Building community for better data visualization

A people-focused, data-driven program for scholarship and research

Claire M Curry, Ph.D. 

What is data-driven visualization?

• Definition: “visual representation and presentation of data to facilitate understanding”
• We use visualizations (graphs, figures, plots) for
  • exploring
  • telling a story

Kirk, Andy. 2019. Data visualization, a handbook for data driven design, 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.

How much work is it to improve a graph?

How many settings to get to publication quality?

One setting

Two settings

Three settings

Four settings

Five settings

Six settings

What is happening in health sciences research right now?

“How your email finds me”

People do not pay attention until their point of need

• Pouring energy into workshops and promotion doesn’t work on its own¹
• What gets researchers to show up
• How to get improved workflows to stick

1. Theisinger, Diana. 2025. “One Inaccessible PDF at a Time”. Inside Higher Ed. Accessed July 09, 2025. Available at: https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2025/07/09/essay-faculty-engagement-and-web-accessibility-opinion.

What I would bring to this position

• Life sciences background
• Seven years science librarianship
• Enthusiasm for connecting people, which makes for a successful librarian-researcher¹

1. Kennedy, Marie R., Kristine R. Brancolini, and David P. Kennedy. 2020. “An Exploratory Study of Accomplished Librarian-Researchers”. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 15 (1):179-217. https://doi.org/10.18438/eblip29655.

Philosophy

Key tenets of my approach

• Relationships and connection
• Evidence-based, accessible pedagogy
• Scaling sustainably

Relationships and connection

• Respect, beneficence, and justice¹
• Room for vulnerability² of lived experience³
• Clear boundaries (aka the service model and clear policies) are kind

1. Reece, Gwendolyn. 2025. “We Already Have an Ethics Framework for AI.” Inside Higher Ed. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2025/04/25/we-already-have-ethics-framework-ai-opinion.

2. Curry, Claire M., Beth Tweedy, and Amanda Schilling. 2025. “Concepts of Data Driven Visualization Materials.” Available at: https://oulib-resdata.github.io/datavis

3. Price, Candice, and Miloš Savić. 2022. Radical Grace: Essays and Discussions on Teaching. Norman, OK: 619 Wreath.

Relationships and connection: Approachability

• Is there a cost to approachability?¹

1. Schiavone, Mary Elizabeth, Tristan M.K. Draper, and Easton Brundage. July 2025. ““We’ve GOT to be Sillier”: Approachability in Academic Libraries.” American Library Association, Core Access and Equity Section e-forum. Online. Available at: https://connect.ala.org/core/discussion/core-e-forum-weve-got-to-be-sillier-approachability-in-academic-libraries-2.

Evidence-based, accessible pedagogy

• Many things we do are just “tradition” or “inessential weirdnesses”¹

Tradition

Essentials

1. S. Harihareswara. 2016. “Inessential Weirdnesses in Open Source Software (OSCON 2016).” Accessed June 10, 2025. https://www.harihareswara.net/posts/2016/inessential-weirdnesses-in-open-source-software-oscon-2016/.

Evidence-based, accessible pedagogy: implementation

• People can take on limited cognitive load¹
• Universal design is desperately needed²

1. Wilson, Greg. 2019. Teaching Tech Together: How to create and deliver lessons that work and build a teaching community around them. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

2. Roberson, Casey Alexander, Trisha Barefield, and Eric Griffith. 2022. “Students with Disabilities and Library Services: Blending Accommodation and Universal Design.” Journal of Academic Librarianship 48 (4): 102531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2022.102531.

Scaling in a sustainable way

• Programs that meet needs¹
• Librarian burnout and health²

1. DeFrain, Erica, Leslie Sult, and Nicole Pagowsky. 2025. “Effectiveness of Academic Library Research Guides for Building College Students’ Information Literacy Skills: A Scoping Review.” UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications. 446. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libraryscience/446.

2. Davis, Nicollette, Mondo Vaden, Marco Seiferle-Valencia, Jess Saldaña, and DeAnn Brame. 2024. “The Library Is NOT for Everyone (Yet): Disability, Accommodations, and Working in Libraries.” College & Research Libraries News 85 (2): 58. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.85.2.58.

Proposed research at UNM

Data visualization wall

• Interactive surveys
• Researcher features
• Methods: Qualitative case study¹ and long-term grant numbers

1. Robbins, Sarah, Claire Curry, Amanda Schilling, and B. N. Tweedy. 2022. “Recruiting, Hiring, & On-Boarding Non-MLS Liaison Librarians: A Case Study.” Library Leadership & Management 36 (1). https://doi.org/10.5860/llm.v36i1.7490.

Workshops and materials: our data

• Datasets and experimental subjects for more research

Workshop and materials metrics

• What should metrics be¹?
• Start: attendance² and satisfaction³

1. Harihareswara, Sumana. 2016. “What Should We Stop Doing? (FLOSS Community Metrics Meeting Keynote).” Accessed June 10, 2025. https://www.harihareswara.net/posts/2016/what-should-we-stop-doing-floss-community-metrics-meeting-keynote/.

