Are you "Data Driven?"

OK--I will tell you upfront, this is not going to be a discussion of how libraries need to be data driven. It was inspired by this post by Carl Anderson, the Techno Constructivist. What he says is true. We all make "data-driven" decisions all the time, it's just that sometimes we use data that no one has considered, or we make what would be thought of as the wrong decisions based on the data available. (Check out the picture of the guy in shorts in the snow--hey, they were clean!) Now, I am not saying that we should throw away the notion of data-driven decision making or programs or whatever, I am just saying--consider what data you will be using to help you make those decisions, plan those programs, etc. make sure that the data you use really matters, and that is not just some numbers you found that support whatever it is you want to do. Some would argue that states are making data driven decisions by closing school libraries. The data they are looking at is budget numbers and teaching staff. You can say, "but student test scores are better in schools with strong library programs" until you are blue in the face, but the bottom line is still some pretty hefty data. It might even trump test scores, especially when the gain, though statistically significant, is not, as we all know, huge. Perhaps we need to be gathering some other, more meaningful datasets to campaign for school libraries. Just some things to think about on a Monday.