The Numeracy Gap in Information Sciences
Because I studied statistics for my undergraduate degree, I have for years maintained a strong interest in the topic of statistical literacy. This is not just because I think it is important for people in general to be able to make sense of numbers and data, which is of course true, but also because I believe the information professions increasingly demand some degree of proficiency in this area. Information sciences as a field diverged a while ago from pure librarian work, and graduate degree holders in LIS now go on to pursue a host of professions, many of them concerned directly with data. That does not mean that MLIS/MSIS programs need to turn into data analyst or data scientist training programs, but it does mean that these programs should adjust their curricula to account for the growing relevance of data work in the information professions.
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