I'm writing book #4 and today's random search is: how effective is a sledgehammer for destroying data on a hard drive? The answer seems to be somewhat, if you hit the drive enough times with a big enough hammer. But other methods are more reliable. darwinsdata.com/does-hammeri...

I'm catching up on NNLM Region 5's regular newsletter and am really annoyed to see Autism Speaks listed in the Resource Spotlight section. This is a general reminder to not support that group because Autistic people say not to, for myriad reasons. If you want a better resource, try ASAN.

I’m hyper-focusing on a new hobby: bead embroidery. I got this kit from Etsy (CraftShopOnline) and absolutely loved putting it together. It’s so shiny and pretty.

Yes, yes, I know. Would you accept a new book about data sharing instead? No? Too bad, because that’s what I’m currently writing.

I have lots of feelings about the DMSPs templates that will be implemented next week by the NSF and next month by the NIH: + potential for easier compliance for everyone (researchers, agencies, and more) - the roll out of the new templates has been problematic My thoughts: dataabinitio.com?p=1250

Reflecting on how many talks at #RDAP26 describe a curated data repository and an uncurated documents repository. My library does the opposite: an uncurated data repository and a curated article repository. I think this works for us, as we have 75k+ data records and 100k+ articles. But interesting.

My kids’ school is expected to strike starting tomorrow and my laptop is still with IT after a worm hit our library network hard last week. 🙃 But somehow, I’m going to still try to make all of #RDAP26 this week because it’s my favorite conference of the year.

I've been doing a lot of Mad Libs with my son lately, and I thought it would be fun to put one together with a data management theme. You can complete your own here: cghlewis.github.io/data_mgmt_ma...

Thank you to CaRCC's data-facing track for having me today to talk about accessible research data. I had fun presenting and we had a lovely discussion afterward.

We have published a Book Review of @kbriney.bsky.social's book "The Data Management Workbook" written by our very own Data Editor Allie Tatarian 📘 Check it out #DataLibs! doi.org/10.7191/jesl...

🎉🎉🎉

I’m trying to figure out what type of birds these are. I saw them today in Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley) but they don’t look like any ducks I’m used to seeing. Anyone have any help? My bird book was no help. #bird #birding #birdID #help

Thanks so much Allie and @jeslibjournal.bsky.social for such a lovely review of my book!

I'm honored to appear in Nature for the third (!) time this academic year, this time discussing the data deluge: doi.org/10.1038/d415... I'm so pleased to see Nature covering such important data topics and it was an honor to discuss them with journalist Sarah Wild.

Very cool story about finding and reusing old data!

I have an Excel joke it's really good most people rate it Oct 10

I have a data sharing joke but it’s only available by request.

Honored to have been interviewed by UW-Madison iSchool about what I've been up to since I got my MLIS. I'm in great company with other amazing UW alums. ischool.wisc.edu/2026/03/17/c...

Every day is a good day for sharing one of the most useful papers about research data ever written. PLEASE get your people to understand and follow this advice. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

It's important for the public to be able to reuse #RescuedData, but the context a README or similar documentation provides is necessary for understanding. Be like Barbie. Help yourself have a great day every day, and on this #MemeMonday, remember to document your data.

Issue 35 of #rdmweekly is out! Including: ➡️ Building Realistic Fake Datasets with Pointblank @richmeister.bsky.social ➡️ Rethinking TXT Files @kbriney.bsky.social ➡️ Economic Benefits of OS @plos.org ➡️ What Is Data Governance? @thegovlab.org and more! Link: rdmweekly.substack.com/p/rdm-weekly...

Data

These make me want to get back into cross stitch.

Attending Axe-Con this week, a great virtual conference about tech accessibility. It starts early on the west coast, meaning that my kid got to watch Haben Girma’s keynote with me over breakfast. She was such a good speaker that even my 10-year old was interested!

“Librarians like to say that an hour in the library is worth a month in the laboratory, quips @kbriney.bsky.social “ Featuring quotes from many more #datalibs as well! www.nature.com/articles/d41...

