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06
Posted by kimberlycarlo on April 6th, 2026
Posted in: Blog
What is DSS?
DDS stands for Data Services Specialization. This certification from the Medical Library Association (MLA) tells employers that you have received training to provide data services to anyone who works with data. This includes (but is not limited to) researchers, clinicians, students, and librarians.
Core Classes
There are four core classes that need to be taken in order to obtain the Level I DSS Certification. They are 4 credits each and will take about 4 hours each to complete. All of these are On-Demand classes, so feel free to go at your own pace.
-Research Data Management On-Demand
This class is an introduction to research data management for librarians. You can also learn best practices to support researchers and the best ways to keep documentation on data, as well as how to best store and preserve data. A great place to start if you want to see what the work of research data librarians entails, and if this may be a career path for you. Another aspect of this on-demand class is naming conventions of files, which are essential in our work.
-Research Data Sharing On-Demand
Receive an overview of data sharing processes, as well as best practices. Learning these guidelines (and practicing) will streamline your data sharing process. Other skills you will be introduced to in this class include “metadata creation, documentation review, and data de-identification.”
-Supporting Open Science: Tools and Trends On-Demand
Learn what “open science” means and how to practice the 5 R’s: Repeatability, Replicability, Reproducibility, Reusability, and Readability. You also learn about using free tools to achieve this in your work.
-Data Ethics On-Demand
Want to learn about ethical problems that may come up in research data management? This is a great place to start. Keep yourself aware and accountable in your work and show your employers that you can do your research and data work ethically. The ethical issues described in this class are pertinent to data librarians in the health sciences.
If you would like to learn more about these courses and register, visit the Data Services On-Demand webpage.
NNLM Funding
The NNLM provides financial support to cover the application fee for this specialization (as well as two others).
Once you complete the 4 core courses for DSS, you can fill out a short form to receive a code that will cover the cost of your application.
Upcoming NNLM class offering DSS credit
On April 9th at 12 pm ET, Region 7 is hosting a class called “Creating a Data Dashboard with Power BI”. Not only is this one-hour class eligible for DSS credit, but attendees can walk through the steps to make a data set come to life. Anyone who is new to Power BI or needs a refresher would be a great candidate for this course.
Registration page for “Creating a Data Dashboard with Power BI.”
Data Services Specialization Level II Information
Congratulations, you have completed Level I of the DSS Certification and received your certificate! Now what?
If you have now completed the DSS Level I program, you can now move on to DSS Level II.
Read more about earning the next level of your certification on the Medical Librarian Association DSS Level II Pathway webpage.
As the field of data librarianship continues to grow and change, we can keep up with current coursework through the MLA to keep our skills sharp and relevant, as well as continue to support anyone who works with data in the health sciences and academia.
Additional resources for aspiring data service librarians
In addition to the DSS courses available, here are some additional staple resources for the data services profession.
FAIR data principles – NLM webpage
Data Curation Network CURATE(D) Steps webpage
Researchers should include an accompanying README file to provide additional information alongside metadata. You can read more about this on the Writing READMEs for Research Data- Cornell University webpage.
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