If I asked somebody what a data culture is, they would probably look at me with a disinterested, glazed expression, followed closely by a mumbled, “I don’t know.”
And they may not really care either.
I feel like most people tend to see the word “data” as a very scary and intimidating word, and this prevents them from learning about just how useful and informative data can really be. Most people also tend to think that data is strictly quantitative information, such as numerical statistics. However, data can be text as well (such as emails, interview notes and media reports), which is qualitative data.
When analyzed, data provides ideas and solutions to various problems and situations. This ties into data culture and the benefits it can bring to a company or organization.
A data culture is an organization that uses data to make decisions to improve themselves. Some business leaders may prefer to make decisions based on gut instinct, ignoring data because their way just “makes more sense” (at least to them it does). A data-driven organization follows the path that makes the most sense in correlation with the data, even if it doesn’t necessarily make sense from a conventional standpoint. This has proven to be far more strategic and efficient. Erik Brynjolfsson et al. al. from MIT’s Sloan School of Management conducted a study that showed data-driven organizations to have a five to six percent higher output and productivity than other systems in which organizations tend to go with what they “feel” is the best path.
The Data Culture Project provides a great method for learning how data can be useful and how to connect with others through detailed analysis. The Data Process described below is a step-by-step system from the Data Culture Project that details how to bring about a more data-oriented workplace. The OSU Library is piloting the Data Culture Project this semester and plans to offer it in the future for those who are interested.
The Data Process:
#1: Warmups
Anytime you get a group together for a team-building exercise, warmups are a great way to get things started. Quick and creative activities that help to establish a feeling of comfort and informality allow participants to be invested and confident, leading to more engagement, which leads to more results in the long run.
#2: Asking Questions
This is the first step in analyzing data. When we look at a data set, there are plenty of questions to be asked, and there are plenty of questions to be answered. Colleagues are divided into small groups to analyze a data set and develop insightful observations and questions. Now, this exercise isn’t particularly about answering any questions that are asked, but it is instead about thinking creatively to generate stimulating questions.
#3: Gathering Data
This step goes hand-in-hand with the previous step. Data is difficult to interpret sometimes, even more so when the data is wrong or unorganized. You might need to combine multiple data sets as well, because a single data set may not be able to answer every question.
#4: Analyzing Data
Oh no, here comes the hard stuff!
Not really, but this is how many people feel when it comes to analyzing data. There are many different ways to analyze data because there are many different types of data. If you’re having a hard time trying to figure out a data set, maybe you just aren’t using the right method for you! Analyzing data with colleagues leads to a combination of different ideas to maintain positive trends.
#5: Telling Your Story
This is the fun part of the process (as if you weren’t having fun before). This allows you to be creative while explaining a data set to colleagues. Various types of displays such as sketches and word webs communicate the context of the data through a narrative. This also allows abstract ideas and numbers to be represented by a concrete visual display.
#6: Try It Out
The final step is simple: just try it out! This answers many questions you may have about your developed story and the data backing it. Is the data understandable? Does the story make sense? Is it compelling? The idea of narrating your data is to influence your audience, informing and propelling them into action to improve the data.
A data-driven culture isn’t something that immediately happens, and it definitely isn’t something that has immediate results. It requires cooperation and understanding among colleagues, and the entire organization needs access to data in order to practice analyzing and interpreting it. In addition, data literacy must be encouraged so that each member of the organization can effectively contribute to improving and developing a collective network to help make important decisions.
Posted by Braiden Ellis, student staff member, Research and Learning Services
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Monday, October 22, 2018
Relax and Read at the Library
Everyone knows that college is a hectic time. Tests, papers, meetings and more fill our days, and often the most relaxing thing we do is sleep. Sometimes.
But one year ago, some at the Edmon Low Library set out to change that. This week, I sat down with Whitney Vitale, the assistant head of access services at the Edmon Low Library, to learn more about the inception of the Relax and Read Collection and why it is so beneficial for students.
The Relax and Read Collection began in the fall of 2017 after a few employees at the library wanted to create a space for students to relax and get away from the stress of school.
“We wanted to capitalize on this work-life balance issue and support the students,” Whitney said. “What can make life a little easier and help with self-care?”
Whitney plays a vital role in curating the collections. She orders books, both fiction and nonfiction, which will appeal to a variety of students. The library already receives copies of the New York bestsellers, but Whitney also places orders for cookbooks or patron requests.
More than anything, the goal of the Relax and Read is just that – to help people relax.
“Students need that time to get away mentally and decompress,” Whitney said. “It can be hard to do that, and I think that this is a way they can have those few minutes or hours to get away from their troubles.”
While the collection will continue to morph and change to adapt to patron needs, the goal will always remain the same.
”We want to take care of the non-academic half of the patrons,” Whitney said.
If there’s a book or genre you’d like to see in the Relax and Read Collection, talk to anyone at the Circulation Desk or feel free to contact Whitney directly.
Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern
But one year ago, some at the Edmon Low Library set out to change that. This week, I sat down with Whitney Vitale, the assistant head of access services at the Edmon Low Library, to learn more about the inception of the Relax and Read Collection and why it is so beneficial for students.
The Relax and Read Collection began in the fall of 2017 after a few employees at the library wanted to create a space for students to relax and get away from the stress of school.
“We wanted to capitalize on this work-life balance issue and support the students,” Whitney said. “What can make life a little easier and help with self-care?”
