Scholar Info

Ayoung Yoon

Library and Information Science
ude[dot]ui[at]nooyya

Project 1. Rural library social services; Project 2. Community Open Data Engagement

Project 1. Rural Library Social Service This research translates directly into practice by developing and testing a prototype social service model for rural libraries based on empirical evidence gathered from rural communities and library practitioners. The project is evidence-based in that the prototype will be informed by multi-phase studies, including surveys, interviews, and environmental scans, designed to identify rural communities’ psychosocial needs and document current library practices. Data collection and iterative feedback from partner libraries ensure that the resulting model reflects real-world conditions and validated needs. The project is also interdisciplinary, integrating perspectives and methods from Library and Information Science (LIS) and Social Work to address complex community challenges such as health access, unemployment, and poverty, issues that increasingly intersect with the mission of public libraries. Finally, the work is goal-oriented toward improving everyday life, as it produces a practical, adaptable framework that rural libraries can use to deliver social services and connect residents with essential support systems. By strengthening libraries’ capacity to respond to community needs, the project advances both library practice and social service delivery in underserved rural contexts. Project 2. Community Open Data Engagement This research translates into practice through the development, implementation, and validation of the Model for Community Open Data Engagement (mCODE), a practical framework designed to help public libraries build capacity for community data services. The project is evidence-based, drawing on multi-phase empirical studies including interviews with community data stakeholders, surveys of library users, case studies, and implementation testing across multiple public libraries to identify real community needs and effective service strategies. The work is also interdisciplinary, integrating perspectives from Library and Information Science, data science, civic technology, and community engagement to address how libraries can support data access, literacy, and civic participation. Finally, the research is goal-oriented toward improving everyday life by equipping libraries, trusted community institutions, with a replicable model that enables residents to access, interpret, and use data to address local challenges such as housing, health, and economic development. By transforming research findings into a scalable service model and testing it in real-world library contexts, this work demonstrates how scholarship can directly inform professional practice and strengthen community capacity for data-informed decision-making.