Love Data Week 2023 Day 1 – Data: Agent of Change 

By Tiffany Grant, PhD, CDE® 

University of Cincinnati Libraries Research & Data Services 

A graphic for love data Week

Love Data Week kicks off today, February 13 and runs through Friday, February 17, 2023. 

Love Data Week is an international event celebrating data and raising global awareness about the importance of data science and management. Typically, this week is used to as an opportunity to convene a community of data scientists and discuss contemporary issues affecting data management, sharing, privacy, preservation, reuse, and delivery. 

The theme this year is Data: Agent of Change. Love Data Week is about inspiring your community to use data to bring about changes that matter. Policy change, environmental change, social change…we can move mountains with the right data guiding our decisions. This year, we are focused on helping new and seasoned data users find data training and other resources that can help move the needle on the issues they care about. 

Members of the University of Cincinnati Libraries Research & Data Services group will be posting blogs with content relevant to the theme of Data: Agent of Change. In an effort multitask while also celebrating Love Data Week, the Research & Data Services Unit is using the week to accomplish several goals. First, we will use the week to highlight the new NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy that went into effect on January 25th. We will release a document entitled “The New NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing and What it Means for You at the University of Cincinnati” to the UC community. We intend for this comprehensive document to serve as a great resource for those seeking funding from the NIH. Second, we will highlight ICPSR and several datasets that relate to the week’s theme of Data as an Agent of Change. These datasets have been used to create change and to bring awareness to topics/individuals/groups who have been historically marginalized. You can find links to these datasets below. Third, we will discuss how GIS (Geographic Information Systems) can be used for social justice, and we will provide information on two websites with information concerning timely and relevant content relating to the Black Lives Matter and Police Shootings. Lastly, we will have an interactive event in the Health Sciences Library that will engage participants on Scholar and how it can be used to address the new NIH Policy (see Liblog Post). More information on this latter event can be found below. 

Love Data Week LiBlog Post Schedule 

 February 13: NIH Policy Document 

February 14: Franz Boas’s Immigrant Study and the Research Center for Minority Data (ICPSR datasets) 

February 15: Esri Resources, Using GIS for Social Justice 

February 16: ICPSR Transgender Survey 

February 17: Data for Black Lives and Fatal Force Police Shootings Database 

 On February 14th, we will host Scholar@UC and the new NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy Informational and Chat. Faculty, staff, and student researchers are encouraged to interact with Scholar developers and learn how they can simultaneously meet grant and publisher requirements while also contributing to the intellectual output of UC. Participants will receive a free Scholar@UC coffee mug filled with Lindor Truffles (available while supplies last). 

Looking Back, Moving Ahead: A Brief Review of 2021-22 in the CECH Library

Welcome to fall semester, CECH friends! Though we’ve been open all summer, the CECH Library is so pleased to open our doors yet again to students, faculty, and staff at the beginning of another promising school year.  

 Like you, we’ve had a busy year – full of projects, planning, and reflection. Here are a few highlights: 

As always, you can find fall semester library hours on the CECH Library website, as well as a complete listing of hours across UC Libraries locations 

It is our pleasure to serve CECH, and we wish you all a fantastic semester. 

Katie Foran-Mulcahy
CECH Library Head + Interim Assistant Dean 

Curious about the library/information studies profession? UC Libraries seeks racially/ethnically under-represented candidates for paid internship.

library student workersUniversity of Cincinnati Libraries, in cooperation with OhioLINK, is seeking racially/ethnically under-represented candidates interested in an internship with UC Libraries. This position requires a full academic-year commitment (fall, spring and possibly summer semesters) and the ability to work 10-15 hours per week. The internship includes orientation, departmental rotations and working with a mentor. Interns will participate in professional development sessions coordinated throughout the internship.

These paid, resume-building positions offer student interns hands-on experience and a broad introduction to the information studies profession—its purpose, reach and expertise. Students are paired with a mentor to explore and gain valuable knowledge in the field and to develop marketable skills that are extendable to a variety of career disciplines. This program provides experiential learning, valuable training and professional support within a structured work environment. OhioLINK interns around the state will be given the opportunity to network and collaborate via an agreed-upon capstone project, if desired.

To apply for a library internship, complete the online application.

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Finale of 19-Day Self-Education Challenge Against Systemic Racism scheduled for August 10

respect's 19-day self-education challenge against systemic racismJoin us Tuesday, August 10, 12:30-2pm via WebEx, for a finale of the 19-Day Self-Education Challenge Against Systemic Racism. Whether you took the challenge or not, all are welcome!

