Exploring New Paths at My First RDAP Summit

Attending this year’s RDAP Summit was a meaningful experience for me—both professionally and personally. As the new Data Services Librarian at James Madison University (JMU), this was my first time attending the conference. Thanks to the generous scholarship support, I was able to fully participate as both a poster presenter and a session speaker. It was energizing to not only share my work but also to learn from so many others who are navigating similar questions in data education and research support.

A key takeaway for me was the diversity of teaching approaches shared throughout the conference. Since I’m still fairly new to the field—and especially new to teaching—it was incredibly valuable to hear how others are designing instruction on data literacy, research data management, and repository navigation. These sessions gave me both reassurance and fresh ideas to bring back to JMU.

One of the more unexpected highlights was a session on open science ["Open Science à la Carpentries"]. I hadn’t originally planned to attend it, but I’m grateful I did. I was immediately drawn to the connections between open science principles and the data literacy concepts I already cover in the classroom. It’s made me reconsider how I frame some of those lessons and opened up new ways to talk about research transparency and accessibility with both students and faculty.

Thomas Padilla’s keynote "On Service, Services, and Maintaining the Public Interest" was especially impactful. He grounded his talk in the realities of today’s political landscape and its implications for libraries and higher education. I appreciated the practical steps he outlined for continuing this work amidst these challenges, and I left feeling both inspired and better equipped to support our campus community.

One of the things I most enjoyed about the Summit was being part of a shared presentation session. I was slotted alongside two other speakers whose work closely aligned with mine, and that format created a collaborative atmosphere I hadn’t expected. Other speakers were able to build on my presentation, and together we explored overlapping challenges from different perspectives. It was one of the most affirming and rewarding parts of the experience. And I’d be remiss not to mention the RDAP game night—it was a fun and refreshing way to connect informally with other attendees in a virtual setting!

The conference theme, Evolutions in Data Services: Forging Resiliency, truly came to life throughout the Summit. I felt that emphasis not only in the session content but also in the way attendees supported and engaged with one another. As someone just starting out in this role, I left feeling like I had found a community to grow with.

Many thanks to the RDAP Membership Action Committee for making this opportunity possible—I’m so grateful to have had the chance to attend, contribute, and learn.

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