1 of 30

Why Libraries Should Maintain the Open Data of Their Communities

Mita Williams, Leddy Library, University of Windsor�Wed, Jan 27 | 3:05 pm - 3:45 pm, MTCC 206D

Ontario Library Superconference 2016

2 of 30

Learning Outcomes

  • Become familiar with some of the standards and technologies of Open Data�
  • Understand what Open Data is and its context in the Canadian landscape�
  • Learn how public libraries, academic libraries and nonprofit groups have encouraged the use and the collection of Open Data

3 of 30

A trilogy of four parts

  • What is Open Data?�
  • Where is the Open (Government) Data in Canada?�
  • Where do Libraries Fit In?

4 of 30

What is Open Data?

5 of 30

The Five Stars of Open Data

★ make your stuff available on the Web (whatever format) under an open license

★★ make it available as structured data (e.g., Excel instead of image scan of a table)�

★★★ make it available in a non-proprietary open format (e.g., CSV as well as of Excel)

★★★★ use URIs to denote things, so that people can point at your stuff�

★★★★★ link your data to other data to provide context

6 of 30

Open is a format ...

David Eaves' Three Laws of Open (Gov) Data

If it can’t be spidered or indexed, it doesn’t exist

If it isn’t available in open and machine readable format, it can’t engage

If a legal framework doesn’t allow it to be repurposed, it doesn’t empower

“In other words, Open Data allows us to ... LOOK, PLAY, and SHARE”

7 of 30

From “Open” to Justice, #OpenCon2014

Audrey Watters, 16 Nov 2014�http://hackeducation.com/2014/11/16/from-open-to-justice/

8 of 30

What does the Tri-Council mean by Open Data?

“Open data is data that meets the criteria of intelligent openness.

Data must be accessible, useable, assessable and intelligible.”

9 of 30

What do *I* mean by Open Data?

“Open data is data that can be freely used, reused and redistributed by anyone – subject only, at most, to the requirement to attribute and sharealike.”

Open Knowledge Foundation okfn.org

10 of 30

… Open is a permission

Since everything is automatically given copyright, to release your given rights you need to assign an alternative licence to place it in the “Creative Commons”

CC-0 Public Domain

CC-BY Attribution

CC-BY-ND Attribution, No Derivatives

CC-BY-SA Attribution, Share Alike

CC-BY-NC Attribution, Non-commercial

11 of 30

Not all Creative Commons material is “Open”

“Open data is data that can be freely used, reused and redistributed by anyone – subject only, at most, to the requirement to attribute and sharealike.”

Open Knowledge Foundation okfn.org

CC-BY-ND NOT OPEN!

CC-BY-NC NOT OPEN!

12 of 30

“You don’t like CC-NC? What kind of monster are you? Some sort of Census-hating neoliberal?”

  • “Academic-use only” hurts our nonprofit communities
    • Where can anti-poverty groups get their data for evidence based decisions?�
  • The costs of cost recovery efforts are *substantial*
    • Data Liberation Initiative for universities
    • The Community Data Program
  • It is speculated that cost recovery results are not significant �
  • Journalists, artists and writers rely on the ability to sell their work
  • CC-NC keeps content out of the Public Domain FOREVER
  • CC-NC complicates how re-worked derivative material is handled

13 of 30

Where is Open (Government) Data �(in Canada)

14 of 30

The data is in Open Data Catalogues (or portals)

15 of 30

16 of 30

Wouldn’t it be easier if it was all...

17 of 30

Meanwhile, back at the Federal Level

Work produced by the Canadian Government is under Crown Copyright

Reproduction and other uses of Canadian government produced information, by default, requires permission and the generally involves the payment of licensing fees that have been set for the purposes of cost-recovery.

Publishing and Depository Services used to administer Crown Copyright and Licensing on behalf of Government of Canada departments and agencies...

18 of 30

The Federal Level: Everything is confusing

In 2010, the federal government gave notice that it was establishing a licence that gave permission for non-commercial uses without the need for permission

But in 2013, this notice was removed from the Public Works and Government Services site and the announcement was made that, "as of November 18, 2013 Publishing and Depository Services no longer administers Crown Copyright and Licensing on behalf of Government of Canada departments and agencies. Should you be seeking copyright clearance for Government of Canada information, please contact the department or agency that created the information."

19 of 30

The Data Liberation Initiative is open? Not open?

20 of 30

21 of 30

Where Do Libraries Fit In?

22 of 30

Public libraries are making their data open...

23 of 30

Meanwhile, south of the border

24 of 30

How to turn the (data) tables

25 of 30

Who will host the data of nonprofits?

26 of 30

The literacy challenge of Open Data

27 of 30

Libraries can Support Data and Policy Literacy

28 of 30

Host open data enthusiasts at your library

29 of 30

Archive Open Data in the Internet Archive?

30 of 30

Thank you!�

Slides are available at:�https://goo.gl/Bo6yDI