Campus podcast: University libraries – and librarians – that are leading the change

Jul 10, 2025

Guest

David Green

Guest

Lynda Kellam

Lynda Kellam, Snyder-Granader Director of Research Data and Digital Scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania, and David Green, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Worcester, delve into the evolving role of university libraries. They discuss the Data Rescue Project's efforts to protect essential public data and how The Hive serves as a community-centric model, blending library and public services. Their insights highlight the growing importance of libraries as hubs for educational innovation, digital stewardship, and community engagement in a data-driven world.

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INSIGHT

Public Data Underpins Democracy

Public government data serves as the foundational source for many private and commercial data products.
It is crucial for an informed electorate, underpinning democracy and decision-making.

ADVICE

Rescue Data with Curation Workflows

Volunteers monitor data at risk due to removal, staff reductions, or contract endings and rescue it via curation workflows.
Rescued data is stored in accessible public repositories like Data Lumos at the University of Michigan.

INSIGHT

Digital Data: Double-Edged Sword

The digital transition of government data increases vulnerability to erasure but also enables large-scale preservation efforts.
The Trump administration's disregard for public data is unprecedented and disheartening.

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We discuss the changing role of the university library, and librarian, and learn how these often iconic institutions are not just responding to change but actively seeking out new opportunities to improve their services and ensure access to valuable information.

Hear about the efforts of US librarians to protect valuable public data and government records from the sudden erasure by the Trump administration. Plus, a UK vice-chancellor describes a pioneering project which saw his university partner with the local council to create a joint library that is open to anyone.

Lynda Kellam is the Snyder-Granader director of research data and digital scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania. She has held previous data librarian roles at Cornell University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She serves as secretary of the International Association for Social Science Information Service and Technology (IASSIST) and is a past president of the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT). Independently of her role at Penn, she is a leading figure in the Data Rescue Project, which is coordinating efforts to protect US public data at risk of deletion or mismanagement.

David Green is the vice-chancellor of the University of Worcester. A Cambridge-educated economist with a career-long commitment to education and social equality, he was instrumental in establishing The Hive, which is the only fully integrated university-public library in Europe, in partnership with the Worcestershire County Council. Before joining Worcester in 2003, he held senior academic posts at London South Bank University, Leeds Metropolitan University and the University of West London, and worked as a researcher and consultant in the private sector and for UK homeless campaign SHELTER. In 2019, he was awarded a CBE for his services to higher education.

You'll find more advice and insight on how university libraries can optimise their services for students, academics and the public in our latest spotlight guide.