Congratulations to assistant professor, John Marino, and his team who recently received approval for funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for the “Preparing Librarians for Data Literacy Leadership”  project. Funded by the IMLS Laura Bush 21^st Century Library Program planning grant, the project will explore the value of data services in school and public libraries. The project, led by Marino, is a collaboration between associate professors, Dr. Barbara Schultz-Jones and Dr. Daniella Smith in the Information Science Department, and three faculty members in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman's University.

The idea for this project came about from reports that suggest that while data-driven decision-making (DDDM) is a key component for organizational effectiveness, many stakeholders in school and community organizations lack the training required for effective DDDM. The project aims to provide librarians with the skills and knowledge to provide service in DDDM, allowing them to play a leadership role in promoting data literacy in these environments.

Through the Master’s in library science degree program, librarians will receive training in data literacy leadership. Librarians effectively trained in data literacy leadership will play a key role in their organization. The data literate school librarian will collaborate with teachers to design learning activities that improves student data-literacy skills. They will serve as coaches, interpreting and using student assessment to differentiate instruction, and work with administration to interpret and utilize the information to develop strategies for the overall success of their schools. Public librarians will be able to consult with patrons to help them understand and apply data in their own lives. They will provide leadership to colleagues using data to design and evaluate programs and services, as well as work with administrators to use data to assess the communities and cultivate strategies for organizational improvement.

The grant will provide funding for the initial phase of the project, including a summit of stakeholders who will work to identify data literacy competencies, and the development of a pilot training program.