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Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Purdue Libraries and School of Information Research Studies

3-16-2020

Adding Data Skills to Your Toolkit

Megan R. Sapp Nelson Purdue University, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Sapp Nelson, Megan R., "Adding Data Literacy Skills to Your Toolkit" (2020). Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research. Paper 230. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/lib_fsdocs/230

This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. JAN FEB information 20 V 24 | N 01 outlook THE MAGAZINE OF THE SPECIAL LIBRARIES ASSOCIATION

DATA LITERACY

JAN FEB information 20 V 24 | N 01 outlook THE MAGAZINE OF THE SPECIAL LIBRARIES ASSOCIATION

INFO INSIGHTS DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIOIN 2 Data Literacy 24 Creating an Inclusive STUART HALES Culture: A Call to Action AMANDA FERNANDEZ DATA LITERACY 4 Identifying, Accessing and ON LEADERSHIP Evaluating Data 26 Jumping Hurdles: How to JENNIFER HUCK Build on Your Strengths CINDY HILL 7 Seven Baseline Data Literacy Competencies for INSIDE INFO Employees 27 Board OKs Proposal to WENDY POTHIER AND ‘Right-Size’ Chapter and PATRICIA CONDON Division Structure • Chapter and Division Volunteers 10 Adding Data Literacy Gain New Leadership Skills to Your Toolkit Insights • Board Approves MEGAN SAPP NELSON Proposal to Change Association’s Name 12 Becoming Data Literate: A Review of Selected Sites WENDY MANN

14 Promoting in Corporate Research JOE TRAGERT

17 Using Data for Civic Good STEPHEN SHERMAN

21 Search Engines and Algorithms are Biased. Here’s Why That Matters JASMINDER BAINS INFO INSIGHTS

Data Literacy

nificant concern about supporting data Librarians are ideally positioned to help their clients become in the library has nothing to do with data literate, and several resources are available to help discovery at all. Finding the right data them hone their data skills. can be challenging, to be sure, but real problems can arise regarding access. I BY STUART HALES frequently work with patrons who know exactly what data they need, but they are having trouble using it for a variety of reasons.” To the list of the many ways that special “There has been a focus on giving Adding Data Literacy Skills to Your librarians and information profession- employees self-service access to data, Toolkit als benefit their organizations—helping rather than building individuals’ self- Megan Sapp Nelson, MLS them make better decisions, improve sufficiency to work with it,” said Jordan “The Data Engagement Opportunities their productivity, and so on—we can Morrow, head of data literacy at Qlik. Scaffold builds upon the existing skills now add reducing sick days, according “Yet, expecting employees to work with of librarians and projects them into data to a recent survey by Accenture and data without providing the right training literacy and data management, thereby Qlik. or appropriate tools is a bit like going pointing the way for librarians to extend The survey report, “The Human fishing without the rods, bait or nets. their skills base to build discrete servic- Impact of Data Literacy,” states that You may have led them to water, but es. Rather than attend trainings to learn while nearly all employees recognize you aren’t helping them catch a fish.” generally, librarians can use this tool that data is an asset, just 25% believe Librarians are uniquely situated to to discover how building up skill sets they’re fully prepared to use data effec- help their clients better understand and in specific areas can result in concrete tively, and only 21% feel confident work with data, but they sometimes lack service offerings.” in their ability to read, understand, the skills needed to assume this role. question and work with data. While The articles in this issue of Information Seven Baseline Data Literacy these findings may not be surprising, Outlook can help fill this void. From Competencies for Employees their implications are downright dis- advice about websites that offer training Wendy G. Pothier, MS, MSLS, and turbing—roughly one-third of surveyed courses about data to an overview of the Patricia B. Condon, PhD employees said they will find an alterna- seven baseline competencies for data- “Sets of competencies for data lit- tive method to complete a task to avoid literate employees to a tool that can eracy began to emerge in the 2010s using data, and nearly as many said help librarians identify which skills to and were mapped to the Information they had taken at least one day of sick learn, the articles in this issue offer an Literacy Competency Standards for leave due to stress caused by dealing abundance of useful advice to librarians Higher developed by the with data and information. and information professionals interest- Association of College and Research These sick days and time lost to ed in becoming—and helping their Libraries. While these competencies are workarounds add up to lost produc- clients become—data literate. Following designed to be flexible and adaptable, tivity—more than $100 billion in the are excerpts from those articles: translating them to skills needed in the United States alone. Yet rather than workforce is not necessarily straightfor- Identifying, Accessing and teach their employees how to use data, ward. In our 2019 article, we matched Evaluating Data many employers have prioritized access extant data literacy competencies to Jennifer Huck, MS, MLS over understanding. workplace needs and distinguished “One little-discussed but very sig- seven baseline competencies for data- literate employees.”

STUART HALES is editor of Information Outlook and content Promoting Information Literacy in director at SLA. He can be reached at [email protected]. Corporate Research Joe Tragert, MBA “As the Association of American Colleges & Universities’ annual survey of employers notes, one of the largest functional skill gaps of new employees

2 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 INFO INSIGHTS

(according to managers) is their inability coordinate open data initiatives in their Want more? This issue also contains to collaborate and their reluctance to communities. Cities and research insti- the second installment of a two-part reach out to colleagues when seek- tutions can partner with libraries to column on diversity and inclusion by ing information… One way to mitigate not only boost the visibility of their Amanda Fernandez of Inclusifyy as well these deficiencies is to meet research- data collections but also to provide as an “On Leadership” column by SLA ers halfway. To do this, librarians need access to data through a trusted, third- Past President Cindy Hill on using your to recognize the researcher’s persona at party intermediary. Moreover, librarians strengths to enhance your leadership that time and for that task.” and information professionals have the skills. Read, reflect, and rethink! knowledge and experience to be able Becoming Data Literate: A Review of to provide data literacy training that is Selected Sites clear and practical.” Wendy Mann, MLS, MPP “As a library professional who works Search Engines and Algorithms are in an academic library helping students Biased. Here’s Why That Matters and colleagues of all skill levels, I Jasminder Bains, BS often recommend resources or tutori- “Similar to how people need evidence als based on the individual’s skill level and information to draw conclusions, or the problem they are trying to solve. algorithms need data to be able to I suggest taking this approach when make decisions and judgments. There determining where to start your self- is, however, one key difference between directed training.” people and algorithms. Algorithms will make the same decision 100% of the Using Data for Civic Good time—unless adjusted by a computer Stephen Sherman, MSLS programmer—while people may make “Libraries are uniquely positioned to exceptions or get distracted by other lead data literacy programming and variables.”

INFORMATION OUTLOOV24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 202019 3 DATA LITERACY Identifying, Accessing and Evaluating Data

FINDING AND ACCESSING DATA CAN BE PROBLEMATIC, BUT MANY OF THE SKILLS USED IN TRADITIONAL REFERENCE CAN BE APPLIED TO DATA DISCOVERY.

BY JENNIFER HUCK, MS, MLS

elping patrons find data niques I use when responding to data and so on. A researcher studying a is notoriously difficult and requests. I will address the questions broader unit (e.g., a country) might be frustrating. Common dif- you should answer before you begin satisfied with data using a smaller unit ficulties include the lack your search, where to look for data, of observation (e.g., districts), but the of a single place to look for data, dif- potential access issues, and how to reverse is unlikely to be true. Hficulty finding data specific to a time evaluate data. Geographic coverage. What kind of period or place, and having to man- geographic coverage does the research- age patron expectations (Kubas and Get Answers to These er need? For example, does she need McBurney 2019). Fortunately, many of Questions First data only for a local state or province, or the skills used in traditional reference for several specific countries? In my experience, patrons will most can be applied to data discovery. Time period. How many years’ worth often reach out about a topic, but with I am the data librarian at the University of data is she seeking? Does she want widely varying levels of specificity. You of Virginia Library, an academic library only the most recent year available, or will save yourself a lot of time and effort at an R1 research institution. I most fre- as many years’ back as possible? if you learn the details upfront, so be quently help students, faculty and staff Data or statistics? Is the researcher sure to ask for clarification on the fol- in the social sciences, commerce, and trying to find data to use for her own lowing topics as soon as you receive a education, and less frequently in law, secondary analysis? For example, a request. health sciences, and hard sciences. I researcher studying retail purchasing Unit of analysis. Let’s say a research- am also fortunate to have the support behavior may need scanner data from er tells you she needs data to study of liaison librarians dedicated to these individual retailers. This researcher elections. The unit of analysis could be schools and departments. might then run a regression or some voters, precincts, districts, countries, In this article, I will review the tech- other statistical analysis. Alternatively, a student studying market trends may only need general statistics about best- JENNIFER HUCK is the data librarian at the University of Virginia Library. Her selling grocery items to create a simple main data-related responsibilities encompass data discovery and access and bar chart in a report. Since no second- maintaining data collections. She is the liaison to the university’s public policy ary analysis will be conducted, only school and is embedded into the Research Data Services + Social, Natural, general statistics are needed. and Engineering Sciences (RDS+SNE) liaison team. She can be reached at It is helpful to become acquaint- [email protected]. ed with data-related terms. For a fur- ther explanation of “data jargon,” see

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“Chapter 1: Data Reference Basics” in oldest data repositories anywhere. It books and articles related to your topic, Bauder (2014) and also check out the hosts a very well-curated collection of then search for data from there. Inter-university Consortium for Political social science data, and the quality You can also use statistical abstracts and Social Research’s Glossary of Social of the metadata is high. Dataverse is or databases, such as ProQuest Science Terms (ICPSR n.d.). another example of a data repository—it Statistical Abstracts or Statista, to track hosts academic research data submit- down data. These platforms will often Find the Data ted directly by researchers. point you to the original data source Note that datasets found within via citations or source notes, and from Just as you rely on subject expertise in a Dataverse and other research data there you can keep tracking down your regular reference interview, you should repositories will vary widely in the qual- dataset. also build up your data expertise to sup- ity of their metadata, data dictionaries, Print indexes and reference books are port data in the library. Start by familiar- and codebooks. A great way to find data extraordinarily useful if you ever need to izing yourself with the terminology of repositories is to explore re3data.org, search for historical data and statistics. the field. You can do this by reviewing which has detailed information about (In my experience, anything before the methods textbooks and journals in the more than 2,000 repositories. You can mid-2000s is a good candidate for this discipline. It’s also useful to review the browse repositories by subject, content treatment.) Become familiar with fed- kinds of data that researchers at your type, or country. eral and state government documents institution are using. For a useful listing Non-repository data hubs. The “Wild and the print indexes and documents of specific discovery techniques, see West” of data discovery encompass- that governments produced, as these Bordelon (2016). es author websites and sharing plat- will be very helpful when looking for It is critical to familiarize yourself with forms such as GitHub and Kaggle. It historical statistics. Two titles to know the key sources of data in your field. is considerably harder to find useful are the American Statistics Index (ASI) The key question to ask yourself is: data through these websites, because and Statistical Reference Index (SRI), Who would care enough to collect and your best search tool is a regular web both published by the Congressional disseminate data on this topic? search. Unlike a data repository, which Information Service and generally cov- Government agencies. Government is designed to preserve data at the end ering the late 20th century. agencies are an essential source of of the research cycle, data on a website You should also search your library data for a variety of disciplines. In or platform could be in active develop- catalog or Worldcat for statistics index- the United States, the Bureau of the ment and could easily disappear in the es. Conduct a subject search for “sta- Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, future. tistics” in combination with “serials” and the National Center for Education You can also try Google Dataset or “periodicals.” Note: you are more Statistics are examples of federal agen- Search, which recently came out of likely to find historical statistics rather cies that disseminate a wide variety beta. The beta version lacked facets than data. of data (Office of Management and or advanced search features, which I Remember that you can rely on the Budget 2018). At the international found frustrating. Now that it is out of library community’s resources as well. I level, there are government agencies beta, there are minimal filters avail- particularly like to search LibGuides; you in other countries as well as intergov- able by date and format, which is an can simultaneously search all LibGuides ernmental organizations such as the improvement. It remains difficult to tell at https://community.libguides.com/. I United Nations (and its many pro- what is and, just as importantly, what also like to search the data pages at grams, funds, and specialized agen- is not captured in a Google Dataset university libraries, such as Princeton cies), the Organisation for Economic search. Data and Statistical Services (https:// Co-operation and Development (OECD), dss.princeton.edu/) and Duke Data and the World Bank. At the local level, Sources (https://library.duke.edu/data/ it is becoming more common for states Use Your Usual Research sources). These are especially helpful and localities to share data through Tools and Techniques for discovering licensed data that my open data portals. Fortunately, you can rely on some tra- library does not already receive through Data repositories. Another useful tool ditional library reference tools and tech- subscription. in your arsenal is knowing which data niques. One of the best things you repositories might host data of interest can do when searching for data is to to your stakeholders. This is especially review the research literature with a rel- When in Doubt, Reach useful knowledge when you are look- evant indexing platform, such as Google Out to Real People ing for data created and shared by Scholar or Web of Science. What do Sometimes the above techniques still other researchers. The Inter-university scholars who study a similar topic use will not deliver the desired results. If you Consortium for Political and Social for data? Use their articles to track down think certain data exist and you are sim- Research (ICPSR) is a classic example the data source. Similarly, you can use ply having trouble finding or accessing of a data repository, as it is one of the Worldcat or library catalogs to discover them, it is best to reach out directly to

INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 5 DATA LITERACY

government agencies, archives, special she wants to use, but is not clear and a baseline understanding about libraries, and/or researchers. how to actually work with the data. how data is used in the discipline you I especially value my communi- For example, I sometimes work with serve. Finding a community of librar- ties where we help each other find researchers who realize they need to ians who can help you build your skills data. I particularly recommend the use the census for their research, but will be beneficial. Although it can be International Association for Social are not at all certain about the limits challenging to provide data discovery Science Information Services and of the census and how it should be services, your expertise will grow with Technology (IASSIST), which essentially treated. practice. SLA is an association of social science data Data come in a format with which librarians. Their listserv is especially the researcher has no experience. REFERENCES helpful when you have reached the Sometimes data are available but only Bauder, J. 2014. The Reference Guide to limits of your data discovery skills but in unusual, deprecated, or proprietary Data Sources. ALA Editions. Chicago, Ill.: are not sure you have exhausted all pos- formats (truer of historical data) or American Library Association. sibilities. Finding a community of librar- emerging formats such as APIs (truer Bordelon, B. 2016. Data Reference: Strategies ians who provide similar discovery ser- of contemporary data). The researcher for Subject Librarians. In L. Kellam and K. vices is especially important if you have may not be comfortable with such Thompson (Eds.), Databrarianship: The few or no colleagues at your library. formats, thus adding a layer of inacces- Academic Data Librarian in Theory and sibility. An even simpler example is the Practice. Chicago, Ill.: Association of College and Research Libraries. Manage Access Issues researcher who has very little statistical training and needs help with basic file Carleton College Library. n.d. Data, Datasets, One little-discussed but very significant formats and statistical analysis. and Statistical Resources: Factors to concern about supporting data in the Consider when Evaluating Statistics. In all these cases, it is apparent that library has nothing to do with discov- Webpage. Northfield, Minn.: Carleton supporting data in the library is not ery at all. Finding the right data can College. only about discovery—researchers may be challenging, to be sure, but real Hogenboom, K., and M. Hayslett. 2017. come to the library knowing exactly problems can arise regarding access. I Pioneers in the Wild West: Managing what data they need. Libraries can frequently work with patrons who know Data Collections. Portal: Libraries and the be useful to these patrons by helping exactly what data they need, but they Academy, 17(2): 295-319. them understand and solve their access are having trouble using it for a variety Hogenboom, K., T. Teper, and L. Wiley. 2011. issues. of reasons. Access problems include Collecting Small Data. Research Library the following: Issues: A Bimonthly Report from ARL, CNI, Data are restricted. Some data- Evaluate the Data and SPARC, 276, 12-19. sets are restricted, often because they Once you find and access your data, Inter-university Consortium for Political and include sensitive or personally identifi- you will need to evaluate it. Fortunately, Social Research. n.d. Find & Analyze Data: able information. If researchers are many of the typical ways librarians Glossary of Social Science Terms. Webpage. lucky, they may simply have to apply evaluate information apply to data and Ann Arbor, Mich.: The Regents of the University of Michigan. for access, which will take time. If they statistics as well. Tests like CRAAP still are unlucky, the data will not be avail- hold. Questions unique to evaluating Kubas, A., and J. McBurney. 2019. able for use. data and statistics relate to collection Frustrations and roadblocks in data reference librarianship. IASSIST Quarterly, 43(1): 1-18. Data must be licensed and are methods and documentation such as expensive. Unlike journals or booksell- codebooks (Carleton College Library North Dakota State University Libraries. n.d. ers, many data vendors are unaccus- n.d.; North Dakota State University Finding Data and Statistics: Evaluating and Finding Data and Statistics. Webpage. Fargo, tomed to working with libraries. You Libraries n.d.; University of Washington N.D.: North Dakota State University. may sometimes need to explain how University Libraries n.d.). Being able to and why your library needs to license evaluate collection methods and docu- Office of Management and Budget. 2018. Statistical Programs of the United States materials, and that process can be mentation requires a deeper under- Government. Washington, D.C.: Executive time-intensive. Licensed data products standing of the discipline you serve and Office of the President. also tend to be very expensive, often will be different for every discipline. University of Washington University Libraries. pricing them out of reach. If your library n.d. Savvy Info Consumers: Data & Statistics. successfully licenses the data, you will Conclusion Webpage. Seattle, Wash.: The University of need to find a place to securely store Even seasoned data librarians encoun- Washington. and distribute the datasets. For more ter difficulties and roadblocks when information on libraries licensing data, conducting a data reference search see Hogenboom and Hayslett (2017) (Kubas and McBurney 2019). It is and Hogenboom et al. (2011). essential to have some subject expertise A researcher has an idea about what

6 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 DATA LITERACY Seven Baseline Data Literacy Competencies for Employees

LIBRARIANS CAN TAKE THE LEAD IN TEACHING EMPLOYEES TO BE DATA-LITERATE AND HELPING EMPLOYERS ACHIEVE BUSINESS VALUE.

BY WENDY G. POTHIER, MS, MSLS, AND PATRICIA B. CONDON, PHD

ecently, we published a business intelligence; rather, the need nies noted that their investments in this paper about the need to for data literacy skills reaches into posi- area have been largely in technological incorporate data literacy tions throughout an organization. In infrastructure to support gathering, stor- competencies into under- short, to address the needs of a mod- ing, and analyzing data (Winterberry graduate business curricula and the ern workforce, all employees require Group 2018). Rrole that librarians can play (Pothier baseline data literacy skills to equip Another recent and notable report and Condon 2019). Our goal was to them to meet the varied demands of a on data literacy states that only 32% start a conversation about how baseline data-centric workplace. However, data of executives are viewed as data liter- data literacy competencies can help literacy skills within an organization are ate (Qlik 2019). The report notes that foster data-savvy professionals across uneven, and there are few standards this fact is “potentially holding senior all areas of business. In this article, for assessing competencies or attaining leaders back from encouraging their we summarize the seven baseline data fluency. workforces to use data to their advan- literacy competencies presented in our According to a 2018 survey by the tage” (Qlik 2019). But the findings paper, focusing on how employees can Winterberry Group that looked at the are not, as some might guess, strictly benefit from developing skills in these progress organizations are making generational—the report also observed competency areas and how librarians toward becoming data-centric, just 9% that “just 21% of 16-to-24-year-olds can assist. of companies surveyed described them- rate themselves as data literate” (Qlik selves as “extremely data-driven,” while 2019). This suggests that issues with Workplace Needs 44% projected they would reach that data don’t reside in the amount of level by the end of 2019. Overall, most exposure to, and familiarity with, tech- We live and work in an era where data companies in the survey felt they were nology; instead, they are deeply rooted skills are not limited to specialized posi- below their desired target. The compa- in literacy. tions in data science, , or

WENDY POTHIER is the business librarian and PATRICIA CONDON is the research data ser- vices librarian at the University of New Hampshire.

INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 7 DATA LITERACY

Businesses trying to advance the use of data within their organization reach a roadblock because, despite their investment in technology, they lack employees who are data-literate. A A recent Fortune magazine article recent Gartner Trend Report predicted that “by 2020, 80% of organizations will suggests that librarians might be the initiate deliberate competency devel- opment in the field of data literacy, right leaders at this pivotal time in acknowledging their extreme deficien- cy.” The report added that “by 2020, developing a data-literate workforce. 50% of organizations will lack sufficient … data literacy skills to achieve busi- However, we librarians can’t do it all, ness value” (Panetta 2019). Knowledge and skills development in data literacy and certainly not all alone. for employees is needed to close the gap.

Baseline Data Literacy Competencies employee turnover, loss of version con- quality and credibility of data sources trol by cross-departmental teams, and underlying statistics helps ensure the Data literacy is “the ability to ask and lost or mislabeled files. Encouraging integrity and trustworthiness of the data answer real-world questions from large effective data organization and ver- and is essential to the responsible use and small data sets through an inquiry sion control can save time and money, of statistics. This competency builds process, with consideration of ethical prevent accidental disclosure of data, on the previous competency and “sets use of data” (Wolff et al. 2016). Sets of and support business continuity. While the foundation for interpreting data, competencies for data literacy began to some organizations have IT depart- data-driven decision making, and data emerge in the 2010s and were mapped ments to oversee secure storage of digi- ethics, all of which rely on high-quality, to the Information Literacy Competency tal content and document management trustworthy data to support work in Standards for Higher Education devel- solutions to help with version control an organization” (Pothier and Condon oped by the Association of College and and file organization, all employees 2019). Research Libraries (Calzado, Prado, have a responsibility to help maintain Interpreting data. In our article, we and Marzal 2013; Carlson et al. 2011; well-organized, well-documented, and suggest that “learning how to interpret Schneider 2013). Most of these com- backed-up files. data prepares business professionals petency lists were focused on under- Understanding data used in busi- for recommending actions based on graduate and graduate students in ness contexts. Underlying the aim of the data analysis or making data-driven academic research fields. While these businesses to become data-centric and decisions,” (Pothier and Condon 2019). competencies are designed to be flex- promote data-driven decision making is Often, there will be people who process ible and adaptable, translating them a requirement to “understand how data and analyze data and other people who to skills needed in the workforce is not has been or can be collected, the types draw inferences and interpretations necessarily straightforward. of data available, and the applications from that data. Having at least a basic In our 2019 article, we matched and limitations of the data” being used understanding of what is involved in extant data literacy competencies to (Pothier and Condon 2019). The focus each step will allow these different roles workplace needs and distinguished of this competency is for employees to communicate more effectively with seven baseline competencies for data- to understand broadly the nature of each other and produce better results. literate employees. They are summa- the data being used by questioning its Data-driven decision making. rized below. relevancy, sources, collection methods, Understanding data, evaluating data Organizing and storing data. Our and interpretations (Australian Bureau sources, and interpreting data con- article states that “organizing data is of Statistics 2010). This competency is verge within this competency, which a foundational data management skill further developed by several of the fol- focuses on using data to find solutions that focuses on logical folder structures, lowing competencies. for business challenges. A 2015 report consistent file naming conventions, and Evaluating the quality of data sourc- from Dalhousie University, in which version control” (Pothier and Condon es. Statistics are commonly used for researchers synthesized the extant lit- 2019). In organizations, data is shared business communication. The ability erature into a comprehensive data lit- between people, across departments, of employees to critically evaluate the eracy matrix, described the knowledge and over time, rendering it vulnerable to

