Transcript Where Can and Do Our Students Find Data -

Where Can and Do
Our Students Find
Data -- And How
Can We Steer them
to Reputable Data?
Kristin Partlo
Carleton College
Hannah’s Story
• Junior beginning to prepare for capstone
project - wants to work over the summer
• Started with the data specialist (Paula)
“Somebody in ITS who’s really good with
statistics…”
• Once suspicious, Paula referred her to me
• “How do I search for data that’s
complete?”
• In the very first stages of forming a topic
Undergrads are just learning
quantitative reasoning skills
…So they need lots of help
Undergrads are at a stage where they lack:
• Knowledge
• What data are “out there”
• Familiarity with the body of literature in their area
• Knowledge of specialized tools
• Habits
• Ability to use the literature instrumentally
• Instinct to look for and use data documentation
• Patience to read while searching
• Ability to take effective notes
• Experience
• Don’t come to the service point with clearly defined need
• Expectations of the “search” for data
• Unproblematized conception of numbers as unauthored
facts
Where do they find
data?
“Standard” social science
data sources
Government Web Sites
IGOs Data Products
Where they find data
• “Standard” social science data sources from
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ICPSR, data archives, etc.
Government web sites
IGOs data products
Research institutions
Data project web sites
Disciplinary associations and tools and journal
web sites
Individual researchers’ web sites
Files procured directly by students
IGOs non-data products
Harvested from print sources
Wikipedia
Self-made datasets with GIS-derived variables
But how do they find it?
Wouldn’t that be great to know?
• Faculty recommendations
• Google
• Recommendations from other students
• My secret wish: ethnographic user studies
What can we do to
direct them to
reputable data?
Direct and Indirect Strategies
Direct
• Provide them with tools and strategies
• Publicize services and improve
approachability and availability
Indirect
• At sites of support, improve referrals
• On campus, get involved…
Data fluency -- developing
habits of research
• Help them become familiar with using the
literature instrumentally (Hannah example)
• Model good searching behavior, walking
through searches, taking example notes,
and articulating clues. This is especially
important for teaching students to look for
and use documentation (BLS example).
Finding Aids and Search Tools
Publicize
Strengthen Cooperation Among
Service Points
• Referrals
• Training general
reference staff and
subject librarians
about data sources
• Team teach when
possible
Work with Campus Data
Fluency Efforts
• Get involved in the
QR effort
• Communicate with
faculty
• Know the
assignments
• Get into classes