Increasing Data Literacy Instruction through Improved Assessment and Outreach: A Case Study

Academic librarians understand the importance of critical data literacy skills for undergraduate students, but it can be a challenge to convince faculty members that it is necessary for their students to cultivate these skills in the classroom environment. Due to recent curricular changes at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR), the staff at Catherwood Library have seen a significant increase in the number of data literacy-focused reference questions and consultations. By analyzing existing reference and instruction-related assessment data, we identified specific economics and statistics classes where reference interactions spiked after the new curriculum was introduced, indicating that the students would benefit from increased data literacy instruction in this area. However, faculty in these departments rarely took advantage of existing library instruction offerings, and it took time and effort to get them on board with integrating these much-needed in-class sessions into their existing instructional plans. This presentation will focus on the efforts at Catherwood Library to increase the number of data literacy-focused one-shot sessions in economics and statistics classes as part of our reference and liaison program. Key successes and challenges will be discussed, as well as data analysis and assessment strategies, future plans for expanding this work, and additional suggestions for librarians who are interested in implementing data-driven reference, instruction, and outreach at their own institutions.