Budget cuts reconfigure Database Library staff

IRE training director Jaimi Dowdell and NICAR academic adviser David Herzog have assumed responsibilities for the IRE and NICAR Database Library.

Like many companies and nonprofits, IRE has seen a drop in revenue this year. As a result, we were forced to cut expenses. As part of that reduction, we eliminated funding for the Database Library director position. We’ll miss the contributions of Jeremy Milarsky, who held the position since early last year.

With Jaimi and David—both of whom have extensive experience in data analysis—we will continue to offer the services IRE members have come to depend on: ready-to-use versions of federal databases and customized data analysis for news stories. You can contact the database library at 573-884-7711.

Before joining IRE, Jaimi was computer-assisted reporting editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for more than three years. Her duties included obtaining and analyzing data for daily and long-term stories; training staff on CAR and investigative techniques; and maintaining the newspaper’s online data center. In addition to her work at the Post-Dispatch, she taught a CAR course for Washington University in St. Louis. Previously she worked at IRE and NICAR in the Database Library and Resource Center while completing her master’s degree at the University of Missouri. Contact Jaimi Dowdell: jaimi@ire.org; 314-772-3985 or 314-402-3281

David is an associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, where he has taught CAR since 2002. He serves as the academic adviser to NICAR and is managing editor of Uplink, the institute's newsletter. He is also the author of "Mapping the News: Case Studies in GIS and Journalism." He has been an investigative reporter for The Providence Journal in Rhode Island and the computer-assisted reporting editor at The Morning Call in Allentown, Pa.
Contact David Herzog: dherzog@ire.org, 573-882-2127