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Nelson. 2011. Determining data informa- associated with data-driven decision some initial steps. Depending on the tion literacy needs: A study of students and making as “prioritizes information gar- kind of library in which you work and research faculty. portal: Libraries and the nered from data,” “converts data into the mission of that library, supporting Academy, 11(2): 629-657. actionable information,” “weighs the certain competencies that best align Moran, G. 2019. We’re in a data literacy cri- merit and impacts of possible solutions/ with your skills and expertise will likely sis. Could librarians be the superheroes we decisions,” and “implements decisions/ take precedent. need? Fortune. August 31. solutions” (Ridsdale et al. 2015). While Librarians can play an important role Qlik. 2019. Lead with Data: How to Drive Data decision making is chiefly in the domain in improving data literacy. A recent Literacy in the Enterprise. Online report. King of organizational leadership, awareness Fortune magazine article suggests that of Prussia, Pa.: Qlik. of the data-driven decision-making pro- librarians might be the right leaders Panetta, K. 2019. A Data and Analytics cess helps contextualize other work at this pivotal time in developing a Leader’s Guide to Data Literacy. Online within the organization. data-literate workforce (Moran 2019). article. Stamford, Conn.: Gartner Inc. Communicating and presenting However, we librarians can’t do it all, Pothier, W.G., and P.B. Condon. 2019. effectively with data. Communicating and certainly not all alone—there are Towards data literacy competencies: and presenting effectively with data many other stakeholders, including Business students, workforce needs, is about extracting a meaningful and employers, individuals, and schools. and the role of the librarian. Journal of cogent narrative from the data. We Collaborating with these stakeholders is Business and Finance Librarianship, DOI: explain that “effectively communicating one solution to propelling data literacy 10.1080/08963568.2019.1680189. stories from data requires business pro- forward for both individual employees Ridsdale, C., J. Rothwell, M. Smit, H. Ali- fessionals to convey complex concepts and business organizations. One role in Hassan, M. Bliemel, D. Irvine, D. Kelley, S. to diverse audiences who have varying which librarians can lead is furthering Matwin, and B. Wuetherick. 2015. Strategies familiarity with the subject and differ- the discourse about data literacy and and Best Practices for Data Literacy ent desired outcomes” (Pothier and establishing competencies in the work- Education: Knowledge Synthesis Report. Condon 2019). Data-savvy profession- place with these stakeholders. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Dalhousie University. als need to hone their communication Schneider, R. 2013. Research Data Literacy. Communications in Computer and and skills to help accu- Conclusion rately represent their data in graphs, Information Science, 397, 134-140. Many companies are focusing on maps, and other types of visualizations Winterberry Group. 2018. The Data-Centric becoming data-centric, which entails as well as through verbal presentation. Organization 2018. Online report. New York, more than investing in technology Data ethics and security. Data-savvy N.Y.: Winterberry Group. and hiring data scientists, data ana- professionals are faced with ethical Wolff, A., D. Gooch, J.J.C. Montaner, U. lysts, or business intelligence ana- challenges, including online privacy, Rashid, and G. Kortuem. 2016. Creating an lysts. Becoming data-centric requires collection of personal information, and Understanding of Data Literacy for a Data- improved data literacy for employees misinterpretation or misrepresentation driven Society. The Journal of Community across all areas of the organization. of data. We believe that “underpinning Informatics, 12(3): 9-26. Librarians, who are key advocates for all of the data literacy competencies is information literacy, can be influential a responsibility to approach collection, in advancing data literacy competen- interpretation, use, and security of data cies and improving employees’ oppor- ethically and with integrity” (Pothier tunities in the workplace. With these and Condon 2019). Data breaches and seven baseline data literacy competen- misuse of personal data can lead to cies, we hope to start a conversation negative consequences for an organiza- about the role of librarians in supporting tion’s reputation and erode public trust employees on their path to becoming in the brand. data-savvy. SLA

The Librarian’s Role RESOURCES Because data literacy competencies Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2009. What is align with information literacy skills, and why is it important to many librarians are already prepared be statistically literate? Tasmanian State and to support their users in building Regional Indicators. March. strength in some of these competen- Calzada Prado, J., and M.Á. Marzal. 2013. cies. Awareness of the data literacy Incorporating data literacy into information needs of employees and consideration literacy programs: Core competencies and of how our collections and services sup- contents. Libri, 63(2): 123-134. port the data literacy competencies are Carlson, J., M. Fosmire, C.C. Miller, and M.S.

INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 9 DATA LITERACY Adding Data Literacy Skills to Your Toolkit

DEVELOPING SELECTED SKILLS IN DATA LITERACY AND MANAGEMENT CAN HELP LIBRARIANS MAKE A SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE STABILITY AND LONG-TERM PRESERVATION OF DATA AT THEIR ORGANIZATION.

BY MEGAN SAPP NELSON, MLS

o one who goes into Data Literacy and the downstream to the data creator’s com- librarianship escapes Changing Paradigm puter, to enable that data to be reused getting asked, “Did you of Librarianship in the future. We librarians have been go into librarianship Data literacy and data management are very good at these skills for a very long because you wanted to read all of the considered by many to be related to time. But data literacy and data man- Ntime?” I never fail to amaze my inter- information literacy, a traditional pur- agement are not limited to “traditional” locutors when I tell them I rarely work view of librarians. As such, librarians library skills—they also include a host with books; rather, I work primarily with have naturally sought out and built up of new skills, including visualizing data, digital data. Many outside of libraries the literature and practice in the over- cleaning data sets, analyzing data, run- have never considered that digital data lapping and inter-related areas. In the ning repositories on servers, and any is an information asset to be managed, literature, data literacy (also known as number of other highly technical skills. or that a librarian is the person who data information literacy), data manage- Not all librarians will have the interest, would perform that job. ment and research data management time, bandwidth, or skills to engage in Many librarians are aware that this involve the practice of consistent and these services, nor is that the expecta- role is emerging, but they are unsure critical skills to enable the collection of tion. Neither is it possible that all librar- how to get started. What skills and data and the maintenance of good data ians will be equally engaged in data bodies of knowledge are necessary to hygiene across the data life cycle to fur- literacy instruction, given the broad provide basic services in the emerging ther the publication and sharing of data. range of clients many libraries serve. So areas of data information literacy and In essence, we seek to move tradi- how does any given librarian know how data management? How does an indi- tionally library-centered practices (such to “skill up” to an appropriate level? vidual librarian go about getting up to as the imposition of metadata and the speed in this area? creation of meaningful documentation)

MEGAN SAPP NELSON is a professor of library sciences and the science and engineering data librarian at Purdue University, where she serves as liaison to biomedical engineering and related engineering and technology disciplines and first-year engineering students. Her research focuses on data information literacy, teaching professional skills to engineering students, and the integration of information literacy and data information literacy within the disciplinary curricula. Contact her at [email protected].

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Data Engagement Opportunities While specifically developed for the The Data Engagement Opportunities academic environment, the scaffold Scaffold, developed jointly by Abigail Goben of the University of Illinois concept could be translated into a Chicago and this author for the ACRL Building Your Research Data special library or corporate library Management Toolkit RoadShow, is a environment. tool to help librarians conceptualize how they might engage in data man- and data management that may be a government information, and applied agement while simultaneously leverag- good fit for you. For example, do you technical skills. In the case of data ing their existing strengths. The scaf- have evaluation or assessment experi- literacy/data management, the basic fold assumes that each librarian has ence? If so, you may be an ideal person data literacy skills can be acquired acquired a set of skills that constitute to conduct data inventories, which are through online modules. The technical strengths in librarianship. These skills extended interviews with data creators skills, such as file structures, nam- may range from marketing to conduct- that identify the data needs of individu- ing conventions, creation of metadata, ing reference interviews to collection als, the size and holdings of the data and data visualization, can be learned development to outreach. that the creators have, and the project- through tutorials and instructional video The Data Engagement Opportunities ed storage and archives needs into the modules as well as texts. It takes disci- Scaffold builds upon the existing skills future. Do you have strategic planning pline and extensive practice to become of librarians and projects them into experience? Perhaps you belong on the expert at these skills, but it is possible data literacy and data management, task force that is determining options for an individual to move from novice to thereby pointing the way for librarians to for long-term data storage for your insti- competent through independent study. extend their skills base to build discrete tution. If you have project management Should you decide that you want to services. Rather than attend trainings skills, you may be the perfect person to invest your time and resources in data to learn generally, librarians can use head an environmental scan to deter- literacy/data management, there are this tool to discover how building up mine the state of the documentation or a number of ways you can build your skill sets in specific areas can result data for a department or the institution skills outside of the formal instruction in concrete service offerings. While as a whole. environment. Goben and Raszewski specifically developed for the academ- While each of these projects requires have compiled a webliography of ic environment, the scaffold concept some knowledge of basic data literacy resources to assist librarians who are could be translated into a special library and technical knowledge in one or more seeking opportunities for self-education or corporate library environment, given sub-specializations of data manage- (2015). DataOne Education Modules sufficient knowledge of the strategic ment (such as file management, data and the New England Collaborative interests of the organization and the storage, technical , or documen- Data Management Curriculum are free- needs of the patron base. tation), none require you to be an expert ly available on the web and provide The Data Engagement Opportunities in all areas of data literacy and data overviews of the foundational principles Scaffold is used in one of two ways: (1) management. At the same time, you as of data literacy and data management. you identify a specific phase of the data a librarian provide experience in infor- It is helpful to find a mentor who is life cycle that you wish to explore and mation science and make a substantial an experienced data librarian. Research then look at the skill sets relevant to contribution to the stability of data and Data and Preservation (rdapassociation. that phase, or (2) you select a specific long-term preservation of data at your org) is a vibrant young community of skill set you already possess and then organization. While no one individual information professionals focused on search for potential areas of applica- needs to know all things about data the management of data. The listserv tion in data literacy and research data management, one individual can have for that organization is an invaluable management. Either way, you have a marked impact on the upward trajec- tool to help you both passively learn an opportunity to identify new ways tory of the quality of data produced at from experts and seek out mentors. to apply your existing skills and dis- an institution. It is also a place to follow to help you cover potential applications of new skills identify issues emerging from changing should you desire to invest the time to rules and regulations handed down by add them to your toolkit. Build Your Skills governments and funding agencies. As with learning any new disciplinary There are small regional conferences specialization, the process of learning Know Your Strengths that focus on professional development data literacy/data management involves Assessing your existing strengths will learning new technical information, Continued on page 23 help you identify areas of data literacy

INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 11 DATA LITERACY Becoming Data Literate: A Review of Selected Sites

SEVERAL ONLINE RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE TO HELP LIBRARIANS AND INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS LEARN DATA LITERACY SKILLS, CONCEPTS, AND TERMINOLOGY.

