Civic Data Education Series

Welcome to the Civic Data Education Series! These resources are part of the Civic Switchboard project, which focuses on building capacity of libraries in their civic data ecosystems.

We believe that strong partnerships between libraries and other local civic data intermediaries better serve data users, further democratize data, and support equitable access to information. Through the Civic Switchboard project, we’ve learned about common barriers to entry that libraries are navigating with civic data work. We regularly heard library workers say that they feel unqualified to participate in their civic data ecosystems.

With this barrier in mind, the Civic Switchboard Data Literacy project is focused on building and piloting instructional material that Library and Information Science instructors can integrate in coursework and that can be used in professional development training in library settings.

Our driving questions for this project are:

• How can LIS educators prepare students for roles as civic data intermediaries in libraries or in civic data programs?

• How can LIS educators prepare students to be advocates for open civic data within their organizations?

• What learning opportunities would support current library workers to take on civic data roles in their communities?

What you'll find in this series

This collection is modular in nature, with instructional materials (videos, slides, scripts, and activities) focused on building capacity for library participation in their civic data ecosystems.

The content is scaffolded in five separate segments through which users are meant to progress as they learn key concepts and practices associated with civic data. Each segment is composed of a set of modules that can be experienced successively or independently and according to the learner’s own pace, depending on their interests, needs, and level of knowledge.

Except for third-party content and where otherwise noted, all images, text, and other materials in the Civic Data Education Series were created by the Civic Switchboard Data Literacy Team at the University of Pittsburgh. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0).

If you have used these materials, we’d like to learn more about your experience. Please drop us a line using our feedback form to share your story.