“A “Celebration of Data” was held at Milne on Wednesday, April 24 [2013], to mark the grand opening of the new Census and Data Room, located on the Library’s upper level. Organizers are quick to point out that the Census and Data Room is much more than just a space dedicated to the pursuit and use of census and business data. It’s the combination of resources and tools to be discovered (lots of it digital); exciting possibilities for creating new knowledge; and expert help available from library staff, especially Business and Data Librarian Justina Elmore.
The purpose of the census and data collection is to provide students and other researchers in the social sciences, business, and economics easy access to a variety of data and to provide area entrepreneurs and small businesses access to economic data for market research. Users will find demographic and economic data from published censuses and surveys, publicly-accessible health and education datasets, plus access to GIS software via the Geneseo Virtual Computer Lab including ESRI ArcGIS, Minitab, and SPSS.
The grand opening celebration was just the beginning of what Milne hopes will be an ongoing conversation about building a collection that local researchers (students, faculty, and business community) really need. Feedback is always welcome, so that the collection can grow and be tailored to truly meet the needs of its users.”
— Milne Library Infobits Newsletter, Spring 2013