Case Studies 2020

The following libraries led projects in 2020 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. All projects took place during the early stages of the pandemic and had to adjust accordingly. 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.

The School of Library and Information Sciences Library at North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC - Discovering Racial Covenants in Property Deeds

The University of Chicago Library’s Center for Digital Scholarship, Chicago, IL - Engaging with Criminal Justice Related Data

Indianapolis Public Library, Indianapolis, IN - Reaching a New Audience for Civic Data and Community Research

Spokane Public Library, Spokane, WA - Grounding Open Data in a People-Centered Ecosystem

St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN - Building Civic Data Community Partnerships