BY WENDY MANN, MLS, MPP

ith the multiplicity of one is working on a project or trying to will touch on all of these aspects of data data science educa- solve a problem, so working through literacy. When evaluating the sites, cost tion websites available, a step-by-step data literacy program was considered along with the data deciding how you want is another tactic to consider. The data literacy core competencies identified to develop or improve your data skills literacy sites reviewed here will get you above. These sites represent a small Wcan seem daunting. There are so many on your way if you want to learn a new selection of data literacy programs, approaches to choose from—course tool or language (such as R, Python, and with so many available, you may modules and tracks available through spreadsheets, etc.), a technique like find another source you like better. MOOCS (like Coursera or Udemy), open data visualization, basic statistical and Remember that this is meant to be a educational resources, websites and data concepts and terminology, and starting point to help you get started. curricula published by organizations so on. and academic institutions, and more. But first, what is data literacy? Data The Data Literacy As a library professional who works literacy includes a broad array of skills Project (DLP) in an academic library helping stu- and concepts. Calzada and Marzal Competencies addressed: understand- dents and colleagues of all skill levels, I (2013) identified and defined these five ing data; , interpreting and eval- often recommend resources or tutorials core data literacy competencies: (1) uating data; using data. Cost: free. URL: based on the individual’s skill level or understanding data, (2) finding and/or https://thedataliteracyproject.org/. the problem they are trying to solve. obtaining data, (3) reading, interpreting Qlik, a software company that pro- I suggest taking this approach when and evaluating data, (4) managing data, vides data integration and analytics determining where to start your self- and (5) using data. services, created the DLP (along with directed training. However, not every- The resources reviewed in this article other organizations) to help employers build a data-literate workforce. This site promotes and explains the importance of data literacy to employers, with train- WENDY MANN is director of the Digital Scholarship Center (DiSC) at ing modules directed at that audience. George Mason University Libraries. She also serves as a “data librar- There is more substantial content in ian,” helping library users who need to access, use, analyze, and man- the lessons for learners—those who are age data, and is responsible for research data archiving. Contact her at building or refreshing their skills. [email protected]. Lessons are accessible through the e-learning section of the site, and you

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can review the lesson modules without Qlik’s Data Literacy Program Datacamp creating an account. Additional fea- Competencies addressed: understand- Competencies: understanding data; tures of the site include a community ing data; reading, interpreting and reading, interpreting and evaluat- discussion forum and white papers and evaluating data; using data. Cost: free. ing data; using data. Cost: Many (not reports pertinent to data literacy. If you URL: https://www.qlik.com/us/services/ all) first chapters are free. Advancing need to use an interactive feature of the training/data-literacy-program. beyond introductory materials requires site (such as “test yourself”) or want to Not to be confused with the Data a subscription. Registration is free. download a white paper, you will need Literacy Project, Qlik’s Data Literacy URL: https://www.datacamp.com/. to create an account. Program offers free data literacy les- Of the sites I reviewed, DataCamp E-learning modules include an over- sons through the same Qlik Continuous has the best lessons. If you want hands- view of data literacy, data fundamentals, Classroom. The Data Literacy Program’s on practice learning about and analyz- foundational analytics, data-informed lessons are organized slightly differ- ing data, this is the resource to use. decision making, and advanced ana- ently than those in the Data Literacy The lessons are interactive, and you lytics. When you click on any of the Project; in addition, there are learning can practice through their web environ- lesson boxes, you are taken to the plans, webinars, and an online com- ment—you don’t need to install soft- Qlik Continuous Classroom. Much of munity (an online community is also ware or access proprietary software. what is taught through DLP is similar available through the DLP). Since the The software and tools they use for ana- to what you would learn in almost any Data Literacy Project and Data Literacy lytics are open source (R, Python, SQL) Introduction to Statistics course, but Program share content, my observa- with the exception of Google Sheets, in a slicker format with leaner content. tions about the DLP apply here. The which is freely available. Topics such as data and variable types, Data Literacy Program also provides DataCamp provides two tracks (a skill how to read data, summary statistics information about Qlik’s academic pro- track and a career track), or you can (mean, median, and mode), and some gram, through which professors and jump straight to a course. If you feel inferential statistics (simple regression students can apply for free access to intimidated by learning R or Python, and multiple linear regression) are cov- Qlik software. the lessons using Google Sheets are ered, along with selected other forms of a good place to start. Conceptual top- analysis. Dataversity ics—or, as DataCamp classifies them, Advanced topics include concept theory—such as probability and statis- Competencies addressed: managing and practical application videos. The tics are taught through R or Python and, data. Cost: $49.00 and up to take a practical application lessons require to a lesser degree, in Sheets, which class; webinars and other content are that you use Qlik Sense or Qlik Sense makes sense because doing statistics in free. URL: https://www.dataversity.net/. Enterprise, so one limitation of using spreadsheets is not nearly as powerful Dataversity is for data profession- DLP is that any data analytics can only as R or Python. als who need to learn new concepts be conducted in Qlik software. Concept Novices may feel apprehensive about or stay on top of new developments. learning modules do not require that learning to code, even when starting While there are lessons and modules for you use Qlik. with the beginner or introductory mod- beginners, the target audience seems Topics covered in the DLP are sparse. ules. But if you want to learn to use to be individuals already working in data It seems DLP is teaching the essentials tools that are popular in data science, management in the business and infor- needed to become data literate rather DataCamp has some of the best tutori- mation technology sectors. Lessons, than addressing a large number of top- als. I recommend starting out with a webinars, forums, white papers, and ics, so anyone who works through these free lesson to see how much you like it; blogs are available. Many of the webi- lessons would need to supplement their if it seems to be too much, try out the nars are free, but the classes are not. learning with additional resources. DLP Data Literacy Project first. I focused on the Dataversity Training is a good starting point on the path to All this being said, I do need to point Center for this review. There you will becoming data literate, but you will not out an incident that occurred last year find a full catalog of courses. The become a data scientist by completing that led DataCamp instructors to boy- “what is” courses (for instance, “what is only these lessons. cott their own courses and their CEO to data science,” “what is data strategy,” Unless your organization has access take an indefinite leave of absence. This and so forth) are the most inexpen- to Qlik, I recommend skipping the blog post describes what happened sive. Almost all of the courses focus application lessons unless you want to (https://carpentries.org/blog/2019/04/ on data management topics such as know more about Qlik. The concept datacamp-response/), as does this governance, architecture, quality, and modules are useful, simplify complex article from Business Insider (https:// metadata, but there are also courses on topics, and make statistics and data www.businessinsider.com/datacamp- business intelligence and data model- seem less scary. ing (though there are fewer of these Continued on page 20 non-data management courses).

INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 13 DATA LITERACY Promoting Information Literacy in Corporate Research

THE ABILITY TO COLLABORATE AND COMMUNICATE IS A VITAL INFORMATION LITERACY SKILL, AND LIBRARIANS MUST SOMETIMES COMPENSATE FOR EMPLOYEES WHO LACK THIS SKILL.

BY JOE TRAGERT, MBA

n an information economy, the 5. Understands many of the eco- appropriate and ethical format. ability to work with information is nomic, legal, and social issues This definition highlights the dual the key to optimizing organiza- surrounding the use of information nature of information literacy in the cor- tional outcomes. The applicable and accesses and uses information porate space. Using information effec- ethically and legally. skill set is broadly termed information tively for corporate research is more a Iliteracy, and the Association of College Kirton and Barham (2005) adapted function of being able to work with data. & Research Libraries (ACRL 2016) the ACRL’s academic-oriented defini- Tuckett (1989) argues that in the defines an information-literate person tion to describe an information-literate corporate market, information literacy as one who masters this process: corporate researcher this way: comprises two components: 1. Determines the nature and extent 1. Determines information attributes; • A set of skills that build on each of the information needed; 2. Evaluates the source of the infor- other to produce a higher-order 2. Accesses needed information mation; outcome (called knowledge or intel- effectively and efficiently; ligence); and 3. Estimates value and total cost of 3. Evaluates information and its use for the information; • The ability to create strategies to sources critically and incorporates 4. Devises an information use employ when utilizing those particu- selected information into his or her strategy; lar skills. knowledge base and value system; 5. Filters and eliminates information It is important that corporate infor- 4. Individually or as a member of a sources that are not relevant to the mation workers master both skill sets. group, uses information effectively current project; and Using a house-building analogy, infor- to accomplish a specific purpose; mation workers need to be both skilled 6. Presents the findings in a workflow- and carpenters and skilled architects. In other words, knowing how to use data and information is critical, but so is JOE TRAGERT is senior director of product management at EBSCO. Contact him at knowing why. [email protected]. The Interplay of Data, Information and Intelligence In corporate research, we use the terms data, information and intelligence rather

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freely. When looking at data literacy not necessarily the same as those that begin with learning what it is you need and information literacy, it is helpful make a successful information worker. to know. Too much talk focuses on the to define each term in relation to the Inskip (2015) notes three differences technology, even worse on the speed of others. between the information user in higher the gadget, always faster, faster. This education and in the workplace: kind of “techie” fixation causes us to • Data are observations about trans- lose track of the fundamental nature actions or events. As a record of • In the workplace, people collaborate of information in today’s organization. observed occurrences, data are fac- and optimize, whereas in higher To organize the way work is done, you tual and (should be) unambiguous. education, they study alone and are have to begin with the specific job, then more comprehensive in their infor- • Data that are organized, analyzed the information input, and finally the mation gathering. and presented in a contextually rel- human relationships needed to get the evant way are known as information. • In higher education, the student can job done.” Information may have more meaning access multiple supports, including to certain users based upon their the librarian, faculty and counseling, Researcher Personas: overall expertise, but, in general, but the workplace often does not Skills and Investment anyone can be presented with the even have a physical library. One way to mitigate these deficiencies same information items. • In the workplace, any training the is to meet researchers halfway. To do • Data, by itself, is not information. employee receives tends to focus on this, librarians need to recognize the In turn, information generates intel- specific operational competencies researcher’s persona at that time and ligence, but is not intelligence itself. rather than on the skills of problem for that task. We can do this by observ- Intelligence is the awareness that is solving or presenting findings. ing the interplay of two factors that com- gained when an individual combines bine to influence how a person looks at Collaboration is key. As the various information elements across data and information and their ability Association of American Colleges & time and places to create a new to create intelligence: investment (i.e., Universities’ annual survey of employers understanding. how much they care) and skills (i.e., (AAC&U 2018) notes, one of the largest how adept they are). This process of “sense making” is the functional skill gaps of new employ- Depending on the workflow, the real goal of all the effort and treasure ees (according to managers) is their same researcher can display a differ- we devote to capturing data, organizing inability to collaborate and their reluc- ent persona (meaning different levels of it, analyzing it, and sharing it. Enabling tance to reach out to colleagues when investment and skill). Urgency or time end users to gain intelligence, whatever seeking information. A 2015 survey constraints tend to create higher invest- that may be, is the ultimate objective of by the National Association of Colleges ment, even if the skills are low. In those all the data capture, management and and Employers (NACE 2015) confirms situations, the ability of the information manipulation that we pursue. However, these findings—the NACE asked U.S. professional to help the end user, and the process of capturing data and gen- employers to identify the skills they the ability of the end user to reach out erating information should not be mis- wanted employees to master, and two to subject matter experts, can be the taken for the end goal of enabling of the top ten are (1) the “ability to work difference between successful informa- intelligence. We also need to enable in a team structure” and (2) the ability tion use and a bad decision. Likewise, end-user constituencies to optimize the to “verbally communicate with persons an information user who is highly skilled impact of the information-based out- inside and outside the organization.” but not invested in the research task comes they create. Beyond using data In other words, the ability to col- may not devote the time needed to effectively and leveraging that skill to laborate and communicate is a vital devise a successful research strategy use information effectively, end users information literacy skill. The American and, thus, may not achieve optimal need to move beyond a focus on tools, Library Association (2019) agrees, outcomes. applications and data sets. affirming that collaboration relates to as well: “Like information Collaboration is , digital literacy requires skills in Corporate Librarians as locating and using information and in Information Literacy Enablers Information workers need to collabo- critical thinking. Beyond that, however, Just as it is important for information- rate with colleagues to gain the fullest digital literacy involves knowing digital literate corporate researchers to collab- understanding from the data and infor- tools and using them in communica- orate with colleagues and communicate mation available. Information workers tive, collaborative ways through social intentions and findings, it is important acquire their formal data and informa- engagement.” that corporate librarians collaborate tion use skills when in school; however, Peter Drucker (1995) sums it up this with their constituents. Librarians are the factors that make a successful infor- way: “To be information literate, you trained in the practice of the reference mation user in higher education are

INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 15 DATA LITERACY

2016. Framework for Information Literacy for interview. This is typically an inbound “placards” that show a consolidation of Higher Education. Chicago, Ill: ACRL. activity, whereby academic researchers content and metadata elements from a come to the reference desk for guid- variety of relevant sources can provide Drucker, P. 2009. Managing in a Time of Great ance in their research. quick feedback to the end user. Change. Brighton, Mass.: Harvard Business Review Press. In the workplace, on the other hand, A workflow-specific interface, with employees typically do not seek out the customized topics and segmented Head, A.J. 2012. Learning Curve: How College librarian when conducting research. result sets, provides context for the Graduates Solve Information Problems Once They Join the Workplace. Sonoma, Calif.: Librarians thus need to devise sustain- end user. This is especially true when Project Information Literacy. able reminders of the value they can a researcher is invested (meaning their add to the research process. Proactive interest is high or their need is imme- Inskip, C. 2015. Making Information Literacy Relevant in Employment Settings. Online outreach to research groups and diate)—the more useful the research Searcher, 39(4), 54-57. positioning the library in typical informa- application, the more credible the tion-use workflows reminds end users librarian as a critical ally in the research Kirton, J., and L. Barham. 2005. Information Literacy in the Workplace. Australian Library that the library is a resource that can process. Context creates credibility and Journal, 54(4): 365-376. help them. will encourage end users to seek out the National Association of Colleges and It is essential to keep information librarian moving forward. SLA Employers. 2015. Job Outlook 2016. expertise in the online research work- Bethlehem, Pa.: NACE. flow. The librarian can optimize the end REFERENCES user’s reference interview experience by American Library Association. 2019. Digital Tuckett, H. 1989. , Information Literacy and the Role of incorporating appropriate functionality Literacy. Webpage. Chicago, Ill.: ALA. the Instruction Librarian in Coping with Association of American Colleges and into the research application interface. Information Illiteracy. In Mensching, G.E., Universities. 2018. Fulfilling the American Simple features like “Did you mean” and T.B. Mensching, Coping with Information Dream: Liberal Education and the Future and “Others who searched for that also Illiteracy: Bibliographic instruction for the of Work. Online survey conducted by Hart searched for this” can help end users information Age. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Pierian Research. Washington, D.C.: AAC&U. optimize the data sets they use and Press. the queries they generate. Consolidated Association of College & Research Libraries.

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16 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 DATA LITERACY Using Data for Civic Good

ACADEMIC AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE COMMUNITY DATA MORE ACCESSIBLE.

BY STEPHEN SHERMAN, MSLS

ike many metropolitan areas Librarians and data professionals are at later, the University of North Carolina in the Southeastern United the forefront of this movement, creating at Charlotte (UNC-Charlotte) became a States, Charlotte, North greater access to local data through partner in the project and helped devel- Carolina, has experienced innovative public-private collaborations. op the Quality of Life Index to serve as rapid population growth and a prolif- Charlotte’s current open data initia- a benchmarking figure for overall living Leration of new development in recent tives originated in the early 1990s, with conditions within each neighborhood. decades. The city and surrounding a renewed focus on neighborhood-level For the initial decade and a half, the areas have gained nearly a million new planning and renewal. In 1992, the city Quality of Life Study was made avail- residents in just the past 10 years. began offering funding to neighborhood able to the community in printed and While an influx of young professionals groups for local improvements and PDF formats. has kept the region’s economy growing, small civic projects. With this new fund- In 2012, Mecklenburg County (which not everyone has experienced the same ing, there was an immediate need to encompasses Charlotte) joined the ini- level of prosperity. In 2014, a well-pub- better understand the existing resourc- tiative as part of an effort to expand licized study by Harvard economist Raj es and needs of neighborhoods and to the geographic scope of the study and Chetty ranked Charlotte last among the track changes over time to assess the help improve the infrastructure around 50 largest U.S. cities in terms of upward impact of the local grants. the project. County staff provided the economic mobility for its inhabitants. The following year, Charlotte pub- programming expertise to transform the As they look to reverse these cir- lished the “City Within A City (CWAC) existing biennial study into an interac- cumstances, Charlotte’s civic leaders Neighborhood Assessment” to report tive, online dashboard now known as are increasingly using data to inform on the social, physical, economic, and the Quality of Life Explorer (https:// their approach to community develop- environmental conditions in the city’s mcmap.org/qol/). ment and neighborhood improvement. 73 core neighborhoods. A few years As a result of this new partnership, the number of available data sets has expanded from 20 to 80 and the STEPHEN SHERMAN is director of research and data for the Southeastern number of neighborhood profile areas Council of Foundations, a membership association of grantmaking organiza- covered has increased to more than tions dedicated to strengthening philanthropy across 11 southeastern U.S. 460. The county provides hosting for states. He supports member engagement through the collection and analysis the dashboard, and the code is open of data and coordinates research initiatives on behalf of the association. He source. City staff maintain the site and, can be contacted at [email protected]. along with colleagues at the UNC- Charlotte Urban Institute, provide proj-

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dle and high school students. The sec- At the conclusion of each workshop, ond was hosted at a local public library, the Smith Neighborhood Library, and participants were assigned a community involved a much broader audience of data project they could complete both adults and students. In each case, the presenters tailored the workshop independently by using the HCDC to the audience and drew upon local themes and data. For instance, the pre- dashboard and investigating data senter at UEI used examples from the about their own neighborhoods. popular online games Fortnite and Apex Legends to illustrate data concepts for a younger audience. The curriculum for the workshops ect management for the initiative. which it is well-suited and speaks to the included modules defining data as a Many neighborhood leaders now use unique place that libraries in general concept and demonstrating best prac- the Quality of Life Explorer to estab- have come to fulfill in the civic sphere. tices for using data. Participants were lish community needs and make the given a pre-training questionnaire to case for investment in the form of city Cultivating Data Literacy evaluate their existing knowledge of matching grants and other funding. in the Community data and interest areas; their responses The Quality of Life Explorer is also Another, more recent data collabor- were later compared with a matching helping city planners work with private ative has taken shape in Houston, post-training assessment. Results from developers in what has been a rap- involving Rice University’s Fondren the first training showed that UEI par- idly transitioning housing market in the Library and the Kinder Institute for ticipants scored 34.5% higher on the region. Andrew Bowen, data analytics Urban Research. Staff from the library’s quantitative section of the questionnaire manager for the city’s Office of Data Digital Scholarship Services (which after the workshop, indicating signifi- and Analytics, cited the example of houses the Digital Media Commons, cant improvement in their understand- the Housing Locational Scoring Tool GIS/Data Center, and the Kelley Center ing of data. At the conclusion of each as evidence of the initiative’s impact. for Government Information, Data and workshop, participants were assigned Using indicators from the Quality of Life Geospatial Services) partnered with a community data project they could Explorer, city staff created a “neighbor- their inter-university colleagues at the complete independently by using the hood change score” within the scoring Kinder Institute to create a data literacy HCDC dashboard and investigating data tool to help developers identify areas curriculum and offer workshops for about their own neighborhoods. where affordable housing is needed groups hosted by local nonprofit orga- Unlike the first two sessions, the third and to make their case for investment nizations. The goal of the project was workshop was framed as a train-the- and collaboration with the city. to empower workshop participants to trainer program and was organized in The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, better use the data ecosystem—to find, collaboration with the United Way of the public library system serving the city interpret and use the data they might Greater Houston. The audience con- and county through its 20 locations, has require in the course of their personal, sisted of nonprofit professionals, with a in past years hosted training sessions professional, and civic activities. focus on the fields of workforce devel- on the Quality of Life Explorer led by In 2019, project team members from opment and . This last presenters from the city. Offerings have Kinder and Fondren led three sepa- workshop drew upon lessons learned included workshops geared specifically rate data literacy training sessions—one from the first two community sessions toward nonprofit organizations as well each at the Urban Enrichment Institute and offered insights into how participat- as programs for the general public. The (UEI), the Smith Neighborhood Library, ing professionals could conduct data library has now taken more of a leading and the United Way of Greater Houston. literacy training for their own constitu- role in disseminating data and is listed The workshops centered on Houston encies or within their organizations. The as a key partner in the city’s open data Community Data Connections (HCDC), training discussed the purpose of data initiatives. an online dashboard intended to facili- literacy, gave an overview of strategies In 2019, the Charlotte Mecklenburg tate the practical use of data by city and and best practices for teaching data lit- Library and the UNC-Charlotte Urban community leaders for decision making eracy, and provided examples of activi- Institute were partners in a grant to and capacity building in the region’s ties to help reinforce data concepts. initiate the amusingly named “Civic disadvantaged communities. For the Fondren Library, the project Data Nerds United Council” to connect The first workshop was conducted at offered an opportunity for staff to engage the many local players in the civic data UEI, a youth leadership and develop- with the community in ways they had ecosystem. The library system’s role ment nonprofit that serves at-risk mid- not engaged in the past. When asked as convener of this project is one for

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about key takeaways from the project, and helped participants better grasp and a second round of funding will be Katie Wang of the Kinder Institute said abstract data concepts. awarded in 2020. Civic Switchboard that “taking a collaborative approach has created a guide to help libraries to hosting the workshops allowed both become more engaged in their local the library and the Kinder Institute Civic Switchboard: Expanding civic data ecosystems, and it will add to leverage each other’s strengths; in the Role of Libraries in to this resource as best practices are particular, Fondren was able to tap into Civic Data Ecosystems identified through its field projects. For the Kinder Institute’s relationships with Both the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library libraries that wish to engage in open community organizations and garner a and the Fondren Library partnered on data initiatives, Civic Switchboard offers stronger level of engagement from com- collaborative ventures that were award- guidance and a list of considerations munity stakeholders.” ed Civic Switchboard Field Project grants (Civic Switchboard 2019). Among the Other lessons learned by workshop in 2019. Civic Switchboard: Connecting questions to contemplate: participants included the following: Libraries and Community Information • What are your goals? Any external Networks is an initiative supported • Seeking feedback from the commu- collaboration is bound to involve by the U.S. Institute of Museum and nity or from the intended audience multiple individuals at different levels Library Services that aims to develop on the curriculum enabled project of authority and require allocations the capacity of academic and public staff to offer a more tailored experi- of time and money. It’s best to be libraries in civic data ecosystems. The ence. clear up front about the goals for the program was founded on the belief that project to better align resources with • Flexibility in the curriculum design libraries are a key connecting point for outcomes. allowed presenters to adapt the ses- people seeking to discover and analyze sions to different audiences. data about their communities. • What are the data needs of the Libraries serve as repositories of data, local community? This is best • For presenters, being personal and offer workshops and resources to help determined through direct engage- vulnerable and using examples users understand how to work with data ment with people in the community, from their own life made for a more sets, and host community programs whether by surveys, interviews, focus authentic experience for attendees where individuals often discuss issues groups and/or similar methods. that affect their local neighborhoods. • What is the state of the local data Even so, the Civic Switchboard initia- ecosystem? Civic Switchboard offers SLA 2020 SESSION TO tive acknowledges that many libraries links to resources to help organiza- HIGHLIGHT CHARLOTTE are still new to this role, and therefore tions develop a map of the data eco- DATA INITIATIVE it is intended to accelerate and expand system in their community and iden- the positioning of libraries as conveners tify key sources of data and potential The SLA 2020 Annual Conference around civic data. partners. in Charlotte will feature a 90-min- In 2018, Civic Switchboard hosted ute session on Charlotte’s use of workshops in Atlanta and Las Vegas • What level of support is the library data to improve civic life. Titled and invited library professionals, pri- willing to provide for a data initia- “Data Sharing for Social Good: vate and academic researchers, and tive? This may range from providing How Charlotte is Using Open Data representatives of local governments training to users and helping share to Drive City Initiatives and Create to discuss opportunities for collabora- information about the initiative to a Better Future for the Region,” tion around data dissemination and to serving as a convener for other insti- the session will discuss how assess the state of the civic data eco- tutions and providing funding. It will leaders in city government, local system. In 2019, the project awarded be important to clarify the library’s universities, and area nonprofits its field grants, with nine libraries and desired level of engagement before have partnered on data-led initia- their partner institutions receiving fund- approaching other partners. tives (such as the Charlotte Open ing in the range of $3,000 to $9,000 Institutions that are interested in host- Data Portal, Charlotte Mecklenburg to implement collaborative programs ing data need to bear in mind additional Quality of Life Explorer, and designed to improve data sharing in issues, including how the library will Leading on Opportunity) to better their communities. In addition to the support data publishers, how sensitive understand current challenges, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the data will be protected, and how to select track progress toward improved Fondren Library, institutions in Alaska, and maintain a data-sharing platform. outcomes, and develop paths New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, and However significant these consider- toward a more equitable future for Minnesota received project grants. ations may be, the potential benefits Charlotte residents. The initiative has already had its for libraries in terms of building their funding renewed through early 2021, reputation within the community are

INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 19 information outlook well worth the effort. The Magazine of the Special Libraries Association Becoming Data Literate: Vol. 24, No. 01 Libraries are uniquely positioned to January/February 2020 A Review of Selected Sites lead data literacy programming and Continued from page 13 Editorial and Production: coordinate open data initiatives in their Information Outlook Advisory Council: Elizabeth Price (chair), Jennifer Embree, communities. Libraries have been cited Eugene Giudice, Zahra Kamarei, Judith O’Dell, again and again in surveys of U.S. ceo-jonathan-cornelissen-leave-sexual- Sandeep Kumar Pathak, Nathan Rosen Editor: Stuart Hales households as sources of information misconduct-allegation-2019-4). Graphic Design: Thought Word & Deed that is trustworthy and reliable (Geiger If you like DataCamp but want

Publisher: 2017), more so than government to explore other, similar options, Special Libraries Association, and academic institutions. Cities and CodeAcademy (https://www.codecad- 7918 Jones Branch Drive #300 McLean, Virginia 22102 research institutions can partner with emy.com/catalog/subject/all) is a com- Phone: +1.703.647.4900 libraries to not only boost the visibility of parable alternative. Check out their www.sla.org [email protected] their data collections but also to provide Python, R, and SQL courses. Like access to data through a trusted, third- DataCamp, CodeAcademy deploys its Frequency: Information Outlook® (ISSN 1091-0808) is party intermediary. Moreover, librarians courses and hands-on analysis through published 6 times a year (January/February, and information professionals have the a web environment. There is no need to March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December). knowledge and experience to be able install software. to provide data literacy training that is Each of the above sources takes a dif- Advertising: Acceptance of an advertisement does not clear and practical. Public libraries in ferent approach or emphasis to lead you constitute endorsement of the product by the particular have the capacity to provide down the path to data literacy. Because Special Libraries Association. For ad specifications and rates, visit www.sla.org. To advertise, contact: access and programming that reaches there are so many different data literacy Shaughna Giracca a broad audience. resources available, I want to conclude [email protected] The initiatives in Charlotte and by suggesting a few alternatives. Subscriptions: Houston outlined here are just two If you need to get started on the fun- Annual subscriptions to Information Outlook cost US $240. Subscribers receive access to a digital examples of libraries partnering with damentals of working with data, I often online version. Access is through IP address other institutions to increase access to recommend School of Data (https:// authentication. For details, contact [email protected]. data in their communities, but similar schoolofdata.org/courses/) to begin- Writing for Information Outlook: projects are being implemented in other ners. Their open source lessons were Information Outlook welcomes queries from authors about articles of interest to information cities across the United States. Libraries developed by the Open Knowledge professionals. For writer’s guidelines and a current and local governments will do well to Foundation. While they are not as inter- editorial calendar, visit www.sla.org or write to [email protected]. seek out such partnerships for the good active as DataCamp, they do an excel- of their constituents and the communi- lent job of teaching beginners how to Letters to the Editor: Comments about articles or columns published in ties they serve. SLA get started. Information Outlook may be submitted as letters An alternative resource for learning to the editor. Letters should be sent to editor@ sla.org with a subject line of “Letter to Editor.” SOURCES statistics is Khan Academy’s Statistics All letters should include the following: writer’s Civic Switchboard. 2019. 8 Considerations for and Probability course (https://www. name, SLA volunteer title (if applicable), city and Libraries That Want to Host Open Data. Blog state/province, and e-mail address. Letters may khanacademy.org/math/statistics-prob- be edited for brevity or clarity or to conform to the post, May 1. ability). Finally, DataCarpentry lessons publication’s style. Letters may be rejected for any Enis, Matt. 2020. Civic Data Partnerships. reason. (https://datacarpentry.org/lessons/) are Library Journal, January 15. available for free, and the curricula Copyright and Permissions: © 2020 by the Special Libraries Association. Geiger, A.W. 2017. Most Americans— cover a variety of academic disciplines. Material protected by this copyright may be Especially Millennials—Say Libraries Can I hope you find some of these sources duplicated for the non-commercial purpose of Help Them Find Reliable, Trustworthy scholarship or research. Authors may distribute to be useful in helping you develop and their articles as photocopies or post them to Information. Fact Tank, August 30. improve your data skills. SLA corporate intranets or personal Websites without Jacobs, Garrett. 2014. Making Data advance permission provided they are used for educational purposes only. In all cases, the Actionable: Charlotte’s Quality of Life REFERENCES reprinted or republished articles must include a Dashboard. Code for America Blog, April 23. Prado, Javier Calzada, and Miguel Ángel complete citation and also reference SLA’s Website address (www.sla.org). For permission to reprint Koh, Daniel, and Katie Wang. 2019. Rice Marzal. 2013. Incorporating Data Literacy Information Outlook articles in other publications, Collaboration Uses Data to Engage and into Information Literacy Programs: Core write to [email protected]. Include the issue in which the article was published, the title of the article, Empower Local Communities. Urban Edge, Competencies and Contents. Libri 63 and a description of how the article will be used. September 4. (2): 123-134. (Available at https://doi. org/10.1515/libri-2013-0010; open access Information Outlook® is a registered trademark of Poon, Linda. 2019. Should Libraries Be the the Special Libraries Association. Keepers of Their Cities’ Public Data? CityLab, version available at https://e-archivo.uc3m. es/bitstream/handle/10016/27173/incorporat- February 11. ing_calzada_LIBRI_2013.pdf.

20 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 DATA LITERACY

Search Engines and Algorithms are Biased. Here’s Why That Matters

LIBRARIANS CAN TAKE STEPS TO ADDRESS INEQUALITY AND BIAS THAT RESULT FROM USING DATA HISTORICALLY WEIGHTED IN FAVOR OF WHITE MEN.

BY JASMINDER BAINS, BS

wo-thirds of search engine and racial minorities are categorized as algorithms need data to be able to users believe search “the other” (Noble 2018). A criminal make decisions and judgments. There engines are a fair and unbi- sentencing software called COMPAS is, however, one key difference between ased source of information, was found to be twice as likely to people and algorithms. Algorithms will according to a 2012 Pew Research misclassify black defendants as high- make the same decision 100% of the Tsurvey (Purcell, Brenner, and Rainie er risks for recidivism compared to time—unless adjusted by a computer 2012). The facts suggest otherwise. In their white counterparts (Introna and programmer—while people may make 2013, the United Nations launched an Nissenbaum 2000). exceptions or get distracted by other advertising campaign to raise aware- Systemic discrimination is not new. variables. Therefore, if an algorithm is ness of sexist and discriminatory por- Economic redlining, environmental rac- biased, it will consistently make biased trayals of women and the denial of their ism, and disproportionate drug arrests choices, which can cause even more human rights in Google searches. Some are all ongoing examples of systemic damage than a biased human being. of the search results they found were discrimination. The challenge facing This is not just a hypothetical scenar- that “women shouldn’t have rights” librarians and information professionals io. Algorithms regularly receive biased and “women should be in the kitchen” is that the structures that perpetuate data because they rely on historical (Dubai and Ogilvy 2013). inequality in society are replicating it data. For example, a technology com- Separately, critical library and infor- online, largely without issue. pany looking to automate its job hiring mation science scholars have conduct- process may assign an algorithm to ed extensive reviews of the Library of Algorithmic Bias scan applicants’ resumés. Technology Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and historically has been dominated by Similar to how people need evidence Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) men, so the data the company feeds to and information to draw conclusions, system and demonstrated how women the algorithm will be male-dominated. As a result, the algorithm will become biased and filter out resumés not writ- ten by male applicants. JASMINDER BAINS graduated with her bachelor’s degree in psycholo- You may think the solution is simply gy and intends to further her studies in graduate school. She’s passionate about fighting mental illness stigma and amplifying diversity and inclusion to remove gender from the algorithm’s in academic settings. Contact her at [email protected]. decision-making protocol. However, removing data—whether biased or not—will decrease the algorithm’s accu- racy. This dilemma is what computer

INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 21 DATA LITERACY

programmers refer to as the “fairness girls” into Google returned results for More recently, an increasing number over accuracy curve” (Bains 2019). porn websites that “dehumanize them of librarians have dedicated themselves Algorithms that focus on fairness as commodities, as products and as to upholding social justice in their work, and equality are proving to be a viable objects of sexual gratification” (pp. 18). opting for “critical librarianship” instead method to address algorithmic bias. The hypersexualization of black women of the long-held neutrality within the Themis-ml is an open-source, fairness- is not new; it dates back to slavery in the profession. One of the key tenets of crit- aware machine learning library that American South, when the caricature of ical librarianship is that neutrality is not can help algorithms learn how to make Jezebel—a hypersexual black woman only impossible to achieve, but harmful recommendations with the highest level who often takes advantage of men— to marginalized groups. It recognizes of accuracy and fairness possible for first emerged, and it has remained in that the world is still fundamentally multiple types of models. Algorithm the public consciousness ever since inequal and that neutrality, by uphold- auditing is another possible intervention (Epstein, Blake, and González 2017). ing that inequality, comes across as to address bias in algorithms. These search results not only perpet- complacency. Therefore, proponents of Cathy O’Neil founded O’Neil Risk uate stereotypes, but cause direct harm critical librarianship may actively call out Consulting & Algorithmic Auditing after to black women. Noble (2018) points bias in subject headings, educate their working as a data scientist in advertis- out that marginalized people often do patrons about search engine bias and ing technology. She realized the algo- not possess the economic, political, and how to critically evaluate information, rithms she was building discriminated social capital to weather the effects of and create research guides for social against users of certain backgrounds, misrepresentation. justice-related topics (such as Black affecting not only the types of ads users In some cases, misrepresentation Lives Matter) to amplify voices that are saw, but whether they received job can cause irreparable harm to one’s not always heard (Farkas 2017). offers and approvals for credit cards. quality of life, as in the case of Jennifer Librarians are not the only ones tak- O’Neil’s auditing reveals the impact Connell (or, as the Internet knew her, ing action against search engine bias. of an algorithm on all stakeholders, “the aunt from hell”). Connell’s nephew A couple of years ago, a group of including the company deploying it as accidentally broke her wrist at his birth- Dartmouth students contested the use well as the people it assesses (Webber day party, and she had to sue him to of the term “illegal aliens” in the LCSH. 2018). Another example of algorithm receive medical insurance coverage to Initially, the Library of Congress agreed auditing is Frida Polli’s Pymetrics tool, cover her mounting bills because of a to replace the term with “noncitizen,” which helps companies fill job openings technicality in her insurance policy. She but conservative lawmakers voted to based on the traits of high-performing lost her case, the media and Internet block this move and required the library existing employees while being as neu- vilified her, she began losing clients to retain the terminology used in fed- tral as possible (Webber 2018). to her consultancy, and companies eral law, including the word “alien” On another note, it is also impor- rescinded job offers to her when they (Aguilera 2016). In response to this tant to increase the representation of learned who she was. As it is notoriously conflict, the University Libraries at the women and people of color in computer difficult to permanently delete images University of Colorado Boulder took it programming and data science fields. and articles posted to the Internet (thus upon themselves to catalog immigrant- Their lived experience informs the work allowing false narratives to follow people related material under headings such they do and can help prevent the cre- for the rest of their lives), Connell had to as “noncitizens” and “undocumented ation of facial recognition algorithms change her identity, but her name was immigrants” instead of “illegal aliens” that, for example, fail to recognize black never fully cleared (Pogue 2016). (Lencki 2018). Their goal was to pre- women. Rediet Abebe co-founded Clearly, then, the stakes of misrepre- vent students from feeling uncomfort- Black in AI to promote African women sentation are high. This is a particularly able while searching for immigrant- in artificial intelligence (AI) careers and salient issue for library discovery sys- related materials, but it was an impor- also co-founded Mechanism Design tems that primarily rely on the LCSH, tant change for another reason—the for Social Good, an initiative to spread which have been found to cater to subject heading was labeling a group research on how to use AI to resolve white, middle class, Christian men by of people. social issues (Webber 2018). stereotyping youth and women and tak- One does not have to look much fur- ing a colonialist perspective about race ther than racial slurs to see why labels Search Engine Bias (Berman 1971). Sanford Berman pos- matter. According to cognitive psy- ited 225 suggestions for the LC subject chology, people understand the world Furthermore, while algorithms risk per- headings to make them more inclusive by placing objects into categories, or petuating bias and oppression, search of people from different backgrounds, “schemas.” It helps them understand engines may proliferate misrepresen- but after 34 years, only 39% of his rec- what something is and what it is not. tation and stereotypes. Safiya Noble ommendations were completely fulfilled Schemas can be structured as simply (2018) revealed how typing “black (Knowlton 2005). as safe or not safe, ice cream or not ice

