Files 2.0 in the Data Service Studio
Graham Lawlor
The NYU Data Service Studio (DSS), an ITS/Libraries facility for assistance with and instruction in statistics and mapping software, was one of the first campus groups to begin using Files. Starting in the summer of 2008, while planning for the move from the ITS Third Ave North lab to the 6th floor of the Bobst Library, the DSS examined and completely overhauled its software, hardware, and network systems and processes. Files was identified as a service that would fulfill a number of the requirements of students and faculty working in the DSS (see below), and with help from the administrators of the Files system and other ITS staff, the DSS established a set of internal guidelines and best practices for the use of Files. These are now instituted in the DSS and promoted among staff and others who use the facility, enabling us to optimize our use of Files, and take full advantage of its features.
Files provides several ways to manage data that are ideally suited for the kind of work done by students and faculty in the DSS: statistics and mapping research is data-intensive, which requires reliable and secure file storage; many users of the DSS are working on group projects and need to share files among their team members; and projects with long duration, such as Ph.D. dissertations, involve large numbers of files which must be carefully managed and version-tracked. Each of these needs is addressed by features available in Files, such as secure and reliable network storage, web-based group file sharing, and advanced versioning. Files is well-suited for group projects, distribution of common documentation and software to the University community, and long-term research involving multiple versions of the same files.
If you would like to hear more about how the DSS is using Files, please visit us on the 6th floor of Bobst. For information on the facilities, training, and expert staff at the DSS, please see "The New NYU Data Service Studio" article, as well as the DSS website at library.nyu.edu/dataservice.