Whitney plays a vital role in curating the collections. She orders books, both fiction and nonfiction, which will appeal to a variety of students. The library already receives copies of the New York bestsellers, but Whitney also places orders for cookbooks or patron requests.
More than anything, the goal of the Relax and Read is just that – to help people relax.
“Students need that time to get away mentally and decompress,” Whitney said. “It can be hard to do that, and I think that this is a way they can have those few minutes or hours to get away from their troubles.”
While the collection will continue to morph and change to adapt to patron needs, the goal will always remain the same.
”We want to take care of the non-academic half of the patrons,” Whitney said.
If there’s a book or genre you’d like to see in the Relax and Read Collection, talk to anyone at the Circulation Desk or feel free to contact Whitney directly.
Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern
Monday, October 8, 2018
For the Love of Maps
Not many people can truly say that their childhood interest in video games led them to their future career. Yet for Kevin Dyke, the head of the Maps and Spatial Data department in the library, that’s exactly what happened.
This week, I sat down with Kevin, and we discussed how he got started in mapping, some of his work at the Edmon Low Library and his ideas for the future of Maps and Spatial Data.
“When I was a kid playing video games, I fell in love with the interactive maps that you would use playing different games,” Kevin said. “That was my first real foray into loving maps.”
From there, his passion only continued to grow. After studying history at Truman State University, he got his master’s in geography with an emphasis in geographic information science at the University of Minnesota. Eventually, Kevin and his wife both found jobs at OSU and moved to Stillwater.
Shortly after he began working at OSU in August 2016, he hosted his first Mapping 101 workshop. Mapping 101 has become widely popular since the first workshop. The students dive into the basics of geographic information systems (GIS) and different types of maps. In the future, Kevin hopes to expand his workshop offerings to other topics, like data visualization and coding languages, such as HTML, JavaScript and CSS.
“I want things that people will enjoy,” Kevin said. “I think these topics would be well received. For anyone in academia, there’s always uses for those sorts of skills.”
We also discussed the advancements he’s made in Maps and Spatial Data thanks to the generous donations of the McCasland Foundation. The gifts of the foundation have allowed Kevin and his team to digitize almost 2,000 maps. The McCasland Digital Maps Collection alone boasts nearly 40,000 page views.
“It’s been a long, fruitful relationship with the McCasland Foundation,” Kevin said.
And the digital maps aren’t just for OSU faculty, staff and students. The public can access the maps too. In fact, Kevin recalls chatting with people from as far as California who want to use the maps in their publications. The maps are part of the Congressional Serial Set, so they are public domain.
“When we get requests for a map, we provide people an archival quality digital copy at no cost,” Kevin said. “As a land grant institution, we’re here to serve the public.”
He is also in the process of perfecting a software he developed that allows users to select an area of land and find historic maps of that area. For example, if you wanted to see maps of the OSU campus from 1950, you could select the current campus area and the software would pull the maps from the digital collection that most closely resemble that space – “all within 150 milliseconds,” Kevin said.
If you ever need a copy of a map or simply have questions about something you’ve seen online in the digital collections, do not hesitate to reach out to Kevin! After speaking with him, it was very clear to me that he is extremely passionate about maps and helping other people love and understand them too. He’s knowledgeable, excited and more than willing to help anyone with their research.
The basement, where Maps and Spatial Data is located, is currently under construction. But you can reach Kevin through email or by setting up an appointment with him.
405-744-9731
Lib-map@okstate.edu
Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern
This week, I sat down with Kevin, and we discussed how he got started in mapping, some of his work at the Edmon Low Library and his ideas for the future of Maps and Spatial Data.
“When I was a kid playing video games, I fell in love with the interactive maps that you would use playing different games,” Kevin said. “That was my first real foray into loving maps.”
Shortly after he began working at OSU in August 2016, he hosted his first Mapping 101 workshop. Mapping 101 has become widely popular since the first workshop. The students dive into the basics of geographic information systems (GIS) and different types of maps. In the future, Kevin hopes to expand his workshop offerings to other topics, like data visualization and coding languages, such as HTML, JavaScript and CSS.
“I want things that people will enjoy,” Kevin said. “I think these topics would be well received. For anyone in academia, there’s always uses for those sorts of skills.”
We also discussed the advancements he’s made in Maps and Spatial Data thanks to the generous donations of the McCasland Foundation. The gifts of the foundation have allowed Kevin and his team to digitize almost 2,000 maps. The McCasland Digital Maps Collection alone boasts nearly 40,000 page views.
“It’s been a long, fruitful relationship with the McCasland Foundation,” Kevin said.
And the digital maps aren’t just for OSU faculty, staff and students. The public can access the maps too. In fact, Kevin recalls chatting with people from as far as California who want to use the maps in their publications. The maps are part of the Congressional Serial Set, so they are public domain.
He is also in the process of perfecting a software he developed that allows users to select an area of land and find historic maps of that area. For example, if you wanted to see maps of the OSU campus from 1950, you could select the current campus area and the software would pull the maps from the digital collection that most closely resemble that space – “all within 150 milliseconds,” Kevin said.
If you ever need a copy of a map or simply have questions about something you’ve seen online in the digital collections, do not hesitate to reach out to Kevin! After speaking with him, it was very clear to me that he is extremely passionate about maps and helping other people love and understand them too. He’s knowledgeable, excited and more than willing to help anyone with their research.
The basement, where Maps and Spatial Data is located, is currently under construction. But you can reach Kevin through email or by setting up an appointment with him.
405-744-9731
Lib-map@okstate.edu
Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern
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