Civic Switchboard Guide
  • Introduction
  • About
  • Context and Concepts
    • An incredibly condensed look at the development of open civic data in the United States
    • Ways of thinking about data: Open data, civic data
    • Defining a data intermediary
    • Where do libraries fit in?
    • Selected Resources
  • Engaging Partners
    • Building libraries into civic data partnerships
    • Finding partners in your ecosystem
    • Common barriers to getting started
    • Selected Resources
  • Understanding Your Ecosystem
    • Mapping your Ecosystem
    • Measuring Health and Capacity
    • Understanding Community Data Needs
    • Selected Resources
  • Library Roles
    • Connecting data users
    • Connecting data producers
    • Showing the importance of civic data
    • Developing civic data literacy
    • Advocating for ethical, responsible, and accessible civic data
    • Making civic data more usable
    • Providing expertise on data management
    • Creating civic data
    • Using civic data
    • Publishing civic data
    • Archiving civic data
    • Increasing the library's capacity to do all of the above
    • Selected Resources
  • Maintaining Momentum
    • Finding resources to support civic data work
    • Support networks and communities of practice
    • Institutionalizing
    • Selected Resources
  • Case Studies 2019
    • Alaska State Library, Juneau, AK
    • Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library, Charlotte, NC
    • Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, TX
    • Pioneer Library System, Ontario County, NY
    • Providence Public Library, Providence, RI
    • Queens Public Library, Queens, NY
    • Robert L. Bogomolny Library at the University of Baltimore, MD
    • Saint Paul Public Library, St. Paul, MN
    • Western New York Library Resources Council, Western NY
  • Case Studies 2020
    • The School of Library and Information Sciences Library at NCCU, Durham, NC
    • The University of Chicago Library’s Center for Digital Scholarship, Chicago, IL
    • Indianapolis Public Library, Indianapolis, IN
    • Spokane Public Library, Spokane, WA
    • St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN
  • Additional Resources
    • Civic Switchboard Workshop Materials
    • Open Data
    • Data Literacies
    • Partnerships and Community-Building
    • Library Roles in Civic Data Ecosystems
    • Guidelines for Creating Open Educational Resources
    • Archiving and Preservation of Civic and Government Data
    • Glossary
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  • About the Civic Switchboard project
  • Credits
  • License and How to Cite this Guide

About

PreviousIntroductionNextContext and Concepts

Last updated 5 years ago

This guide has been created by the , with generous support from the Institute for Museum and Library Services ().

About the Civic Switchboard project

The authors of this guide are part of regional partnership in Pittsburgh that brings together a public library system (), an academic library system (), and a regional open data portal (, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh Center for Social and Urban Research). We are joined by a national membership organization of non-library civic data intermediaries, , coordinated by . The team members include Aaron Brenner (PI), Bob Gradeck, Toby Greenwalt, Julia Marden (from July 2019), Eleanor Mattern, Liz Monk (Project Manager), Kathy Pettit, Eleanor Tutt (until October 2018).

In Pittsburgh, our local situation has been unique in that both public and academic librarians work actively in close collaboration with other civic data publishers and users. Our librarians regularly partner with local governments, non-library intermediaries, civic organizations, student organizations, and data users in a variety of ways. They play a number of roles, including helping people discover civic information, building data literacy and technical skills, providing technical assistance in data management and documentation, creating feedback mechanisms to publishers, convening and hosting events, and connecting data users. Our experience shows that libraries and librarians should act as data intermediaries and play key roles in the continuing development of civic open data. Their expertise provides insights on a wide range of issues that affect both data publishers and users.

Many of our colleagues elsewhere, including librarians and other civic data intermediaries, have asked us how they can develop similar relationships and roles for librarians in their home communities. This guide is developed in response to this interest and expression of need.

Credits

The main text of the guide is authored by the Civic Switchboard project team:

  • Aaron Brenner, The University Library System at the University of Pittsburgh

  • Bob Gradeck, Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center

  • Toby Greenwalt, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

  • Eleanor "Nora" Mattern, School of Computing and Information at the University of Pittsburgh

  • Liz Monk, Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center

  • Kathy Pettit, National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership

  • Eleanor Tutt, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Case studies include material authored by the featured parties; specific attribution is included with each case study text.

License and How to Cite this Guide

The Civic Switchboard Guide is licensed under is licensed under a

Citation: Civic Switchboard Project Team (2019). Civic Switchboard Guide. .

Civic Switchboard project
award #LG-70-17-0146-17
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center
the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership
the Urban Institute
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
https://civic-switchboard.gitbook.io/guide