Data Science

Hi! My name is Jenn Huck, and I am the liaison from the library to the School of Data Science. I am here to help you learn how to use the library. On this page, you will learn how to use some of what the library offers, plus you will learn about a few helpful tools that will make your life a lot easier when it comes to using library materials.  

If you forget all of this, please remember one thing: you can reach out to me with your information questions and research needs. I’m here to help you. You can find me on the UVA Data Science Slack or through the contact box listed on this page.

Unfortunately, I can't join you for orientation this year, since I am out of the office for a couple weeks in June 2024.  I have created videos for you that cover the basics of what the library offers and demo some helpful tools for using and organizing background documents. Please watch each video in order:

1. Welcome and Basics
2. Useful Tools for Research
3. Background Docs, Research Data Services, and Just for Fun

The videos will take you a little less than half an hour to watch. When you are able, consider working through the worksheet. The worksheet walks you through the essential accounts you should create, apps/extensions to download, and settings to use.

All of the resources I mention in the videos are also on this page as links; they do not all show up in the worksheet.

If you have any questions, please reach out to me with the contact info on this page.

Here are the basic library resources and services that everyone should know about: Virgo - the library catalog, Interlibrary Loan, Recommend a Purchase, and Hours/Study Spaces.

How do I find books and journals?

How do I quickly get an article or book that the library doesn’t have?

Can I ask the library to purchase something for me?

What are the library's hours?

The new Shannon Library has a Graduate Student Lounge where you can reserve a shelf to store books. Contact the librarian on this page and they will put you in touch with the right person to reserve the shelf.

UVA Library offers a suite of digital resources. All UVA students, faculty, and staff can get access to our digital offerings even when you are not working on Grounds. The bottom line is that you need to authenticate at some point so that publisher websites recognize that you are a UVA affiliate. If you start your search on a library website, it will ask you for your NetBadge.  Using the VPN also works well, but you need to remember to turn it on.  Updating your Google Scholar settings to reflect your affiliation with UVA will also activate NetBadge and direct you to any copies the library may have.

If you are off Grounds and not starting with the library website, you best bet is to use the Libkey Nomad browser extension, described in the next section.  Libkey Nomad makes it easy to get to an article, no matter how you start your search.  If the article is not available through UVA Library or open access, Libkey Nomad will fill out an ILL form for you.

Have you ever hit a paywall when searching for articles off Grounds? LibKey Nomad can help break through those paywalls. LibKey Nomad is a browser extension that gives you one-click access to scholarly articles. It works by connecting to UVA Library holdings and Open Access articles; if it still can't find a copy, it will send you directly to the UVA Library Interlibrary Loan page and fill out the page for you - you just have to click submit. (ILL requests are usually processed in 24 hours or less!)

To use LibKey Nomad:

1. Install the browser extension. (Scroll down and select your browser.)
2. Select "University of Virginia" as your organization. 
3. The LibKey Nomad icon should now be in your toolbar: 
4. LibKey Nomad is now working. Look for journal articles as you normally would, like with Google or using a link a colleague emailed you. You do not have to start with Library links, be on Grounds, or have your VPN connected.
5. When you view an article page you will see one of the following:
   1. "Download PDF" will appear if the UVA Library has the article available. Clicking on the button takes you to the PDF:
   2. 
   3. "Access Options..." will show if Libkey Nomad can't find a way to access the article for free from UVA-subscribed databases. Clicking on this will take you to a pre-filled Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request form, and you will need to log in to the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) system via Netbadge: 
   4. 

Here is an example of an article page with the LibKey Nomad button activated:

Click the button. There may be a brief delay, and you may see messaging that says, "To access this document, wait a moment or click here to continue"

The article will load for you to read.

Zotero is a citation manager that helps you organize the many background documents you will use to write your papers.  It makes your life easier when it comes time to cite your sources and construct a bibliography! 

At some point during your data science program, you will need to find background documents for a paper, report, or your capstone. These might be academic books and articles, news, industry reports and other gray literature, and government documents.

UVA Library offers research data services, which includes help with finding and accessing data; statistical analysis and data science consultations; and long-term data and code preservation. We can also help you with Data Management Plans if you apply for federal grant funding.

I want to end on a fun note. The library also offers some fun resources, too! The library offers direct access to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, as well as a couple of video platforms. Kanopy tends more towards documentaries and the Criterion Collection, while Swank has more popular movies.