Things 'align perfectly' for Cook Library Data Studio

Data can be created and found everywhere today.

And now, thanks to the vision of Towson University faculty, staff and generous donors, it can be found and harnessed at Cook Library.

Behind a generous gift through the Albert S. Cook Library Innovation Fund, a data studio was officially opened during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 25.

“The data studio initiative aligned perfectly with the purpose of the Innovation Fund, and from there, the project took off,” said Deborah Nolan, dean of university libraries.

Nolan added there was “a growing need to provide students from across all disciplines with software and technology to perform data analysis, data visualization, and mapping.”

There’s already interest in using the space. Joyce Garczynski, assistant university librarian for development & communication, says faculty requests have already come in for the four individual work stations and one group station in the studio.

“It is small. It is mighty. And there is room to grow,” she said.

Jobs in data are on the rise in the U.S. Of Glassdoor’s 50 best jobs in the nation in 2018, six were analytics or data science oriented.

“That’s what this data studio is all about—providing all TU students with access to the tools and skills they need after they graduate,” Garczynski said.

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland and Culture of Philanthropy.