BREAKOUT: KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY: USING DEMOGRAPHIC DATA TO INFORM PLANNING
National census data is important for understanding demographic trends at various levels (e.g., national, state, regional, town) for library planning. This session is for novices and will review Census and ACS data, as well as other national data sets for peer comparison, and emerging market segmentation tools that help provide context for library services. Attendees will complete exercises using the Census and ACS data (American Fact Finder) to reinforce learnings. In addition, a sample of the Gale Analytics on Demand market segmentation custom report will be shared. These reports employ census tract and other locator points (e.g., zip code) to search against library circulation data, census demographics, and community marketing data to develop patron profiles.
Attendees should come with a laptop or other similar device to access the Census website, and bring street address and zip code detail for libraries and library service area information if available.