Visualizing Library Data

Bohyun Kim

Associate Director for Library Applications/Knowledge Systems

University of Maryland, Baltimore

@bohyunkim

Code4Lib 2016 Conference

Data for ___?

• Data for proving the usage of library collections & services: A vanity dashboard demonstrating the library’s value

OR

• Data for better decision-making: A decision-making tool

Perennial Questions

• What data do we have?

• What does the data tell us?

We Decided to Build a Prototype!

• “LibStats” project

• A small team of two people

• We inventoried all data sources programmable through connecting to either a backend db or a vendor-provided API

• Then we made a lot of charts and graphs. (PHP + Google Charts Library)

• Then we showed them to the senior administration.

Data Sources

• ClickyStats(home-grown reference service tracking system)

• Workshop teaching statistics (home-grown teaching activities tracking system)

• Aleph (ILS)• ILLiad (Interlibrary loan)• EDS (Counter data)• Google Analytics (for our websites)• Youtube (Instrucitonal videos)• LibGuides, LibAnswers, LibCal• And more…

Some Examples

Info Desk Services Stats throughout the week

Library website views throughout the week

People do not use combined search

Library Workshops – Registrants and Sessions

Users from which school signed up for library workshops?

Discovery layer-EDS

E-books users want but we don’t have

Databases that need more user seats

Which school borrows most articles through our ILL service?

Which other library borrows most articles from our library?

On which day of the week do people return most library books?

Is This Useful Enough? Remaining Questions.

• What question did you expect to find answers for using the library data?

• Some observations are useful.

• But better to know what questions you are looking to answer in advance.

• What questions are you looking to answer?