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Week 4 - Data, Open Public Data, Library roles in Data Literacy

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University

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Data, Open Public Data, Library roles in Data Literacy

The readings provide a broad definition of data, public/open data, and data literacy. Data

can be defined as information that is collected and organized for use by a person or machine.

Open/public data is data that is collected and shared by a government or public institution, and is

available to the public for free. Data literacy is the ability to read, work with, analyze, and argue

with data. This requires an understanding of the context in which data is collected and used, as

well as an understanding data complexity.

I am interested in data literacy as it provides necessary skills and knowledge to make

sense of the world around us. Data literacy is essential for helping people make informed

decisions in their lives. I believe that open/public data is a particularly promising concept. The

ability to access and use information for many purposes can be extended when data is widely

distributed and accessible. Libraries, archives, and other information professions are essential for

teaching people how to use data to their advantage. For example, assist people to find reliable

data sources, educate people on how to interpret and analyze data, and providing access to data

that would be otherwise difficult to find.

The data-rich society we live in can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. On the one

hand, data can help us make more informed decisions and track progress in various areas. Where

else, data can also be used to manipulate people and increase inequality. Therefore, it is

important that society addresses the need for data literacy. Libraries, archives, museums, and

other information professionals can help by providing education and resources that can help

people understand and use data responsibly. They ensure that data is collected, stored, and used

ethically. Also, data literacy helps people understand how to make sense of the vast amounts of

data available today and how to make informed decisions with it.
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References

Lori Bowen Ayre & Jim Craner (2017) Open Data: What It Is and Why You Should

Care Download Open Data: What It Is and Why You Should Care, Public Library

Quarterly, 36:2, 173-184, DOI: 10.1080/01616846.2017.1313045.

Twidale, Michael B., Catherine Blake, and Jon P. Gant. “Towards a Data Literate

Citizenry Download Towards a Data Literate Citizenry.” In iConference 2013

Proceedings, 247–57, iSchools 2013.

Robinson, P., & Mather, L. W. (2017). Open Data Community Maturity: Libraries as Civic

Infomediaries Download Open Data Community Maturity: Libraries as Civic

Infomediaries. URISA Journal, 28(1), 31.

(Video) Data Ready Part 1: Defining Data & Data Literacy Links to an external site.by Georgia

State University Libraries