101-Communicating Data to Inform Decisions
101 Skills
Individuals at the 101 Level have the following skills:
- Telling a story with data
- Familiarity with terminology
- Conducting a Project Outcome immediate survey
- Able to read various graphs and results
- Using simple survey tools
- Researching community demographics & using Census data
- Designing evaluation as part of service planning & design
- Identifying/using metrics to measure achievement of strategic goals
Telling a story with data
Six Principles of Communicating Data: A Checklist
Data Remixed: Six Principles of Communicating Data: A Checklist
This resource is a checklist of six components that are helpful when presenting or communicating data.
Put it Simply: Tools for Communicating Library Collections Data
Purdue e-Pubs: Put it Simply: Tools for Communicating Library Collections Data
This article provides an overview of data visualization tools (Microsoft Exel, Google spreadsheets and Tableau) that may be used to communicate data about library collections and expenses.
Familiarity with terminology
What is a KPI, Metric or Measure?
Klipfolio: What is a KPI, Metric or Measure?
In this article, the difference between commonly used terms to describe performance measurement are explained which may be helpful.
Performance Measurement Definitions
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs: Performance Measurement Definitions
This document is a useful resource as it defines performance measurement terms and words that are often used in data collection and analysis.
Conducting a Project Outcome immediate survey
Public Library Association: Performance Measurement
Project Outcome, an initiative of the Public Library Association, is a free toolkit that can be used for libraries to conduct surveys to measure and analyze outcomes.
Able to read various graphs and results
Virtual Math Lab: Beginning Algebra: Reading Graphs
This resource is a guide that explains how to read bar, graph, double line graphs and Venn diagrams.
Using simple survey tools
Top 21 Best Online Survey Software and Questionnaire Tools: An Overview
Mopinion: Top 21 Best Online Survey Software and Questionnaire Tools: An Overview
This list is a helpful resource as it provides the top 21 survey software products including ones that are free and others that are available for a fee.
7 Best Survey Tools: Create Awesome Surveys for Free
Wordstream Blog: 7 Best Survey Tools: Create Awesome Surveys for Free!
This list contains the names of seven online survey tools and details the specifications that the free version of the survey tools offer in comparison to their paid version.
Researching community demographics & using Census data
American Fact Finder
United States Census Bureau: American Fact Finder
On the Community Facts finder web page of the US Census website, librarians can obtain data about the demographics of their communities.
Designing evaluation as part of service planning & design
Evaluation Resources
This resources contains planning tools, evaluation definitions, methodologies and case examples of good evaluation practices.
Identifying/using metrics to measure achievement of strategic goals
Using Key Performance Indicators to Measure Library Performance
Library Connect: Using Key Performance Indicators to Measure Library Performance
This article calls for libraries to use critical success factors (or the areas in which a business or an organization’s performance must be satisfactory in order for it perform well) rather than KPI.
Measure, Assess, Improve, Repeat: Using Library Performance Metrics
These slides come from two webinar presentations that were delivered about performance measurements in libraries. It also provides an overview of different types of survey software that are available for institutions to use to assess performance.