Case Study: “Open Data for the Crowd: An Account of Citizen Science at ETH Library”
The following case study was recently published by LIBER Quarterly published by LIBER (Association of European Research Libraries).
Title
Open Data for the Crowd: An Account of Citizen Science at ETH Library
Author
ETH Zurich
Source
LIBER Quarterly, 29(1)
DOI: 10.18352/lq.10294
Abstract
This paper gives an account of ETH Library’s combined strategy of implementing an open data policy and using crowdsourcing to improve metadata. Both activities go hand in hand and promote each other. ETH Library’s Image Archive was the first unit to provide content for free download in high resolution. This paved the way for a very successful crowdsourcing campaign during which citizen scientists located places, dated photographs, and identified people and artefacts. This positive experience led to further crowdsourcing activities in other ETH Library units. Important conditions for success apart from the open data policy were conscious community management by social media channels and promoting competition within a gamification approach.
Direct to Full Text Article
Filed under: Academic Libraries, Data Files, Journal Articles, Libraries, Management and Leadership, News
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
ADVERTISEMENT
Archives
ADVERTISEMENT