Look for the Helpers: Appreciating the DSTL Students

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 When Mr. Rogers was just a boy named Fred, his mother advised him, in times of trouble, that he should "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." He repeated that wisdom often. Our research team has been very fortunate to have seen some remarkable helpers over the past four years.

This post is dedicated to all of the students who have helped to build the The Data Storytelling Toolkit for Libraries (DSTL). The DSTL will continue, despite funding uncertainties (see below), but the work will necessarily have to take new forms. So it's a perfect time to pause and say thank you to the helpers, specifically the student workers and practicum participants from 2021-2025. On behalf of co-PIs Matt Turk and Jill Naiman, collaborators Sara Goek from the Public Library Association and Martha Kyrillidou of Quality Metrics LLC, and myself, we wish to give our heartfelt thanks to all of the following students:

Research Assistants: 

  • Xinhui Hu (2021-25) 
  • Tali Zacks (2024-25)
  • Haley Shepherd (2025)

Student Research Opportunities and Independent Studies: 

  • Fall 2022: Rafi Gil Diaz, Jiho Park
  • Spring 2023: Jess Rogovin, Shushama Shankar
  • Fall 2023: Xiao Zeng, Lalitha Jaligama, Will Neff, Yuhan Wei, Kirti Tyagi, Iishi Patel
  • Fall 2024: Alexis Cruz, Jessica Durham
  • Spring 2025: Sara Klein, Urvi Chaubal, Isabel Braico, Abraham Frank, Mads Christiansen, Cristina Ligon

These students researched, built, tested, and edited multiple iterations to help make the DSTL what it is today. The project would not be the same without these teams as well as the over 100 librarians who participated in design workshops and the almost 1000 attendees at recent webinars and workshops.

And there will be more to come! There will be another free online webinar/workshop to announce the launch of my new book coming out in fall 2025 from ALA Editions, Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries: Crafting Ethical Narratives for Advocacy and Impact, which is a new title in the Critical Cultural Information series edited by Dr. Nicole Cooke. 



The Data Storytelling Toolkit for Libraries (DSTL) project continues even though its funding through the IMLS has been fundamentally destabilized. The DSTL grant was required to be reinstated within 7 days as of a May 20 ruling, and was reinstated May 30, but not all IMLS staff are back in the office. Planning remains difficult, as new news arrives frequently regarding ongoing debates about the legality of grant termination. Unfortunately, the IMLS may still be completely defunded in the upcoming federal budget, which would take effect as of October 1. Although the form may evolve, the vision of empowering library workers as data storytellers, for their libraries and communities, will continue.

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