@misc{WeberMalits2025, author = {Weber, Susanna and Malits, Andrea}, title = {Data Stewardship at the University of Zurich: Investing in Data Quality}, series = {Themenkreis 5: Digitalit{\"a}t und KI/ Data Stewardship (25.06.2025, 11:00 - 12:30, Halle 4.1./ Raum III)}, journal = {Themenkreis 5: Digitalit{\"a}t und KI/ Data Stewardship (25.06.2025, 11:00 - 12:30, Halle 4.1./ Raum III)}, year = {2025}, abstract = {FAIR data and open science are increasingly relevant for researchers and institutions. Digitalization and more complex data, make advanced domain-specific knowledge necessary to generate and manage high quality, FAIR data. In 2023, the University of Zurich (UZH) library launched a university-wide data stewards network, which supports researchers in understanding FAIR data standards and using them in their own research. Data stewards act as a bridge between researchers and university support services. They are the first point of contact for researchers with questions about research data management and FAIR data, they disseminate information and best practices in their respective departments, and they help make workflows and research data management pipelines more FAIR. A significant challenge in creating a university wide network at UZH is the heterogenous research landscape with different departments working with different types of data as well as having very different research cultures. To tailor the network to the specific needs of the researchers, structured interviews were done with potential data stewards. Data stewards were recruited both in the faculties (researchers), as well as in the IT and data services (technical staff). We identified what university-wide support was already being used, and what the current research data management in the departments looked like. We also did a needs assessment, to find out what researchers themselves felt they needed support with and in what areas they felt they lacked proficiency. One year after launching the data stewards network, we again assessed the needs of researchers as well as how the data stewards would describe their roles and tasks. These findings may prove useful for other institutions looking to establish data stewards networks coordinated by their library.}, language = {en} }