The Inform Ontario Data Partner’s Style Guide

Presentation to IO SymposiumMay 2008

IO Style Guide Task Group of IO Standards Committee

History – InformOntario Standards and Accreditation

IO standards date back to the 1980s During the Online Ontario years, IO had

staff and an office IO Accreditation was introduced in the 90s AIRS adapted their standards on those

developed by IO 211 – Information Resources Working

Group

Standard’s Committee - History cont…

2007 3 outstanding areas were identified1. Naming Authority - French2. Style Guide - bilingual3. Data Sharing Process - guidelines

regarding duplication (de-duping), coding, shared fields

Standard’s Committee - History cont…

IO board voted to adopt the new standards to ensure a process of regular updating after the 211Ontario project ends.

work commenced in May 2007; Naming Authority document was approved by the board in October 2007

InformOntario - Style Guide History

OnlineOntario project included a style guide which was an IO standard.

in the late 90s centres began to move away from Online Ontario software to web based software

CIOC field help AIRS style guide released in March 2007 AIRS standards require the use of a style

guide, not the use of a specific style guide.

Benefits of the AIRS Style Guide

clear outline of quality expectations reality of staff issues practical suggestions to database

editing issues credibility of data

Principles of AIRS Style Guide

1. clarity2. accessibility3. ease of training 4. brevity/concision5. naturalness of language6. accuracy 7. consistency8. relevance 9. consensus

need to make 211Ontario.ca and other data sharing projects work

need to create a guide at a more granular level for the sake of data transfer

staffing realities alignment with rest of Canada

The Ontario Issues

Disparity between the AIRS document which is based on the US data structure which consists of Agency, Site, Program and Service site and Ontario structure

Issues cont….

Decision Guidelines

1. What is the definition of the field and its use? 2. Is the field named clearly?3. What content is expected to be put into this

field? 4. Is the field mandatory, recommended or

optional?5. Are decisions clear?6. Do they fit the AIRS standards?7. Can decisions be readily accommodated by both

CIOC and non-CIOC users?8. Has feedback been received?9. Implications for across-Canada system?

Ontario Issues…. consensus

InformOntario needs to strive to use the AIRS guide while making sure that there are clear standards for the Ontario data partners

The Ontario Guide is intended to build on the work done by AIRS and CIOC

An Ontario document is needed to be the authority for use for the Ontario data partners endorsed by IO, CIOC, 211 Ontario, Findhelp and other data partners e.g. CCACs

Ontario Issues…. consensus

Whenever possible, the document should be aligned with the AIRS guide.

The Ontario style guide will be based on the data elements used in the CIOC and Findhelp software.

Bringing data together from several different databases results in variations in style and disorganized and confusing data.

Working in French needs to be addressed for 211 Ontario.

211Ontario – Style Problems identified

Bringing the data together has indentified a number of issues that have been addressed in the new document

areas served (new Area Served Coding) located in community (new Location) double indexing descriptions/eligibility organization names

Working in French

introduction on how to work with French records

knowing when to create a French record and to set priorities

designated agencies elements of records that are affected when

working in French elements to be aware of e.g. accents,

feminization of titles, etc. some hints for editing and proofreading

process resources

all examples in the style guide are available in French

the comments box at the bottom of the page indicates specific instructions for working in French and is illustrated by the Franco-O flag

an appendix, glossary and other important tables to facilitate work in French are included (eg. keyboard short-cut for accents, street name equivalents, community names)

Working in French - Examples

Issues identified

Things to keep in mind : general website addresses org names / alt name punctuation / capitalization

accents !!! many differences between French and English (spaces, capital,

etc.) feminization of titles description

biggest issue for those who don’t speak French ; style guide can hardly help

never use automatic translator ask the agency ; ask Findhelp French taxonomy soon available can be used as dictionary for

simple description

list of preferred language CIOC new enhancements will make

it easier to work in French check lists glossary

Work in Progress

The 2008 IO Style Guide Template

Name of Data Element Explanation Examples Issues for

Elements reviewed

Hours www address Legal status (formerly

service level) Public Bulletin

(currently “Public Comments”)

I & R Bulletin (currently “Comments”)

Editors Memo currently “Internal Memo”)

Geography fields Address Notes

(currently site address)

Intersection Location (currently

“located in community

Areas Served (currently “Boundaries”)

Area Served Coding (currently “Areas Served”)

Elements reviewed cont’d.

Exec and Contact Name Title Organization Phone Fax Email

Work still in progress

remaining mandatory elements optional elements appendices including spelling and

usage guide

Implementation of the style guide

need for changes to CIOC & Findhelp software

ensure consistency during updates changing field display names funding? time frame?

John Allec, Christine Berry, Laura McDonald (IO Board)

Julia Brackenbury, Corinne Gallois, Susan Starkman. (Findhelp)

Anne Driscoll (New Brunswick) Sean McCorkell (211 Windsor)

Style Guide Task Group 2007-2008

Style Guide Task Force

Thank You