The University of Washington Information School announced a 3-year grant for $690,858 to fund the proposal Open Data for Public Good (ODPG): Data Literacy Education for Public Information Professionals, led by Professor Carole Palmer. The grant was awarded through the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  

The project, to be called Open Data Literacy (ODL), aims to close the technical gap between what libraries currently provide their communities and what is available to them through public data and information resources. 

The new grant will fund the development of an educational program to prepare both new students and practicing professionals to “curate collections of open data of value to local communities, build infrastructure and preservation environments needed to sustain open data collections, and collaborate with open data providers on advocacy and outreach activities.”

Expected outcomes include innovations to Library Science curriculum, practice-based classroom work and cultivating data literacy in students and library staff.

The project is a collaboration between the iSchool’s Technology and Social Change group and DataLab, plus the Seattle Public Library, Washington State Historical Society, Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Washington State Office of Technology. It will build on the Future of Libraries strategic initiative in the Information School.

The project will benefit over 100 Library and Information Science students, through new course creation and practical field experience, and approximately 60 professionals, through webinars and open educational resources.