data management in the scholarly ecosystem, how it is evolving, and how I can use this information to best support my community.

It is my intention to help grow and sustain the RDM services the ODU libraries’ provide as well as work to engage with related university partners in meaningful ways to support researchers. Even though I am only a second-time Summit attendee, I have been both impressed and appreciative of the community focus many of the RDAP Summit presentations have, with direct emphasis on the collaborative efforts between people, departments, and institutions. Summit themes for this year that align particularly well with relevant goals in our library include providing timely and relevant resources to researchers, such as the restricted data repositories list [“Locating Restricted Data Repositories - Access via Data Use Agreements”] and GREI resources [“Domain Repository Not Available: Developing Guidance for Researchers Using Generalist Repositories”], exploring the relevance of institutional data repositories [“The Repository of Last Resort? Exploring the Relevance of Institutional Data Repositories”], and integrating RDM in graduate education [“Building Resilient Research Practices: Integrating RDM into Graduate Education”]. Attending the summit has provided tangible support for learning new ideas so I can adapt to the needs of my institution’s RDM services. The RDAP community is welcoming, supportive, and helpful, and it is my intention to continue with and grow my involvement with the Association.

I’d like to extend my gratitude to the RDAP Association, the RDAP Sponsorship and Membership Action Committees, Elsevier, and the RDAP members who made the scholarships possible.

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