Engaging health sciences librarians on data ethics: case study on a pilot curriculum

Abstract

Background: Ethical decision-making regarding data collection, visualization and communication is of growing importance to librarians, with special relevance to those in medical and data fields. Data ethics training opportunities for librarians, however, are uncommon. To fill this gap, librarians at an academic medical center developed a pilot data ethics curriculum for librarians across the U.S. and Canada.

Case Presentation: Three medical librarians developed a pilot curriculum to address perceived gaps in librarian training for data ethics. One of the team members had additional academic training in ethics, which helped to provide an intellectual foundation for this project. The three-module class provided students with an overview of ethical frameworks, skills to apply those frameworks to data issues, and an exploration of data ethics challenges in libraries. Participants from library schools and professional organizations were invited to apply. Twenty-four participants attended the Zoom-based class and shared feedback through surveys taken after each session and in a focus group after the course’s conclusion.

Discussion: Responses to the focus group and surveys indicated a high level of student engagement and interest in data ethics. Students also expressed a desire for more time and ways to apply what was learned to their own work. The need for more time was for both networking and extended discussion of class topics. Several students suggested creating concrete outputs of their thoughts (e.g., a reflective paper or final project). Finally, student responses expressed a strong interest in mapping ethical frameworks directly to challenges and issues librarians face.