2. Sohl-Dickstein, Jascha. 2022. “Too Much Efficiency Makes Everything Worse: Overfitting and the Strong Version of Goodhart’s Law.” Jascha’s Blog, November 6. http://sohl-dickstein.github.io/2022/11/06/strong-Goodhart.html.

3. Curry, Claire M. and B. Narr. 2024. Marketing - Research Workshops. Available at: https://oulib-resdata.github.io/metrics/marketing.html

Research into improvements

What are the hidden barriers for researchers?

Barriers are sometimes unexpected

Hidden barriers to researcher workflows: research questions

• What changes to workshop descriptions bring in more folks?¹
• Longitudinal study of what facilitates long-term incorporation of skills?
• What is the campus impact of adding these skills?

1. Curry, Claire M., Joey Albin, Bobby Reed III, Amanda Schilling, Beth Tweedy, and Kristi Wyatt. 2024. “Plain Language Workshop Descriptions: How to Attract Participants from All Disciplines.” College & Research Libraries News 85 (8): 327–31.

Hidden barriers to researcher workflows: implementation

• Quantitative (repeated measures statistics) and qualitative (interview¹, coding²) skills
• IRB and other compliance experience
• Timeline: 1-3+ years

1. Hayman, Richard, and Erika E Smith. 2020. “Mixed Methods Research in Library and Information Science: A Methodological Review”. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 15 (1):106-25. https://doi.org/10.18438/eblip29648.

2. Ruediger, Dylan, Thea Atwood, Neelam Bharti, et al. 2021. Big Data Infrastructure at the Crossroads: Support Needs and Challenges for Universities. Ithaka S+R. https://doi.org/10.18665/sr.316121.

Universal design in the library

Universal design in the library

• Needs of disabled students¹ and faculty/staff²
• Go beyond minimums³
• Experience: new sensory LibGuide⁴

1. Brunskill, Amelia. 2020. “Without That Detail, I’m Not Coming”: The Perspectives of Students with Disabilities on Accessibility Information Provided on Academic Library Websites. College & Research Libraries, 81(5), 768. doi: 10.5860/crl.81.5.768

2. Leigh, Jennifer, Josie Caplehorne, and Sarah Slowe. 2023. “Ableism and Exclusion: Challenging Academic Cultural Norms in Research Communication.” Journal of Research Management and Administration 2 (1): 1. https://doi.org/10.18552/jorma.v2i1.764.

3. Groves, Karl. 2024. “I Never Knew a Website Could Hurt Someone.” Conference. Tech Access Oklahoma. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pynKRttYlBg&list=PL0gW6noozmWHhAmq_hifHDl3x4Q2Y1RN5&index=3.

4. guides.ou.edu/access

Universal design in the library: implementation

• “Accessibility Carpentries”¹
• Interviews² and open-ended survey fields³
• Quantitative survey responses

1. CAST. 2024. “Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0.” Accessed August 24, 2025. Available at https://udlguidelines.cast.org

2. Suarez, Doug. 2010. “Evaluating Qualitative Research Studies for Evidence Based Library and Information Practice”. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 5 (2):75-85. https://doi.org/10.18438/B8V90M.

3. Brunskill, Amelia. 2020. “Without That Detail, I’m Not Coming”: The Perspectives of Students with Disabilities on Accessibility Information Provided on Academic Library Websites. College & Research Libraries, 81(5), 768. doi: 10.5860/crl.81.5.768

Universal design in the library: timeline

• Potential issues: history of being ignored, dismissed
• Potential collaborators:
  • Campus disability office, student groups
• Timeline: year 3-6+

Chance favors the prepared data visualization specialist

• Timeline: Serendipitous opportunities¹ based on connections and user needs²!
• Three in progress now

1. Gaffin, Douglas D., and Claire M. Curry. 2020. “Arachnid Navigation – a Review of Classic and Emerging Models.” Journal of Arachnology 48 (1): 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1636/0161-8202-48.1.1.

2. Rockwood, J. V., Claire M. Curry, and E. A. Day. 2022. “Distributed Expertise, Leadership Structure & Efficiency-Viability Tradeoffs in Teams [Poster].” Paper presented at Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, USA.

Making this happen

Potential funding sources

• UNM Foundation Crowdfunding
• Collaborate with HSC faculty on HSC Pilot Funding, PCORI, or K series NIH grants

Potential campus partners

• Center for Advanced Research Computing
• Main campus library and extended campus libraries
• Economic Development and Workforce Unit
• Statistics Consulting Clinic

Let’s explore data visualization together!

Thank you for your time and attention.

Contact: cmcurry@protonmail.com

Course: health sciences visualizations

• Field-appropriate data visualization types
• Understand human perceptual abilities
• Setting up individual workflows for universal design in R, Python, Tableau, etc