Queens Library
Written by tstanton on Wed, 03/02/2016 – 12:42
In response to frequent- sometimes confidential- requests for accurate and timely information about the availability and location of social services and other resources, Queens Library created Where in Queens (whereinqueens.org). Whereinqueens.org, is designed for phone and tablet use by our customers, many of whom have limited education and resources: it uses their location to provide them with critical information about a variety of services e.g. address, hours of operation, cost.
Unfortunately, after the initial uploading of information, we have not had the resources to expand or update the listings; a time consuming and arduous task. In the absence of a more comprehensive repository for this information- borough – or city – wide, Queens Library wants to build out Where in Queens to be Where in NYC covering the many levels of resources throughout the city and integrate listings from other sites which have pieces of this information, in a wholesale manner.
We need someone to help us develop the means for previously-isolated resource directory database administrators to collaborate in the sharing of this critical public information: Using Open Referral’s ‘Human Service Data Specification’ (HSDS) which provides a common vocabulary for information about services, so that resource data can be published once and used simultaneously by different data bases.
By using the Open Referral Model, public library systems in NYC could build and maintain one resource directory together, thus improving the quality of the information and reducing maintenance costs. In creating a central database, and making the data openly available, the libraries can enable innovation in ways of providing access by providing a trusted resource for librarians, technologists, and social service agencies around the city to use in their own projects.
A Metro Fellow would serve as leader for this project:
- Perform an as-is analysis of existing infrastructure, a needs assessment of library stakeholders, and generate technical specifications for actionable projects.
- Serve as Liaison internally among library stakeholders, externally with civic technologists in NYC (such as BetaNYC and the Civic Hall Open211 initiative) and with the Open Referral network itself.
- Coordinate activities and facilitate learning and deliberation
- Establish relationships to collaborate on data sharing and entry
- Facilitate setting up a shared database