The University of Cincinnati Libraries’ R.E.S.P.E.C.T. (Racial Equity Support & Programming to Educate the Community Team organized the 19-day Challenge (July 6-30) with the mission to bring knowledge and consciousness from the disparities of systemic racism in our society. Articles, podcasts and videos were supplied to participants each week with an option to attend a Friday WebEx discussion and/or fill out a questionnaire concerning the week’s subject. Although this enlightening undertaking has ended, our endeavor for racial equity has only begun. The finale event will include a discussion of the various lessons, as well as prizes.

Participate in the 19-Day Self-Education Challenge Against Systemic Racism

respect's 19-day self-education challenge against systemic racismWant to learn more about issues pertaining to systemic racism in the United States but don’t know where to start? Inspired by the YWCA’s 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, the University of Cincinnati Libraries’ R.E.S.P.E.C.T. committee developed a 19-Day Self-Education Challenge Against Systemic Racism just for you! Sign up now to watch, read and listen to informative pieces! The challenge is free and open to all. 

Scheduled to take place July 6-30, the challenge is divided into four weeks, each with a different theme. There will be weekly, open video-chat discussions every Friday. Details will be e-mailed weekly along with the challenge content. 

  • Week 1: Reparations and Narrowing the Wealth Gap 
  • Week 2: Police Brutality and Reform 
  • Week 3: Equity in Healthcare 
  • Week 4: Equity in Education 

Should you agree to accept this challenge, you will learn new information as well as receive an award upon completion of the event for your efforts to learn more about systemic racism and ways to combat it.  

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. (Racial Equity Support & Programming to Educate the Community Team) is a UC Libraries committee charged with developing external programming that explicitly addresses the negative role that systemic racism plays in our society. 

CECH Library Supports Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

In accordance with the Bearcat Bond and Association of College and Research Libraries Diversity Standards, the CECH Library recognizes the “need and obligation to serve and advocate for racial and ethnically diverse constituencies.” To that end, CECH librarians have led and supported a variety of projects and programs related to anti-racism and diversity, equity, and inclusion this year. Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been working on.

Anti-Racism LibGuides Audit

  • This fall CECH librarians performed an audit of 16 subject LibGuides in support of the CECH Schools of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and Information Technology. After scoring guides with a rubric they created, CECH librarians curated additional resources to add to their subject guides including journals, databases, websites, and multimedia resources with anti-racism themes. Resources were also carefully chosen based on their intended audience – both academics and professionals working in field – as well as their respective purposes, with emphasis on subject-specific and general resources for self-reflection and professional development. Full informatiaon about the project, including our process, rubric, and listing of audited guides is available via our CECH Library Anti-Racism LibGuide Audit guide.

Anti-Racism Community Space

  • In partnership with the CECH Rapid Response Team, CECH Librarian Madeleine Gaiser is serving as the co-organizer of the CECH Anti-Racism Community Space alongside Josie Evans-Phillips, Assistant Dean for Inclusive Excellence and Community Partnerships. The Anti-Racism Community Space (ARCS) hosts monthly discussions in which a CECH faculty or staff give a short presentation followed by lively conversations about the issues raised by the presenter. This space also provides the CECH community a space to process news events, such as the Capitol insurrection in January. The space was started in November as a pilot program and this spring is becoming an official CECH DEI initiative. As co-organizer, Madeleine manages the publicity efforts for each meeting, serves as the event emcee, and coordinates with the presenter and discussion facilitators. She and Josie hope to share this model with other colleges and libraries at UC.

Diversity Research Day Planning

  • Due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, the annual CECH Diversity Research Day took place virtually on February 24, 2021. CECH Library Head Katie Foran-Mulcahy served on this year’s planning team, creating a special Canvas community to house presentation materials and interactivity with presenters such as asynchronous poster discussion. Videos of live presentations will also be available via this Canvas community. Auto-enrollment into the Canvas community will be available through March 24 for UC students, faculty, and staff.

Interested in partnering with a CECH librarian on projects in support of anti-racism? Reach out to your CECH Librarian to discuss opportunities for collaboration and support.

Introducing the CECH Anti-Racism Community Space

The CECH Anti-Racism Community Space (ARCS) is devoted to building an inclusive community within our college dedicated to anti-racism. Each month we’ll learn, engage, and listen to one another alongside experts from our community. ARCS is open to all members of the CECH community – students, staff, faculty and alumni — and is co-presented by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board and the CECH Library.

Join us via WebEx on Tuesday, November 10 at 3:30 p.m. for our inaugural meeting. Dr. Antar Tichavakunda, Assistant Professor of Education, will lead a discussion on critical race theory.