This guide is designed primarily for the use of PALNI member library staff working in the areas of analytics and reporting. Other users of WMS are welcome to access and use our help guides for working in their own instances of WMS.
Analytics and Reporting Advisory Group watercoolers are hosted on the second Tuesday of each month.
All interested staff are welcome! Sessions are 10-11 a.m. on Zoom. Topics and meeting links available on the PALNI Community.
PALNI's Analytics & Reporting LibGuide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. PALNI’s logos and branding template are not covered by this license, and all rights to such material are reserved.
Managing with Data by Both the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the Public Library Association (PLA) provide important data services. For library managers and administrators, the key to the data's usefulness is knowing how to extract and apply the most relevant information to managing a library and improving accountability. A companion volume to the authors' earlier book Getting Started with Evaluation, this guide illustrates how to use the data to support value, collection use, benchmarking, and other best practices. This important resource * Identifies key metrics in ACRLMetrics and PLAmetrics * Demonstrates how to perform techniques for developing and using metrics * Offers exercises that illustrate how to produce meaningful metrics and reports, accessible via a free web portal * Shows how to move towards outcomes assessments while simultaneously embracing value * Includes numerous examples to guide readers screen by screen through the data services' web interfaces
Data Management for Libraries by 
Say It with Data by Administrators, policy makers, legislators, and the public demand concrete, measurable evidence of the need for libraries and their use. The collection and dissemination of data about library service in a straightforward, convincing manner are integral components of library advocacy in the current economic climate. Addressing frontline librarians lobbying for increased programming or staff, as well as adminstrators marshalling statistics to stem the tide of budget cuts and prevent library closure, this vital new book explores the whys and hows of using data to build a better picture of library needs and success. With a distinctive combination of research-based information and practical application, Dando *Demonstrates how data from surveys, focus groups, ALA, and state and local sources can be aggregated and used to craft a strong message *Takes readers step by step through the process of using data to tailor a message to specific audiences *Offers real-world examples from school and public libraries that can be used as models Addressing the requirements of a variety of stakeholders, this concise resource lays out an easy-to-follow, systematic way of inspiring action through clear, compelling data.
Library Improvement Through Data Analytics by -Show me your data - More than ever, funding agencies are looking for cost effectiveness. Sound data analytics is the foundation for making an evidence-based case for library programs, in addition to guiding myriad organizational decisions, from optimizing operations for efficiency to responding to community needs for customer satisfaction. Designed to be useful for novices as well as those with a background in data, this book introduces the basics of the Six Sigma framework as a model that can be applied to a variety of library settings. Helping readers make sense of data, this guide for system based, data-driven management covers such key topics as the basics of statistical concepts; recommended data sources for various library functions and processes, and guidance for using census, university, or chamber of commerce data in analysis; techniques for cleaning data; matching data to appropriate data analysis methods; how to make descriptive statistics more powerful by spotlighting relationships; 14 case studies which address such areas as digitization, e-book collection development, and reference; and staffing, facilities, and instruction. This book's clear, concise coverage will enable readers of every experience level to gain a better understanding of statistics in order to facilitate library improvement.
Data Visualization by Data Visualization: A Guide to Visual Storytelling for Libraries is a practical guide to the skills and tools needed to create beautiful and meaningful visual stories through data visualization. Learn how to sift through complex datasets to better understand a variety of metrics, such as trends in user behavior and electronic resource usage, return on investment (ROI) and impact metrics, and data about library collections and repositories. Sections include: - Identifying and interpreting datasets for visualization - Tools and technologies for creating meaningful visualizations - Case studies in data visualization and dashboards Data Visualization also features a 20-page color insert showcasing a wide variety of visualizations generated using an array of data visualization technologies and programming languages that can serve as inspiration for creating your own visualizations. Understanding and communicating trends from your organization's data is essential. Whether you are looking to make more informed decisions by visualizing organizational data, or to tell the story of your library's impact on your community, this book will give you the tools to make it happen.
The Big Book of Dashboards by The definitive reference book with real-world solutions you won't find anywhere else The Big Book of Dashboards presents a comprehensive reference for those tasked with building or overseeing the development of business dashboards. Comprising dozens of examples that address different industries and departments (healthcare, transportation, finance, human resources, marketing, customer service, sports, etc.) and different platforms (print, desktop, tablet, smartphone, and conference room display) The Big Book of Dashboards is the only book that matches great dashboards with real-world business scenarios. By organizing the book based on these scenarios and offering practical and effective visualization examples, The Big Book of Dashboards will be the trusted resource that you open when you need to build an effective business dashboard. In addition to the scenarios there's an entire section of the book that is devoted to addressing many practical and psychological factors you will encounter in your work. It's great to have theory and evidenced-based research at your disposal, but what will you do when somebody asks you to make your dashboard 'cooler' by adding packed bubbles and donut charts? The expert authors have a combined 30-plus years of hands-on experience helping people in hundreds of organizations build effective visualizations. They have fought many 'best practices' battles and having endured bring an uncommon empathy to help you, the reader of this book, survive and thrive in the data visualization world. A well-designed dashboard can point out risks, opportunities, and more; but common challenges and misconceptions can make your dashboard useless at best, and misleading at worst. The Big Book of Dashboards gives you the tools, guidance, and models you need to produce great dashboards that inform, enlighten, and engage. (available in eBook Central)
Presenting Data Effectively by Now in striking full color, the Second Edition shows readers how to make the research results presented in reports, slideshows, dashboards, posters, and data visualizations more interesting, engaging, and impactful. The book guides students, researchers, evaluators, entrepreneurs, and non-profit workers--anyone reporting data to an outside audience--through design choices in four primary areas: graphics, text, color, and arrangement. The Second Edition features an improved layout with larger screenshots, a review of the recent literature on data visualization, and input from a panel of graphic design experts. Watch Stephanie D. H. Evergreen's latest webinar on tips to make your data presentations successful!
Effective Data Visualization by Students and researchers across the social sciences
Academic Library Value by 
Performance Measurement and Performance Indicators in Libraries by Libraries and Key Performance Indicators: A Framework for Practitioners explores ways by which libraries across all sectors can demonstrate their value and impact to stakeholders through quality assurance and performance measurement platforms, including library assessment, evaluation methodologies, surveys, and annual reporting. Whilst several different performance measurement tools are considered, the book's main focus is on one tool in particular: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). KPIs are increasingly being used to measure the performance of library and information services, however, linking KPIs to quality outcomes, such as impact and value can prove very difficult. This book discusses, in detail, the concept of KPIs in the broader context of library assessment and performance measurement. Through reviewing some of the applied theory around using KPIs, along with harvesting examples of current best practices in KPI usage from a variety of different libraries, the book demystifies library KPIs, providing a toolkit for any library to be used in setting meaningful KPIs against targets, charters, service standards, and quality outcomes.