A new service offered by University of South Carolina University Libraries provides support to researchers across all disciplines who are working with advanced or complex data.

Staffed by highly skilled Ph.D. students, Data Analysis and Statistics Services offers help with exploratory data analysis and statistics to faculty and students who are doing advanced research that involves data management.

The two Ph.D. students who staff the program have complementary skillsets, says Research Data Librarian Stacy Winchester. “One is more of a statistician while the other is an expert in qualitative data analysis.” Both are also developing video tutorials and workshops that can serve as lasting resources for all members of the university community.

Located in the DataLab, room L516D in Thomas Cooper, the program is currently staffed part-time. Its hours of service are:

· Monday – 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

· Tuesday – 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

· Wednesday – 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Available services include help with statistical tests as well as with software including SAS, SPSS and NVivo. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are suggested.

University Libraries’ core mission of supporting research activity across campus makes it a natural home for the program. “For many researchers across campus, there’s been nowhere to go for help analyzing research data or doing advanced statistical work,” Winchester says. “University Libraries tries to provide services whenever it sees a campus-wide need.”

Data Analysis and Statistics Services are, in fact, just one component of the Libraries’ Digital Research Services program, which also offers support for digital scholarship, research data management, and data visualization.

Any member of the USC community, including undergraduate student researchers, can book an appointment with the Research Data Analysis and Statistics Assistants, although they are not available to help with statistics coursework. “We’re here to support everyone across the Columbia campus, and we hope the assistants are very busy,” Winchester says.