Case Studies 2019

The following libraries led projects in 2019 with support from the Civic Switchboard Project. Each project worked with one or more local community data partner organizations to increase the library's capacity in their local civic data ecosystem. The resulting case studies, drawn mostly from each project team's own writing, give insight into the variety that can be found across local data ecosystems and provide real-world examples of roles that libraries can play within them.

Alaska State Library, Juneau, AK - Coordinating statewide data players through ecosystem mapping

Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library, Charlotte, NC - Organizing a local civic data council as groundwork for an open data portal

Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, TX - Democratizing Data Through Data Literacy Training

Pioneer Library System, Ontario County, NY - Expanding regional data sharing practices to support substance abuse prevention

Providence Public Library, Providence, RI - Engaging teens to tell local data stories with paper and electronics

Queens Public Library, Queens, NY - Partnering to provide data literacy trainings to improve census outcomes

Robert L. Bogomolny Library at the University of Baltimore, MD - Joining open data and archival collections for neighborhood stories

St. Paul Public Library, St. Paul, MN - Increasing awareness of open data through community conversations

Western New York Library Resources Council, Western NY - Clarifying library roles in an expansive regional civic data ecosystem