91´«Ã½

The Reference and User Services Division (RUSA) is offering the Webinar series once again with an added presentation on APIs. Beginning on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, this four part series will cover:

As the world embraces data, so must librarians. Increasingly librarians are facing reference interactions that necessitate or would be enhanced by, a foundational understanding of data. This webinar will serve as an introduction to the data reference interview, the advantages and issues involved in using data in a reference transaction, and how to approach issues of data literacy and validity. Some of the questions to be addressed include: How is conducting a data reference interview similar and different from a traditional reference interview? What are the primary elements to look out for when consulting documentation? How do I know if the data is reliable and valid?

Looking for big datasets for free? The U.S. Federal Government has been providing access to their statistical data for years, even before the Internet ever existed. Why? How do we get to the data? Will we always have access? Who has the best statistics? Why are other organizations now giving their numbers away for free also? Learn about where open data and statistics come from, ways to find, and issues on how to keep it coming along with where to join discussions and stay aware of developments in creating, access, retrieval, articulation, presentation, publishing, and curation of data and statistics.

The world is becoming data-driven as business, academia, and the media embrace the analysis and visualization of data in their day-to-day activities. As a result, library patrons now need not only help finding facts and figures, but help with turning that raw data into analysis and presentation. This webinar will describe and discuss data services for libraries, with a particular focus on the data visualization techniques and tools that are transforming how we analyze and understand our world.

As our world becomes increasingly mediated by computer, Application Program Interfaces (APIs) have become critical components in sustaining the flow of electronic data between providers and consumers. As you've helped members of your library community find and use data, you've likely seen references to APIs as a means of accessing or interacting with data. But what exactly is an API and why should librarians care? This webinar will explain the concept of an API, illustrate how APIs work and why they're useful, and introduce tools and methods for using APIs to gather data.

Registration is available for the or Individual Events!

This webinar series is sponsored by the (RUSA) a division of the 91´«Ã½, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers' advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need.