By Amy Riegelman

Love Your Data (LYD) week is a five-day international event, coordinated by research data specialists, which celebrates and raises awareness about good data management, sharing, and preservation practices.

Research data are the foundation of the scholarly record and crucial for advancing our knowledge of the world around us, and this week we are celebrating their central role in our work.

During the week of February 13-17, University Libraries (@umnlib) and LATIS (@umnlatis) social media accounts will be filled with tips, tricks, and tools for taking care of your research data. The posts will also highlight amazing datasets available at the University of Minnesota, upcoming data workshops/events, and groups committed to supporting good data practices. Folks from the University Libraries and LATIS will be distributing data-themed Valentines and stickers as well as lollipops in various locations on Tuesday afternoon, February 14.

The overarching theme for the week is: “emphasizing data quality for researchers at any stage in their career.” Each day features a topic to spark conversation.

• Monday: Defining Data Quality – assessing whether data are complete, accurate, credible, consistent, or “good enough” for their intended use.
• Tuesday: Documenting, Describing, Defining – providing context for your data to encourage validation, replication, and reuse
• Wednesday: Good Data Examples – making sure your data are FAIR – Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-usable
• Thursday: Finding the Right Data – demonstrating good techniques for locating quality data sources
• Friday: Rescuing Unloved Data – ensuring that at-risk data (data that are disorganized, stored on outdated technology, or in proprietary formats) are visible and accessible

Learn more about how we are celebrating.

Follow our Love Your Data tips on social media:

• @umnlib
• @umnlatis

Or join in the conversation with your own data stories using the hashtags #LYD17 and #loveyourdata!