Data-driven decision making is a key part of the evaluation cycle of libraries — major and minor decisions can be made based on the data that the organization has collected.
- Library Journal: Outcomes, Impacts and Indicators (2015) provides a concise overview of a holistic approach to data, including using outcomes and other data to inform decision making.
- For a good real example of libraries making difficult decisions based on data, explore Urban Library Council’s Fine Free Map. Click on each pin on the map to learn why each library chose to go fine-free; many libraries cite various data as the rationale.