# Connecting data producers **What's the need?** * Data producers, even when working in the same region, are often separated. * Data producers may be facing similar problems, and may have solutions or complementary expertise to share. * Together, data producers can develop solutions for challenges around data governance, data publishing and sharing. They can advocate for infrastructure. And they can standardize the descriptions and availability of their data. **Why the library?** * As a community hub and an advocate for the social good, your library has the capacity to act as a convener and a bridge between networks. * Libraries have a special opportunity to include local groups that don’t traditionally see themselves as belonging to the data space. **What you can do:** * Convene a data producers council / working group * Host ecosystem mapping events that bring together local data producers * Hold workshops for organizations interested in publishing data. Topics could include data management, metadata, and privacy **Inspiration:** * [Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library Case Study ](https://civic-switchboard.gitbook.io/guide/case-studies/charlotte-mecklenburg-public-library-charlotte-nc) * [Pioneer Library System (Ontario County, NY) Case Study ](https://civic-switchboard.gitbook.io/guide/case-studies/pioneer-library-system-ontario-county-ny) * [Alaska State Library Case Study](https://civic-switchboard.gitbook.io/guide/case-studies/alaska-state-library-juneau-ak) **Resources you can use:** * Civic Switchboard Guide, [Ecosystem Mapping](https://civic-switchboard.gitbook.io/guide/understanding/mapping-your-ecosystem) * Arena, Olivia and Li, Crystal. **“**[Guide to Civic Tech and Data Ecosystem Mapping](https://medium.com/civic-tech-data-collaborative/the-civic-tech-and-data-collaborative-guide-to-civic-tech-data-ecosystem-mapping-f94bc1665548).**”** --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://civic-switchboard.gitbook.io/guide/library-roles/connecting-data-producers.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.