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
    • Archiving and Preservation of Civic and Government Data
    • Glossary
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  1. Library Roles

Showing the importance of civic data

What's the need?

  • Many people aren't aware of what civic data is, how it can be used, and how it is relevant to them.

Why the library?

  • The library supports broad and diverse audiences, many of whom may not be included in conventional discussions around data.

  • Libraries are physical spaces for sharing activities, projects, and stories from the broader community

What you can do:

  • Promote, through storytelling and case studies, projects that use civic data

  • Host data art installations, speaker series, data book clubs

Inspiration:

  • Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Civic Data Zine Camp

  • St. Paul, MN: Data Party

  • Ottawa, ON: Open Data Ottawa Book Club

  • Charlotte, SC: Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library Book Club

Resources you can use:

  • Tess Wilson, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh: Civic Data Field Guide flyer from Civic Data Zine Camp

  • St. Paul Public Library, Open Data Guide

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Last updated 5 years ago