"Data" are not the same as "information"

A recent blog post by Steven B. Levy on "Slaw," the Canadian weblog, resonated with me, as I work on compiling my library's annual ABA statistics. Levy makes the often-ignored point that "data" without context are not the equivalent of "information." He talks about metrics and the validity (or lack thereof) of their use in organizational decision-making. He concludes the post by describing a format for status reports called "3 x 3" ("three by three") which consists of three sets of up to three bullets points each:
* What I/we did since the last 3×3
* What I/we will do before the next 3×3
* Issues I/we need help with or want to raise an alert on

You can read the original blog post on Slaw at: http://www.slaw.ca/2010/08/26/the-disappointment-of-data/.