I'm really looking forward to my favorite conference of the year. It's virtual and inexpensive, so if you're interested in research data management and sharing, you should definitely attend!

The recording of my "Accessible Data for Everyone" workshop is now available for anyone who wasn't able to attend: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

Happy Love Data Week! My webinar today was about the Data Departure Checklist authors.library.caltech.edu/records/kynw... that @kbriney.bsky.social and I created. It's a customizable word document to help you offload remembering what all you need to get back from a research team colleague📚

Luckily markdown is a fairly easy language to learn, and there many tool options, but it's definitely not the low barrier to entry that opening a TXT file is. Really appreciate this thought provoking post!

This #LoveDataWeek, I'm thinking about making our shared data more accessible. This involves rethinking the README.txt as the default recommended documentation file. Is there a better file format that .txt? I've written up a few thoughts: dataabinitio.com?p=1235

ICE has grabbed so many people from their vehicles that there are abandoned cars across Minnesota. This tow truck driver returns the cars for free as a public service, and he’s been getting death threats. They hate the helpers. Which is why must keep helping.

I’m sharing this video again because people don’t really get what these data centers and ai are doing to our planet and our communities. Especially Black communities because they were strategically placed there. I need you to listen to these people. STOP USING AI. STOP SUPPORTING AI.

Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again. #Pinks #ProudBlue

Well deserved recognition for this amazing project.

Anne Frank died of typhus at Bergen-Belsen

ICE are an existential threat to you to your family to your neighbors to your city to your state to your country.

On May 13, 1985 in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania State Police dropped a bomb from a helicopter onto a Black neighborhood. 11 people were killed, 5 of whom were children. As we see ICE terrorize communities, understand that saying “this isn’t who we are” is false.

“We are a Minneapolis 2nd grade Brownie Troop of 12 including trans and neurodiverse youth and 75% BIPOC kids. We want to go to summer camp and try horseback riding! During the current ICE occupation we need your support more than ever...” And that’s how I ordered 4 boxes of thin mints.

Well this looks terrible. Don't even talk to me about AI anything until, at the very least, it stops hallucinating information and making up citations. Until then, this librarian is going to sort these tools into the slop pile.

"The number of downloads...surged by 529% after Mr. Mamdani’s news conference" "there had been 3,000 people on a waiting list to access a limited number of e-book copies" "2,000 people applied for a library card over the weekend, roughly twice as many as had applied by this time last year" A win!

👀 Check out this timely article published in C&RL discussing "The Missing Path: Data Librarianship at Mid-Career". Thank you Megan Sapp-Nelson @sappnelson.bsky.social and Abigail Goben @hedgielib.bsky.social for sharing your insight into #datalibrarianship! 📝 crln.acrl.org/index.php/cr...

If you’re outside of Minnesota and you’re wondering how to help, this guide is excellent. And seriously. Take down your Ring doorbell TODAY.

This. A handful of Americans have the power to stop this NOW, and they are refusing to.

they're executing moms and nurses in the street. they're using preschoolers as bait. they're stealing people's dads and grandmas and children. they're tear gassing babies. they're staking out schools. there is no remedy but abolition. any proposal that doesn't start there is an act of violence.

It’s good to be reminded, in the midst of so many people being fundamentally evil, that there also many people that are fundamentally good.

I took a mental health day today, turned off all news, and wrote over 4,000 words for my new book. And I learned how to cite sources that reference specific page numbers using Zotero. That's probably not a typical mental health day, but honestly I'm feeling really great right now.

Between the breakdown of our constitutional rights (see: Minnesota) and NSF just dropping new DMSP requirements (effective today, on a platform that's not working at the moment), I can't even. It's already ridiculous that I'm supposed to work like normal right now and then work implodes.

I developed a new workshop, "Accessible Data for Everyone," for Love Data Week 2026. It's about making data accessible to people with disabilities. Anyone is welcome to sign up. The class is on Feb 10 at 2pm PST online. Register here: libcal.caltech.edu/event/16205574

Do I need more yarn? No. Do I want all the colorways in this collection? Yes. dyemadyarns.com/collections/...