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Law. cream, legal or illegal. Referring to peo- Farkas, M. 2017. Never Neutral: Critical librar- Adding Data Literacy Skills ple as “illegal immigrants” reinforces to Your Toolkit the narrative that their very existence is ianship and technology. American Libraries, January 3. Continued from page 11 forbidden, and the repercussions of that narrative are playing out each and every Fox News. 2016. GOP House moves to day. That is why movements like critical require Library of Congress to use term ‘ille- for librarians who are interested in data gal immigrant.’ News article, May 17. librarianship matter, why Safiya Noble’s librarianship. Look for information on research matters, and why organiza- Introna, L. D., and H. Nissenbaum. 2000. data-related listservs such as RDaP or tions like O’Neil Risk Consulting & Shaping the Web: Why the Politics of Search ResearchDataMan (hosted out of the Engines Matters. Information Society, 16(3). Algorithmic Auditing matter. U.K. Data Centre) to learn about the Subject headings are far more than Knowlton, A. S. 2005. Three Decades Since dates of those regional conferences. the nuts and bolts of a knowledge orga- Prejudices and Antipathies: A Study of No matter how you choose to invest Changes in the Library of Congress Subject nization structure. They assign value in your skills, bear in mind that data lit- Headings. Cataloging and Classification and meaning to human knowledge; Quarterly, 40(2): 123-145. eracy and data management are foun- they have the power to invigorate or dational skills for a data-literate society. Lencki, M. 2018. University library system discourage people, nurture or ostracize Any skills you transfer to your patrons adds ‘ethical’ search options so students can them, and represent or misrepresent avoid the term ‘illegal aliens.’ The College Fix, will be assets to those individuals in them. Likewise, search engines are far August 30. their data-enhanced day-to-day lives. more than a quick and convenient way Additionally, any skills you add to your Noble, S.U. 2018. Algorithms of Oppression: to seek answers—they are the first and How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. New toolkit will allow you to create data- only thing with which many Internet York: NYU Press. enhanced services for your library, so users interact. They have the power to there is a value-added reason to con- Pogue, D. 2016. #shameonshamers: Virtual inform or mislead people, counter or Shaming Breaks Real Lives. Scientific sider prioritizing data literacy skills that reinforce their beliefs, and amplify or American. can move forward the strategic priorities erase their voices. of the library as a whole as well as help Purcell, K., J. Brenner, and L. Rainie. 2012. In this same vein, algorithms based Search Engine Use 2012. Webpage, March address patrons’ needs. Investing the on data are far more than a neutral 12. Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center time to add even a few data literacy set of rules to help people make deci- on the Internet & Technology. and data management skills will give sions. They have the power to influence Purkiss, S. L. S., L.P. Perrewé, L.T. Gillespie, you more flexibility to serve the chang- human lives for the better or worse. T.B. Mayes, and R.G. Ferris. 2006. Implicit ing needs of library patrons and open How will you use them? SLA sources of bias in employment interview opportunities for you to innovate in your judgments and decisions, Organizational own practice. SLA REFERENCES Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Aguilera, J. 2016. Lawmakers object to Library 101, 152-167. RESOURCES of Congress replacing the term ‘illegal alien.’ Webber, L. 2018. These Entrepreneurs Are Goben, Abigail, and Rebecca Raszewski. The Seattle Times, July 23. Taking on Bias in Artificial Intelligence. 2015. “Research Data Management Self- Bains, J. 2019. Bias in Search Engines and Entrepreneur, September 5. Education for Librarians: A Webliography.” Algorithms. [Research guide.] Retrieved Issues in Science and Technology from: https://libguides.scu.edu/biasinsearch- Librarianship, Fall. https://doi.org/10.5062/ engines F4348HCK Berman, S. 1993. Prejudices and Antipathies: Sapp Nelson, Megan, and Abigail Goben. A Tract on the LC Subject Heads Concerning 2016. Data Engagement Opportunities People. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Scaffold. Association of College and Company, Inc. Research Libraries. Datta, A., C.M. Tschantz, and A. Datta. 2015. Automated Experiments on Ad Privacy Settings. Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies, 1, 92–112. Dubai, M., and M. Ogilvy. 2013. UN Women ad series reveals widespread sexism. UN Women. Epstein, R., J.J. Blake, and T. González. 2017. Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood. Center on Poverty and Inequality. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown

INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 23 DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Creating an Inclusive Culture: A Call to Action

offering innovative products and ser- Measuring factors such as involvement in high-profile vices. Innovative practices and outputs projects and access to information can help create a more require plural sources of input. inclusive environment for underrepresented groups. Enter Inclusion BY AMANDA FERNANDEZ, MI, MBA Data and statistics also do not capture what it feels like to be the only black or Vietnamese employee at the table. According to optimal distinctiveness theory, individuals feel included when As part of my work, I ask clients whether linked to the deliverables of the execu- they feel unique and different from they have diversity and inclusion (D&I) tion plan. This individual will have the others in their direct work environment policies at their places of employment budget and authority to execute on as well as feel like they belong to that and, if so, whether they have operating/ these deliverables, as successful D&I same work environment (Rabl, Triana, execution plans attached to this policy. practices and behaviors start at the top. Byun, and Bosch 2018). There are two If they say their institution has a policy, It is important to measure, but what notable characteristics of this under- I ask how they are enacting and “living” we measure is more important to keep standing of inclusion. the policy and how they gauge the suc- in mind. Our resources are limited, and First, there is a clear tension between cess of the policy. If they do not have a whenever we commit to an action or feeling unique and having a sense of policy, I ask why there isn’t one, espe- program, we are turning our back on belonging, such that individuals are cially considering the diverse population many other things. For example, if you unlikely to score high on both simulta- of North America. have a library that hosts well-attended neously and will need to find a balance Prominent management thinker hackfests, keep offering them. If you or “optimal distinctiveness” between Peter Drucker stated, “What gets mea- notice they aren’t valued, redirect your both. This suggests that there are inher- sured, gets managed.” While this is a resources to what is valued, like resumé ent tensions within this multifaceted great place to start, measurement is not workshops. concept of inclusion that are not easily management. Measurement is a tool Here, a systems approach to mea- resolved. for tracking performance, but it is not surement and key performance indi- Second, inclusion is a multi-level performance itself. cators does us a disservice. There’s a phenomenon, since it occurs within a So, what are we to take away from difference between offering services context. This means that the inclusion this? First, policies respond to the “say” and programs (for example, hackfests) of one group member depends on the portion of the say:do ratio. We need based on the skills and knowledge inclusion of others in that group. In execution plans with measurable goals of your current staffing complement other words, inclusion does not happen and targets if we are serious about instead of offering meaningful value- in isolation—when others in your group supporting diversity and inclusion and added services and programs. feel excluded, it affects the extent to about living and breathing our policies Yes, diversity takes many forms, not which you feel included. and strategic plans. all of them visible. But if all of our More than anything else, inclusion Second, we need to identify someone thoughts and actions look and feel is a feeling, a perception. When it in the organization whose job it is to the same, and the products and ser- comes to inclusion, there is a dif- manage D&I and whose performance vices we produce are the same year ference between intent and impact. and growth in the organization are after year, we do not have diversity in Whether discrimination happens on a systemic level or an interpersonal level, the result and the feeling are the same for those on the receiving end. This is AMANDA FERNANDEZ is the founder of Inclusifyy, which matches high-impact diversity, equity, and inclusion services with a bespoke why, in my previous column, I stressed innovation and Kaizen framework designed specifically for the public that our actions need to be thoughtful, sector. Contact her at [email protected]. deliberate, and by design. If we are to grow and fail forward effectively, we will require plenty of course correc- tions, because well-intentioned ideas

24 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

and practices can lead to unintended • Access to information and resources: plans, and inquire how such policies consequences. Does everyone who works in your and strategic plans are enacted and If you are looking for a hard number organization know where to look for implemented at your institution. or percentage to indicate the point information? If they don’t, do they Orthogonal thinking. My second call to at which historically underrepresented know whom they should ask? action is leveraging orthogonal thinking groups begin to feel like they are being and doing. Orthogonal thinking draws heard, research points to 30% (30% Moving Forward from a variety of (and perhaps seem- Club 2019). That benchmark is the ingly unrelated) perspectives to achieve Change management 101 dictates that goal of a group of executives and CEOs new insights (Ogden 2014). It involves if we are going to support an inclusive called the 30% Club that is dedicated a momentary blurring of boundaries to community and be responsive to their to increasing gender diversity on boards see what might emerge. The benefits of needs, we need full participation and of directors and senior management orthogonal thinking speak to the impor- buy-in from all of our staff, includ- teams. The 30% Club began as a cam- tance of diversity in supporting collec- ing those in the dominant majority. paign in the U.K. in 2010 and has since tive intelligence and resilience. Beneficiaries of inclusionary practices expanded to 14 other countries. The You can start by taking a course may put their hopes in beautifully writ- 30% Club believes that gender balance unrelated to your job at least once a ten policies, but if your say:do ratio does on boards and in senior management year that exposes you to new concepts not equal 1.0, then the effort amounts not only encourages better leadership and new ways of seeing and doing. to an empty PR activity that feels even and governance, but further contributes What you are going for with orthogonal more exclusionary. It is time to start fail- to better all-around board performance thinking is stretching your mind with ing forward. As Candice Morgan, head and ultimately increases corporate per- new concepts from other industries of Inclusion & Diversity at Pinterest, formance for both companies and their and fields of study. Keep in mind that notes, “There is no playbook for mak- shareholders. e-mail wasn’t invented by someone who ing every employee feel included. In a If you are truly committed to reap- worked at the Post Office, and the light sense, we’re all writing it together right ing the benefits of diversity and inclu- bulb wasn’t invented by a candlestick now” (2017). sion, you must embrace analytics and maker. So, let’s start doing. I have two calls to consider developing an operating or The first call to action is a long-term action, and they are simple. execution plan like Deloitte’s Inclusion strategy; the second is a short-term one Initiating change. There is a gap in Index, which tracks the hiring and leading to long-term benefits. SLA our organizations when it comes to our promotion of employees across several workforce reflecting the community we aspects of diversity (Clark and Smith RESOURCES serve, a worsening problem with criti- 2014). Such a plan does not have to be 30% Club. 2019. From Our Chapters. cal long-term implications. We can no anything fancy—a simple spreadsheet Webpage. longer wait for someone else to lead; to measure recruitment and promotion Brimhall, K.C., M.E. Mor Barak, M. Hurlburt, we need to get ahead if we are going to of historically excluded groups will suf- J.J. McArdle, L. Palinkas, and B. Henwood. leverage all the benefits of diversity and fice. Tracking hard data will highlight 2017. Increasing Workplace Inclusion: inclusion. So, my first call to action is to gaps and is the first step in holding The Promise of Leader-Member Exchange. initiate change. your managers, directors, and leaders Human Service Organizations: Management, It does not have to be anything big, accountable when it comes to inclu- Leadership & Governance, 41(3), 222–239. just realistic. If you have formal author- sion. Cho, J. H. 2016. ‘Diversity is being invited to ity, set targets for yourself and your Brimhall and her colleagues (2017) the party; inclusion is being asked to dance,’ team, complete with execution plans have focused on perceived organiza- Verna Myers tells Cleveland Bar. The Plain for accountability. An example of a Dealer, May 25. tional inclusion, both conceptual and target could be increasing diversity by empirical. Their research suggests that Cho, S., and M.E. Mor Barak. 2008. 15% at all levels of the organization by if you want to measure whether you Understanding of Diversity and Inclusion Q4 2020. If 15% is unrealistic but you in a Perceived Homogeneous Culture: A have an inclusive workplace, you can know that immigrants and minorities Study of Organizational Commitment and start by looking at three components: comprise 7% of the community you Job Performance among Korean Employees. • Involvement in work groups: Who serve, your target should be to increase Administration in Social Work, 32(4): 100- gets the juiciest projects? Who diversity by 7% at all levels of the orga- 126. decides who gets the juiciest proj- nization by Q4 2020. Clark, D., and C. Smith. 2014. Help Your ects? Non-managerial employees can also Employees Be Themselves at Work. Harvard • Participation in the decision-making play a role. Speak to your manager Business Review, November 3. process: This doesn’t mean saying about D&I initiatives and explain what Findler, L, L.H. Wind, and M.E. Mor yes to everything or incorporating D&I means to you and why it is impor- Continued on page 28 everything from everyone. tant. Ask about targets and execution

