Adding about page

_config.yml

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 title: Library data storytelling
-author: Libraries Hacked
+author: Data storytellers
 email: [email protected]
 description: Telling stories with library data
 url: "https://www.librarystorytelling.net"
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ plugins:
   - jekyll-feed
 
 moving:
-  about_you: Libraries Hacked is a project to promote open data, to help libraries publish their data, and to showcase projects using library data.
+  about_you: Library data storytelling is a project to promote and celebrate libraries by using library data to tell compelling stories
   avatar_url:
   date_format: "%b %-d, %Y"
   back_to: "Index"

about.md

@@ -2,4 +2,58 @@
 layout: about
 ---
 
-About information for library data storytelling
+Essential information and terms of reference for the Library data storytelling project. All content is published under a [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
+
+## Who is this for?
+
+The project is aimed at library staff, library supporters, organisations (e.g. bibliographic data or software suppliers), and anyone who is interested in telling stories about libraries using data.
+
+## Who runs it?
+
+I (Dave Rowe) am a software developer, and have been working in or around the public library sector for the past 10 years. 
+
+During that time I founded [Libraries Hacked](https://librarieshacked.org/), a project to promote open data and digital prototypes for public libraries, and have been involved in [many community projects](https://www.librarieshacked.org/projects/) that have used data to tell stories about libraries.
+
+Library data storytelling is a project that I'm running in my spare time, to help promote the use of data in libraries, and to help library sector workers tell stories about their libraries using data.
+
+## What does a data story look like?
+
+There are many ways to tell a story using data. This site is designed as a blog that would showcase regular stories as posts. Each post would typically include:
+
+1. A title that summarises the story
+2. Some context to the data and how it relates to real activities in the library
+3. Challenges or questions that the data might help to answer
+4. The story that the data told us such as changing use of library services, or the impact of a new service
+5. A beautiful visualisation that helps to tell the story
+6. A conclusion that summarises the story, and how it could be used to inform future decisions
+
+The story should be accessible and engaging, and written for a wide audience. I'll be happy to work with you to help you tell your story in a way that is engaging and informative. I'd be happy to take on it all if you'd prefer but I don't feel that would be as rewarding for the library staff involved.
+
+Alternatively, you may have a fully realised story that you'd like to share, in which case I'd be happy to help you publish it on this site.
+
+## How does it work?
+
+The process of creating a data story is collaborative. It will typically involve the following steps:
+
+1. Initial meeting to discuss the story you want to tell, and ideas for data
+2. Initial preliminary actions, signoff processes, arranging time and people to work on the project
+3. More formal catchups to discuss progress, and to ensure that any work is on track such as extracting data, cleaning data, and creating visualisations
+4. Final presentation of the story, and any follow up actions
+
+## How much time will you need to spend on this?
+
+Time is a precious resource though I believe that doing more varied work with library data will always be productive and rewarding. For anyone contributing a story to this project I'll do my best to ensure that the time any staff spend is well spent and aids in personal and organisational development.
+
+The exact amount of time will depend on the story you want to tell, and the complexity of the data and any processes to get it. I would suggest timeboxing the work, and catching up on a regular basis to ensure people can work at their own pace. For example, meeting once every couple of weeks for a few months.
+
+## Data protection and terms of use
+
+It is always important to consider data protection and privacy when working with data. I believe that in the majority of cases data can be open and accessible, but in doing this libraries can also become more aware of the sensitive and personal data they hold, and how to protect it.
+
+The data used in the examples on this site is either open data, or data that has been anonymised and aggregated to protect the privacy of individuals. If you have any concerns about the data used on this site, please do [get in touch](mailto:[email protected]).
+
+For library services and organisations that would like to work with me in promoting data storytelling, I will never ask for access to personal data, and will always work with you to ensure that the data we use is appropriate and safe. I have experience in working with sensitive data and public data, such as during my time as senior developer at Bath and North East Somerset Council, where I was technical lead in a large scale open data programme across the council.
+
+## How can I get involved?
+
+If you're interested in telling a story about your library using data, please do [get in touch](mailto:[email protected]).