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 2023.  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?

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.

Libkey Nomad is a browser extension that instantly identifies links to articles for full text access (either through the library's holdings or through Open Access sources), and if it can't find a version of the article that is available to you through your library, it will fill out an ILL request for you through the library. It means you can browse the publisher websites directly rather than searching the library website for an article.

Using Libkey Nomad is a bit like taking a librarian with you as you surf the web: it will identify access to articles you browse, and take you to the full text if we have access. If we don't have access, it will fill out an ILL request for you, which you just have to click to submit.

It works in all of the major browsers, including: Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari, Brave, and Vivaldi.

You do not need to be on Grounds, or connected via the VPN to use it, and you don't have to create an account; you'll be prompted to authenticate via Netbadge when needed.

To use Libkey Nomad: 

1. Download and install the Libkey Nomad browser extension from the Chrome, Firefox or MacOS (for Safari) stores. Note that the installation procedure for Safari is detailed on the MacOS store page. For Chrome or Firefox:
   • You will see a pop up stating that Libkey Nomad can "read and change all your data on the websites you visit." This is allows Libkey Nomad to detect article details on pages you visit, so it can locate them for you in our library holdings, and it also allows it to add download buttons to the webpage. No data about you or your searches is saved!
2. Select University of Virginia as your organization when prompted to do so, and then close the pop-up window.
3. You'll see the Libkey Nomad icon on your toolbar:
4. Libkey Nomad is now working. Just browse the literature as you would normally, visiting articles through Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed or other library databases, or by visiting the journal website directly. Open access repositories and Unpaywall are also checked, if the article isn't in a UVA-subscribed journal.
5. When you view an article page you will see one of the following:
   • "Download PDF" will appear if the UVA Library has the article available. Click on the image to access the PDF:
      
   • "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 ILL request form, and you will need to log in to the ILL system via Netbadge: 
       

Using Libkey Nomad to Access Articles (even from off-Grounds without the VPN)

1. Locate an article you wish to read. 
2. Click the Libkey Nomad button on the page.
   
3. 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"
   
4. 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.

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, as well as a couple of video platforms. Kanopy tends more towards documentaries and the Criterion Collection, while Swank has more popular movies.