This summer, Siti Lei joined DKU Library as our new Data and Visualization Librarian. To help everyone get to know her better, we had a short interview, covering her personal journey as well as the exciting services she’ll be bringing to campus.
This Friday, she will also be hosting a Workshop | Data Discovery, Interpretation, and Evaluation in LIB 2001 at 10:30am! Come and learn more about how to find, understand, and assess data effectively.
For more data & visualization services, please visit the library page at: https://library.dukekunshan.edu.cn/data-and-visualization-services/
Q1: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Siti: I’m Siti Lei (she/her). I recently graduated in June with a Master of Information in Library and Information Science from the University of Toronto (UofT), where I also earned my Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Visual Studies. Before joining DKU, I was in Canada for 8 years, including three years working in academic libraries as library assistant.
Q2: How is your impression of DKU so far?
Siti: What impresses me most about DKU so far is its community diversity, so the faculty, students, and colleagues I have met so far come from many different countries and backgrounds, each with their own academic goals and reasons for being here – very similar to UofT but it is based in China with a smaller size. I am still quite new, but I have already observed a wide range of needs in this role. I really look forward to engaging more with the community and exploring how my I can uniquely contribute through data services and support.
Q3: You started out in architecture, what made you shift gears into librarianship?
Siti: I have always loved architecture and art as personal interests, even though my career path has shifted. During my undergraduate studies, I developed skills in many design software programs and became familiar with data-driven research workflows, and I was lucky to gain opportunities working at the Eberhard Zeidler (Architecture) Library at UofT. The librarian there was truly inspiring – she provided me with many opportunities to engage in library teaching, conduct research on AI integration in the library, and encouraged me to pursue this path and role. I later worked as a reference assistant at the Map and Data Library, where I solidified my passion for working with data and research, experimenting with new tools and technologies, and managing data. I see this as my way of meaningfully contributing to scholarship.
Q4: “Data & Visualization Librarian” sounds cool! What does that role actually involve?
Siti: In this role, my job is to help students and faculty build literacy in working with data and technical tools to meet academic, publication, and professional standards. I lead workshops and provide one-on-one consultations to support tasks such as finding and evaluating datasets and using tools to create digital scholarship. The areas I support include data visualization, qualitative data analysis, statistical analysis, geographic information systems (GIS), and research data management. My daily work also involves curating and managing dataset collections, experimenting with and assessing new and existing technologies, and identifying best practices and user-friendly approaches to make these resources more accessible and usable for the community.
Q5: Are there any upcoming resources, workshops, or projects on data and visualization that students and faculty should look out for?
Siti: This term, I will be hosting three library workshops on Fridays – one on Data Literacy and two tool-based tutorials: using ArcGIS Online to create digital maps, and using NVivo to analyze and visualize qualitative data. They are designed for absolute beginners, so anyone with little or no prior experience is welcome to join. My goal is to make these free (to DKU) resources more accessible for the community and to encourage their use in digital creation. I am still planning the workshops, but the step-by-step tutorials will soon be available on our library website.
Speaking of the library website, I have recently added several resources that introduce different approaches to visualizing and working with data. In terms of projects, I am currently sourcing information for the historic map project on Kunshan. Along the way, I have discovered many interesting datasets, which I hope to incorporate into future projects as well.
Q6: And finally, when you’ re not working with data, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Siti: Outside of work, I like to keep my mind active by reading books and watching movies about mystery and detective stories. I grew up loving Sherlock Holmes and Detective Conan, but in recent years I’ve also enjoyed comedy shows to relax. I am a total homebody, but to balance it out, I try to drag myself to the gym or go for a swim at least once a week (keyword here is try).
Interviewer: Cai Yan
