This document discusses the importance of libraries using data and metrics to inform decision making and communicate their value. It notes that while librarians are good at collecting statistics, they often lack the ability or willingness to analyze, interpret, and apply the data. Without using data to take action or inform strategies, it has little value beyond justifying budgets. The document provides examples of how libraries can select peer institutions for benchmarking, analyze trends over time, and use multiple data sets to understand user needs and behaviors. It emphasizes telling "stories" combined with data ("Stories + Stats") to communicate effectively with stakeholders.

1. Library Intelligence: Influencing
Your Future with Evidence
Joe Matthews
June 30, 2013
Sponsored by

2. What are librarians worried about?
• Sustaining Relevance
• Balancing print, electronic resources and new services
• E-Learning and Distance Education challenges
• Justifying growth and projects – Measures not Stats
• Understanding mutating usage patterns
• Building sustaining community partnerships
• Building for the future and not repairing the present
• Productivity and shifting staff resources
• Budgets and Fundraising

3. Undoubtedly librarians are great
compilers of statistical data, but
exhibit poor abilities in its
interpretation, manipulation or use.
Geoffrey Allen

4. We (librarians) have far too much
experience with and affinity for the
safe activity of data gathering,
but far too little experience
with the risks of using it.
Jamene Brooks-Kieffer

5. Libraries in many cases are collecting
data without really having the will,
organizational capacity,
or interest to interpret and use the
data effectively in library planning.
Denise Troll Covey

6. Remember
Often, stakeholders prefer
simple proof that
X is bigger
(and therefore better)
than Y.

7. Fundamental Question
If data is important
enough to gather,
why is it not
important enough to use?

8. Data is not a threat to
the status quo
until it is allowed
to inform some action.

9. Why we use performance measures?
Monitor our
progress
Inform our
strategies
Contribute to our
profession

10. Purpose of Library Intelligence

11. Library Intelligence
The collection, analysis, and synthesis
of data
Time devoted to reflection
and development of insight
Willingness and ability
to change

12. Timeframe

14. Reasons for Analysis
• Budget justification
• Benchmarking with peers
– How are we doing?
– Do we need to reduce costs?
• Demonstrating stewardship
• Demonstrating value
• Advocacy
• Understanding our users/non-users
• Balancing print, eResources
• Productivity of staff
• Understanding use of the collections
• Understanding use of our services

15. What is a peer?
• Official or Comparison
• Aspirational
• Make you look ….

16. Comparison
Your
Institution
Aspirational

17. Pepperdine University Peers
University-Wide University Library
Baylor University Calvin College
George Washington University Claremont McKenna College
Loyola Marymount University Occidental College
Santa Clara University Santa Clara University
Southern Methodist University Rice University
Syracuse University Wake Forest University

18. Conclusion
• Selecting peers is an inexact science
• Data measures past performance,
not future needs
• Peers can be found using different definitions

19. Trends

20. Process Improvement

21. Voice of the Customer

22. Productivity Improvements

23. Customer “Quotes” + Data

24. Use Multiple Data Sets

25. Benefits of …. Metrics
• Immediate access to a breadth of data
• Track trends over time
• Superior report creation capabilities
• Provides support for library funding requests
• Flexibility in combining data to meet needs
• Eliminate data silos – one interface to learn
• Saves staff time and money
• Just in time answers to questions

26. Examples

29. Support budget preparation
by placing the MCPL budget into
perspective with comparative data
Putting MCPL numbers in context
with other libraries helps the
community understand what the data means

31. Justify budget to the City Council.
Requesting an increase in the
overall budget & materials budget
by comparing to benchmarked libraries

32. Compare MCL to 10 peer libraries
10 libraries from around the nation
that are identified as leaders in
public library service.
We track a wide variety of measures
using PLAMetrics

33. Used comparative data
for nearby libraries
in order to better understand
the demand for services
as the library engaged in a
renovation project

34. University of West Florida
Annual Comparisons
Measure Peer Review Comparison to Avg
Services
Total circulation/FTE Highest of 8 Above
Reference transactions/FTE Highest of 8 Above
ILL loaned/FTE 3 of 8 Above
ILL borrowed/FTE 5 of 8 Below
Ratio of loaned:borrowed 3 of 8 Above
Collections
Volumes held/FTE Highest of 8 Above
Titles held/FTE 2 of 8 Above
Journal subscriptions/FTE 5 of 8 Below

35. Measures Peer Rank Comparison to Avg.
Expenditures
Total expenditures/FTE Highest of 8 Above
Total resource expend/FTE 6 of 8 Below
Monograph expenditures/FTE 7 of 8 Below
Journal expenditures/FTE 4 of 8 Above
Total eResource expend/FTE 5 of 8 Below
Other expenditures/FTE Tied for last Below
Total staff expenditures/FTE 4 of 8 Below
Salaries of prof staff/FTE 6 of 8 Below
Annual Comparisons

36. Measures Peer Group Comparison to Avg
Staffing
Total staff in FTE 6 of 8 Below
Professional staff in FTE 6 of 8 Below
Support staff in FTE 2 of 8 Above
Student assistants in FTE 5 of 8 Above
% prof staff to total staff 8 of 8 Below
% support staff to total staff 1 of 8 Above
% student assistants to total staff 6 of 8 Below
Annual Comparisons

42. How do eResources
impact research productivity?
Used ACRLMetrics to prepare a
trend report (2005 – 2010) comparing
40 variables for 300 institutions
in 2-3 hours

44. Benefits of LibPAS
• Consolidate the number of separate data silos
• Improve staff productivity
• Reduce operating costs
• Fingertip access to meaningful data
• Ability to retain library processes
• Simplified report preparation –easily change
formats and graph displays

45. Benefits of LibSAT
• Provide customers the opportunity to express
their satisfaction (or lack thereof)
• Quantitative plus qualitative (text in response to
open-ended questions)
• Direct quotes of customers
• Immediate customer feedback allows the library
to take corrective action
• Compare satisfaction with other libraries
• Identify trends
• MAPHAT
• Set operational priorities – Opportunity Index

52. • Formulate a question
• Find the evidence
• Appraise the evidence
• Apply the evidence
• Evaluate the results
The Intelligent Library

53. The Intelligent Library
– Improved support for “Customer” Understanding
– Encourages informed, data-driven decisions
– Provides data to support the Stories
– Closer alignment of library services to the customer
– “Board Ready” output for effective presentations
(the power of persuasion!)
– Finger-tip access to management level data for deep
collection use analysis
– Supports strategic development of your institution’s
mission

54. Communicating with Stakeholders

58. Stories + Stats =

60. We (librarians) have far too much
experience with and affinity for the
safe activity of data gathering,
but far too little experience
with the risks of using it.
Jamene Brooks-Kieffer

61. Libraries in many cases are collecting
data without really having the will,
organizational capacity, or
interest to interpret and use the
data effectively in library planning.
Denise Troll Covey

62. Discussion