Data Literacy

• Where do you go to find data or statistics?
• When looking at data, consider:
  • What was counted?
  • How was the data collected?
  • Who counted? Why did they count?
  • Is there bias?
  • Is anything missing?
  • Are the numbers meaningful? Do they make sense?
• Is the number rounded? How does that generalization affect your understanding? 
• In what ways can data, especially charts or graphs, be misleading?
• What factors would make you more likely to trust data or statistics?
• How do statistics, or your perception of statistics, change when you compare them to a statistical benchmark? For example, the number of deaths from a particular cause in a year may seem like a lot until you compare it to the total number of deaths.

Webinars

For professional development on data literacy topics, check out the 4T Virtual Conference on Data Literacy. Sessions are archived and viewable online. 2016 webinar topics range from a two-part data literacy introduction to types of charts and graphs and infographics instruction. This web conference is from the two-year project, called Supporting Librarians in Adding Data Literacy Skills to Information Literacy Instruction, which is aimed at high school librarians but offers tips and skills applicable to both higher education and K-12.