Can Cold, Hard Data

Help Us

Advocate For Libraries?

Patricia A. Wand American University, Washington DC, USA

SIBF ALA Conference Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

11 - 12 November 2015

© Patricia A. Wand

Paper Overview

Information is a Commodity

I Planning for Development

II Correlating Information Centers

& Socio-Economic Development

III Advocacy Action Plan

Part I

Planning for Development –

Where Information Fits

Millennium Development Goals 2000-2015

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2. Achieve universal primary education 3. Promote gender equality and empower

women 4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve maternal health 6. Combat HIV / AIDS, malaria and other

diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. Develop a global partnership for

development

United Nations Development Programme

Sustainable Development Goals 2016-2030

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goals 2 – 16 ……………

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of

implementation and revitalize the global

partnership for sustainable development

United Nations, 25 September 2015

IFLA’s latest SDG information

Report:

“#next4billion – IFLA’s roundup of

the United Nations Summit for the

2030 Agenda” 6 October 2015

http://www.ifla.org/node/9914

Sustainable Development Goals –

IFLA 2016 Focus

Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education

and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive

and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive,

safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for

sustainable development, provide access to justice for

all and build effective, accountable and inclusive

institutions at all levels

Part II

Correlating Information Centers

and

Socio-Economic Development

Data Elements in Study

•Middle East and North Africa

Countries

•Population of each MENA Country

•Number of Information Centers in

each Country

Calculated Metric:

Population divided by

No. of information centers

Metrics in Study

Calculated Metric:

Persons per Information Center

Human Development Index (HDI)

Human Development Index Factors

Life Expectancy Index

Life expectancy at birth

Education Index – 2 factors

Mean years of schooling for those age 25

Expected years of education for those age 5

Income Index

Gross National Income (GNI) with per capita

Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) measured in

US$ as an indicator of standard of living

Comparing

Persons per Information Center

to Human Development Index

PPIC correlated

to HDI

Correlation

Coefficient*

-0.514

Significance

Level

.014

*Based on Pearson’s r

Persons per Information Center vs.

Human Development Index

MENA

countries

with fewer

persons per

information

center have

higher HDI

scores

Yemen

Part III

Advocacy Action Plan

Can cold, hard data help

advocate for libraries?

In an international environment?

YES!

U.N.: “More data needed for

SDG targets”

57.“We recognize that baseline data for

several … targets remains unavailable,

… we call for increased support for

strengthening data collection and

capacity-building…, to develop

national and global baselines…. We

commit to addressing this gap in data

collection … to better inform the

measurement of progress,…” U.N. Sustainable Development Goals Resolution, 25 Sept 2015

Examples of essential data

• Census data – all aspects

• Laws passed by federal and local governments

• Policies guiding government operations

• Local material artifacts and records

• Significant and every-day events become local history

• Publications produced within the country

• Fiction and non-fiction books, poetry and essays by local authors

• Oral histories of residents and local leaders

• Financial reports of corporations doing business in the country

• Market and labor reports of the local economy

IFLA’s Call to action

Libraries are part of

National Development Plans

•Find out if your country is working on a national development plan

•Find out which gov. depts. or ministries are responsible

•Organize meetings

•Take part in open discussions on plans 15 June 2015

What can you say? - #1

U.N.Sustainable Development Goal #16

Target 16.10

“Ensure public access to information

and protect fundamental freedoms, in

accordance with national legislation

and international agreement.”

What can you say? - #2

We now have cold, hard data about

the value of libraries:

In MENA countries, heavier

saturations of information centers

are correlated to higher scores on

the Human Development Index.

What can we do with this data?

Advocate!

Define: To advocate is to persuade,

sell or market an idea

What can you say? - #3

We can strengthen the data we use

for advocating

•Promote accurate and thorough

statistical reporting of cultural and

information centers in your country

Start with simple steps

•Decide on target audiences

•Decide on priority messages

•Write clear messages for each audience

•Practice the message –

Everyone practices saying it

•Choose a brand

•Use the brand in all venues: print, website, social media, meetings, activities

Can Cold, Hard Data

Help Us

Advocate For Libraries?

SIBF ALA Conference

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

11 - 12 November 2015

Contact

Patricia A. Wand patwand@american.edu

www.patwand.info