The Association of Research Libraries, along with Duke University, New York University, University at Buffalo, University of Arizona, University of Hawaii at Manoa, University of Kentucky, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Nevada–Las Vegas, University of South Carolina, Washington University in St. Louis, and advisory board members from across the Data Curation Network, will conduct critical research on the economics of investments in public access to research data. To optimize public access to research data, funding agencies, institutions, and organizations must better understand the local landscape and required investments. The research team will conduct surveys and interviews with campus-based administrators and researchers to enable the development of expense and service models for public access to research data. Project deliverables will empower libraries wishing to expand resources for research data management and sharing support while simultaneously informing U.S. federal approaches to data sharing. This research will catalyze the amount of information that libraries have about these services and expenses, which will then allow academic and research libraries to make more strategic choices into the future.