Promoting U.S. census data in an academic environment: opportunities and challenges

Area of Science:

• Library and Information Science
• Data Dissemination
• Academic Services

Background:

• Academic libraries face challenges providing access to electronic data formats.
• Census data in CD-ROM format requires specific user training and support.
• Evolving user expectations necessitate adaptive library service models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe structured efforts to promote wider use of census data.
• To contextualize these efforts within library budgetary and service issues.
• To assess the success of promotional activities and the library's response to new service expectations.

Main Methods:

• Conducting workshops and instructional sessions on census data access.
• Developing and distributing instructional handouts.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of outreach activities.

Main Results:

• Structured efforts successfully promoted wider use of census data.
• Workshops and instructional sessions were key components of the initiative.
• The library adapted to new service expectations for electronic data access.

Conclusions:

• Proactive library outreach can increase the utilization of specialized data resources.
• Libraries must strategically address budgetary and service challenges to support electronic data access.
• Successful adaptation to new service expectations is crucial for academic libraries.