Data Equity for Main Street
This repository houses open data literacy curriculum developed by Data Equity for Main Street, a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation project begun in 2016. Data Equity aims to promote open data literacy by training librarians and community members how to find, use and give feedback about open data.
Data Equity brought together public and academic librarians in California and Washington State with state government and private sector leaders in education and technology. The project developed the curriculum, trained librarians to use it and pilot-tested the curriculum over two years at more than 20 public and academic libraries in the two states.
The curriculum comprises four classes covering open data basics, metadata, visualization and feedback. The curriculum is designed for the general public and assumes no previous experience with open data; it can also be used for other audiences, such as library staff or government publishing agencies. Materials include step-by-step lesson plans, slides, handouts and evaluation forms, as well as sample flyers and other marketing resources.
This curriculum is free for anyone to use and modify, as best suits your audience.
Questions or feedback? Contact Anne Neville-Bonilla (Anne.Neville@library.ca.gov) or Will Saunders (will.saunders@watech.wa.gov)
Using GitHub
You can retrieve the curriculum and other materials in this repository one of two ways -- by using the links below, or by making a copy of ("forking") this GitHub repository to your own GitHub account. If you're new to GitHub, visit the GitHub guides to learn more about getting started with GitHub and "forking" projects.
Curriculum
Backgrounders for Instructors
These handouts give instructors some grounding in open data issues and provide help finding local examples of open data success stories.
- Finding Open Data Success Stories
- Open Data in Context: Big Data, Paid Data & Personally Identifiable Information
- Open Data Policies & Websites
Slides
Handouts
- Handout 1: Open Data Basics
- Handout 2: Where to Find Open Data
- Handout 4: Open Licenses
- Handout 5: Making Maps & Charts
- Handout 6: Data Quality
- Handout 7: Paid vs. Open Data
Treasure Hunts (Handout 3)
- Handout 3a: General Treasure Hunt
- Handout 3b: Business Treasure Hunt
- Handout 3c: Environmental & Agricultural Treasure Hunt
- Handout 3d: Grab Bag Treasure Hunt
Evaluation Forms
Data Equity recommends using an electronic survey form for your evaluations, such as Google Forms, to organize and track responses. We also strongly recommend incorporating time for evaluation into each class, just before wrapping up.
Marketing Materials
Flyers (Examples)
- Blanchard Community Library
- Butte County Library
- City of Mount Vernon Library
- San Diego Public Library
- San Jose Public Library
- University of Puget Sound, Collins Memorial Library