The advent of Big Data is radically changing academic research. The amount and variety of information produced and exchanged today, and the speed at which that information travels, are unprecedented. Vast financial and population data sets, multi-layered geospatial data, and high-definition satellite imagery are the raw materials of research in disciplines from the humanities to public policy to environmental science.

The eDesiderata Forum, a virtual event, will survey the landscape of large databases, datasets, and other major electronic resources with an eye toward shaping CRL and NERL licensing agendas, and informing investment decisions at CRL and NERL libraries. The Forum will focus on commercial and open access data in four areas: finance, public opinion, population, and geospatial information. In a web conference format, specialists in each field will discuss the major data types and sources, and shed light on problematic trends like the commercialization of public data, the bundling of data and analytic services, and the growing data "access gap" between social science and business researchers.

Pre-Forum Community Input

We invite representatives of member institutions to help CRL identify important big data" resources of interest to their communities, by sharing their ideas on eDesiderata.

Pre-Forum Community Input Guidelines

Forum Agenda

Downloadable agenda copy

Session I ~ 12:00 Noon-1:00 p.m. CT

Business and Financial Data

• Moderator: Cynthia Cronin-Kardon, Business Reference and Resource Development Librarian, Lippincott Library at Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
• Panelists:
  - Hilary Craiglow, Director, Walker Management Library, Vanderbilt University
  - Alex Caracuzzo, Collections and Data Management Librarian, Harvard Business School Baker Library
  - Barbara Esty, Senior Information Research Specialist, Harvard Business School

Session II ~ 1:00-2:00 p.m. CT

Public Opinion and Population Data

• Moderator: Annelise Sklar, Social Sciences Collections Coordinator, University of California, San Diego Library
• Panelists:
  - Catherine Morse, Government Information, Law and Political Science Librarian, Stephen S. Clark Library, University of Michigan
  - Lara Cleveland, co-Principal Investigator for Integrated Public Use Microdata Series-International and Project Manager for the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota
  -Karen Hogenboom, Associate Professor of Library Administration, Scholarly Commons Librarian and Head of Scholarly Commons, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Session III ~ 2:00-3:00 p.m. CT

Geospatial Data

• Moderator: Bernard Reilly, President, Center for Research Libraries
• Panelists:
  - Amber Leahey, Data and Geospatial Librarian, Scholars Portal, Ontario Council of University Libraries
  - John Faundeen, Archivist, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
  - Julie Sweetkind-Singer, Assistant Director of Geospatial and Cartographic Services, Head of Branner Earth Science Map Library & Map Collections, Stanford University 

Wrap-up and Outlook ~ 3:00-3:15 p.m. CT

This is the first in a series of annual forums designed to bring expert knowledge and insight to bear on the challenges of providing access to major databases, datasets and data services for scholarly research. The forums will explore community interest in commercial and open access data sources, illuminate market practices and economics, and identify priorities for CRL and NERL licensing on behalf of member libraries.

Participation is limited to librarians, staff, and faculty at CRL member institutions. To facilitate real-time participation and discussion by registrants, only limited recorded information will be accessible at a later time. Registrants may join the sessions at any time during the Forum.

CRL brokers the terms of purchase and licensing agreements for member libraries with publishers of hundreds of electronic databases, providing critical reviews of major databases in the eDesiderata platform.