MLA Connect Advocacy Hour: Data Storytelling Toolkit for Libraries (DSTL): Distilling Library Wisdom
Thursday, January 16, 2025
10:00 - 11:00 AM
What can you tell about your library data as a story? Learn how to bring data stories to life for library advocacy of all types, from sustaining the library to transforming its work. Participants will learn about ongoing research identifying classic library stories told to persuade decision-makers as part of the Data Storytelling Toolkit for Libraries project (IMLS).
Tools academic libraries can use include:
- Strategies to understand data storytelling uses for academic libraries
- Reach different kinds of audiences such as students, administrators, and funders
- Adapt narrative structures to communicate information and emotion at the same time
Join storytelling expert Kate McDowell for a lively interactive session to make data work as evidence for your compelling library data stories.
Speakers
 Kate McDowell
Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Dr. Kate McDowell focuses on storytelling as information research, social justice storytelling, and how the history of library storytelling can enhance contemporary data storytelling. Her writing appears in Library Quarterly, College and Research Libraries, and JASIST, where her article Storytelling wisdom: Story, information, and DIKW theorizes storytelling as a fundamental information form. She advises regional, national, and international nonprofits, including work with the World Health Organization on storytelling responses to online health misinformation. McDowell leads the nationally-funded Data Storytelling Toolkit for Librarians, to equip public libraries with the narrative tools they need to thrive in the data-driven era. McDowell is an associate professor at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA. Her teaching on both storytelling and data storytelling was internationally celebrated with the ASIS&T Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award in 2022.
 Lance Werner
Director, Kent District Library
Lance has served as Executive Director for Kent District Library since 2011. He received a juris doctorate degree from Michigan State University’s College of Law and his master’s degree in Library Science from Wayne State University (WSU). In 2018 he was chosen as Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year, and in years past he was the recipient of the Joey Rodger Leadership Award from the Urban Libraries Council, Librarian of the Year Award from the Michigan Library Association (MLA), the WSU Distinguished Alumni award, and Library Journal’s Mover and Shaker Award. Lance is currently involved in the ALA Policy Corps, WSU’s Capital Campaign, MLA’s Legislative committee, and recently graduated from Michigan Political Leadership Course.”
Advocacy Hour conversations are always free to attend but registration is required.
MLA Connect Advocacy Hours are an opportunity for the library community to learn more about MLA's advocacy and legislative priorities including funding, elections, property taxes, literacy, internet access, privacy, intellectual freedom, and more. Each month, we will address a new topic and share any pending legislation introduced in the House or Senate that could impact the Michigan library community. Open discussion and Q & A will follow the interview-style agenda.
Monthly sessions will take place generally on the third Thursday of the month at 10:00 AM. Advocacy Hours are free to attend to anyone interested in joining the conversation! A maximum of 500 attendees can join each live event. Registered attendees will receive information and a link to access the meetings on the Zoom platform.
Please note recordings of all MLA Advocacy Hours are available to watch for free and on-demand at MLA Connect On-Demand.
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