LIS and Data Engagement

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LIS and Data Engagement

• Graham Lally
• Oxford Consultants for 
• Social Inclusiongraham.lally_at_ocsi.co.uk
• http//www.ocsi.co.uk/

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Coming up

• Data Engagement
• What is it?
• How can it be done?

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What are we talking about?

• Go beyond just providing data - helping people to
  get the most use out of it too.
• "A commitment to open data involves making
  information and data resources accessible to all
  without discrimination and actively engaging to
  ensure that information and data can be used in a
  wide range of ways."
• "We need a way to... get beyond simply
  publishing datasets, and get to supporting people
  to use data to create social, economic and
  administrative change."
• - UK GovCamp 2012
• (See http//www.timdavies.org.uk/2012/01/21/5-star
  s-of-open-data-engagement/)

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ilovemylibrary
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Libraries

• Libraries Have
• A lot of different content
• A lot of different users
• So they need to find ways to make finding,
  suggesting, using information and
  supporting users as easy as possible
• Same challenge for LIS

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But...

• New users and audiences have different
  backgrounds, skills, language, needs and
  questions
• Can get confusing quickly
• How can LIS approach it in a clear, structured
  way?
• What role(s) can LIS play?

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A Charter of Engagement

• 1. Be demand driven
• 2. Provide metadata,
•      context
• 3. Support conversation
•      around the data
• 4. Support skills capacity
• 5. Data collaboration

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A Charter of Engagement

• 1. Be demand driven
• 2. Provide metadata,
•      context
• 3. Support conversation
•      around the data
• 4. Support skills capacity
• 5. Data collaboration

• 1. Choosing data
• 2. Help to understand the
•      data
• 3. Help to talk about the 
•      data
• 4. Help to do things with 
•      the data
• 5. Help improve the data

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1. Choosing data

• What info do people need to make decisions (right
  now)?
• Anticipate needs
• Get involved in discussions
• Use website analytics - what pages do people
  visit?
• Search metrics - what are people actually looking
  for?

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Search Metrics
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Choosing Data

• Databridge UK 

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1. Choosing data

• Resources Signposting - where else could people
  look?
• Can people ask you where something is?Simple,
  separate form for people to ask where they can
  find data?

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2. Help to Understand the data

• Understand users - get on the road!
• Is metadata easily accessible and clear?
• Is there information available on frequency of
  data updates, formats, reliability concerns, etc?
• Glossary or guide to the data
• Any other examples of data being used?

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3. Help to Talk about the data

• Go to the conversation - what existing user
  groups are there?
• Be sharable
• Hyperlinks
• 'Share this' buttons for social media
• E-mail alerts
• News items/blog posts
• Be open
• Can users comment at your site?
• Can users reply to each other?

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4. Help to Use the data

• Lead by example

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4. Help to Use the data

• Lead by example
• Show examples of where data is being used
• Reports
• News articles
• Apps?
• Provide links to useful resources and support
• Local
• National
• General(e.g. http//www.improving-visualisation.o
  rg/case-studies)

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5. Help to Improve the data

• What is missing?
• Why is it missing?
• How could it be added?
• What do people still need for 
• "social, economic and administrative change"?

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What to do first?

• Remember, just a guide
• But breaks complex area down into easy-to-digest
  chunks
• Can focus on what's most useful or appropriate
  for you

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Thanks

• graham.lally_at_ocsi.co.uk
• http//www.ocsi.co.uk/