INFORMATION OUTLOOV24 N01 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 202019 25 ON LEADERSHIP

Jumping Hurdles: How to Build on Your Strengths

with us. In the end, we were all focused Developing your strengths as fully as possible and partnering on the success of our members. with others who have strengths you lack can enhance your My second example is board watching ability to lead. at my local city council meetings. Again, while it often appears that not much is BY CINDY HILL, MLIS happening, over time I’ve picked up on the city council’s cycle of decision making and learned how local resi- dents can affect the council’s decisions. Have you ever faced a sports activity and (most importantly) I work with oth- (Board watching, like attending sporting that initially scared the daylights out of ers who have the skills and strengths I events, is about endurance—can I sit you? If so, how did you handle it? do not possess. on that uncomfortable chair seemingly In high school, I was in the Girls I’ve also figured out that I learn forever?) These meetings always have Athletic Association (GAA), which faster and better by observing some- an “open mic” section where the public allowed me to have my gym classes one or something, then building on my can share their insights, comments, at the end of the day and choose my observations by reading, listening to and suggestions and vent their frustra- sport focus for the quarter. Every spring lectures, attending webinars, and so on. tions. With tact and grace, a strong city I chose track and field and attempted Many of the biggest and best lessons I mayor can “hear” the message through several of the events, including the high have learned have come from observ- a cloud of negativity and angry words hurdles (not successful), track hurdles ing other leaders, both volunteer and and move the issue forward for future (not successful), and 100-meter and professional, in action. consideration. 400-meter dashes (again, not success- This brings me to two examples I One common trait I’ve observed in ful). Finally, I realized that my strength want to share with you. both SLA board meetings and local was in long-distance running—I could Over the decades, I have spent city council meetings is that there is a run for miles at a steady and reasonably countless hours “board watching” at method for “listening actively” instead fast pace, and I enjoyed it. While I had a SLA conferences. While at first blush of thinking about what to say or how to lot to learn, I knew I would be success- watching the board may appear tedious respond as soon as the speaker pauses. ful in long-distance running, so I built and uneventful, observing the board as The best leaders are fully engaged on that strength and on my coach’s individuals allows us to observe their in listening, analyzing the comments, insights and became a strong, steady, strengths as leaders. and then responding. Often they enrich first-rate runner. When Judy Field was president of the dialogue, exploring other options How does this experience relate to SLA, one of her constant requests was and creating different and unexpected my career and my leadership roles, that we, as association representatives, solutions instead of putting forth their both within my workplace and in my spend time in the conference exhibits own solutions. They have the emotional volunteer activities? I’ve learned to area talking to our information part- intelligence to defuse a hostile speaker focus on my strengths and work on ners (the vendors). She asked that we and bring balance to the discussion. It deepening them, then use them in my acknowledge their participation, thank is a skill that, through observation and projects, strategic initiatives, and tasks. them for spending their marketing funds a whole lot of practice, I have strength- While I also have to use my less-than- and time on our conference, and learn ened over time. optimal skills, I bolster the weaker ones a bit more about their products—all to So, back to my sports analogy. Former with my stronger skills and experience, encourage their continued interaction professional football coach George Halas once said, “Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” For me, this applies to my many attempts to jump CINDY HILL is the manager of the research library and bank archives at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. A past president of SLA, over hurdles in high school athletics and an SLA Fellow, and the 2014 recipient of SLA’s John Cotton Dana Award, in my professional and volunteer worlds. she frequently speaks about the information profession, innovation, and What hurdles have you jumped? SLA the impact of technology. Contact her at [email protected].

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RESTRUCTURING INITIATIVE • LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM •

Board OKs Proposal to • Eliminate the need to recruit a trea- leadership skills and learn new ways to ‘Right-Size’ Chapter and surer to create and submit financial use those skills in their volunteer roles Division Structure statements to SLA; and their workplaces. The SLA Board of Directors approved The 2020 Leadership Symposium, • Eliminate the need for chapters and a restructuring plan at its December held in McLean, Virginia, next door to divisions to assume financial respon- 2019 meeting that is intended to help SLA’s offices, took inspiration from Dr. sibility and liability for programs; “right-size” the association’s volunteer King’s admonition that “A genuine lead- leadership structure. • Make more funds available to small- er is not a searcher for consensus, but Under the plan, each community will er communities that historically have a molder of consensus.” A leadership have only three required core leader- lacked funding for programs and training facilitator, Karyn Nishimura ship roles—president, vice president events; and Sneath, put attendees together in small and secretary—who will concentrate groups and had them work together • Eliminate the costs to communities their efforts on program planning, on projects, such as creating a group for services such as website support. building connections and membership resumé. These exercises encouraged development. Communities can estab- An additional benefit of the restruc- attendees to think and work as teams lish and fill additional roles on an as- turing plan is that SLA members will and adjust to each other’s personalities needed basis. be able to pay one fee for membership and work styles. Simplifying the volunteer leadership and join as many communities as they The highlight of Karyn’s presenta- structure will confer several benefits, like (rather than receiving one chapter tion was the DiSC Personal Profile including the following: membership and one division member- System, an assessment tool that ana- ship free and paying to join more). This lyzes behavioral characteristics across • It will allow SLA communities to will create new opportunities for cross- four different personality dimensions: focus on providing learning and net- pollination of ideas and joint develop- dominance, influence, steadiness, and working opportunities that appeal to ment of programs and events. conscientiousness. Attendees used the today’s special librarians and infor- The Board of Directors answered DiSC tool to assess these traits and mation professionals; questions about the restructuring plan discern their personal profile pattern, • It will enable SLA staff to more effi- from SLA members on January 18, dur- such as perfectionist, objective thinker, ciently and effectively support com- ing its open meeting prior to the 2020 promoter, or achiever. munities in attracting, engaging and Leadership Symposium. A recording of “The best leaders are those who retaining members; and the board meeting is available at https:// know themselves,” Karyn told attend- register.gotowebinar.com/record- ees. “This profile will help you learn a • It will make interacting with SLA a ing/7672748784708606732. The little bit more about yourself, and it’ll more attractive value proposition board also answered questions about help you understand and appreciate to potential members, vendor part- the restructuring during the Leadership the differences of others.” ners, like-minded organizations, and Symposium itself; that recording is avail- The second day of the Symposium employers. able at https://register.gotowebinar.com/ was devoted to helping attendees bet- To underpin this new leadership recording/1826476135072195596. ter understand their leadership roles in structure, the plan includes a new Details of the restructuring and its SLA and how to use SLA resources to financial management model that will implementation are still being ironed communicate, recruit members, part- centralize chapter and division bank out. More information will be shared as ner with vendors, and more. Members accounts into one account. This will it becomes available. of the SLA Board of Directors and streamline the management of finances SLA staff led some of the sessions; and reduce the administrative burden Chapter and Division Volunteers SLA members, including Clara Cabrera, on SLA communities and volunteers Gain New Leadership Insights David Blum, and Kristin Stutzman, also while still supporting local delivery of More than 100 SLA members from the participated in leading sessions and programs, products and activities. United States, Canada, and Europe shared best practices from their com- Specifically, this financial manage- came together over the Martin Luther munities. ment model will— King, Jr. holiday weekend (Jan. 18-20 in the United States) to strengthen their

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NAME CHANGE Diversity and Inclusion Continued from page 25

Barak. 2007. The Challenge of Workforce Board Approves Proposal to • Bridging Disciplines, Building Management in a Global Society: Modeling Change Association’s Name Communities; the Relationship between Diversity, Inclusion, At its open meeting at the 2020 • The professional home for informa- Organizational Culture, and Employee Well- Leadership Symposium, the SLA Board tion professionals and their strategic Being, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational of Directors approved a proposal aimed partners; and/or Commitment. Administration in Social Work, at changing the name of the associa- 31(3): 63-94. tion as part of a larger effort to increase • Our members manage, create, ana- Johnson, S.K., D.R. Hekman, and E.T. Chan. engagement with existing members and lyze, and solve problems with infor- 2016. If There’s Only One Woman in Your potential new members. mation for organizations and their Candidate Pool, There’s Statistically No The proposal was developed by a task stakeholders. Chance She’ll Be Hired. Harvard Business force that was created in December Review, April 26. No decisions have been made yet 2019 to determine whether the name Maxwell, J.C. 2000. Failing Forward: How to with respect to when members will vote and branding of SLA are in line with Make the Most of Your Mistakes. Nashville, on a new name. SLA the value proposition for current mem- Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishers. bers and potential new members. The Merriam-Webster. Stereotype. Definition in task force drew on several resources, online dictionary. including a February 2019 survey of Mor Barak, M.E. 2000. The Inclusive members and non-members that asked Workplace: An Ecosystems Approach to one question: If you were creating an Diversity Management. Social Work, 45(4): association of librarians, researchers, 339-353. knowledge managers, information ana- Morgan, C. 2017. What We Learned from lysts, taxonomists, competitive intelli- Improving Diversity Rates at Pinterest. gence specialists, and others who work Harvard Business Review, July 11. in related roles and you wanted that Ogden, C. 2014. Orthogonal Thinking & association to be relevant for the next Doing. Interaction Institute for Social Change. 110 years, what would you name it? Blog post, September 25. Ultimately, the task force presented Prusak, L. 2010. What Can’t Be Measured. four potential names to the board to Harvard Business Review, October 7. submit to members for a vote: Rabl, T., M. Triana, S-Y Byun, and L. Bosch. In press. Diversity Management Efforts as • The Information Association; an Ethical Responsibility: How Employees’ • Information Professionals Community Perceptions of an Organizational Integration (IPC); and Learning Approach to Diversity Affect Employee Behavior. Journal of Business • International Association of Ethics. Librarians and Information Williams, R., G. Subramini, M. Luca, and Professionals; and R. Donaker. 2017. Lessons from Yelp’s • Information Professionals Empirical Approach to Diversity. Harvard Business Review, September 21. International (IPI). The task force also proposed that, after members approve a new name, a tagline should be developed that incor- porates some of the following language and concepts: • The global association connecting specialist librarians, information professionals, data specialists, and researchers;

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