Market Your School Library Program with Statistics USD #233 Summer Conference Lori Franklin, LMS Olathe East High School

Hate Math? Research studies show that large proportions of librarians tend to come from the education, social studies and language arts fields. 1 Library schools do not typically teach statistics. Current research being published appears in both quantitative and qualitative formats (including hybrid studies). 1 Dilevko, J. (2007). Inferential statistics and librarianship. Library & Information Science Research, 29(2), 209-229.

Research studies show that large proportions of librarians tend to come from the education, social studies and language arts fields. 1

Library schools do not typically teach statistics.

Current research being published appears in both quantitative and qualitative formats (including hybrid studies).

Ever served on BLT? You probably know more about statistics than you realize. Extracting “highlights” from assessment data is one example. Daily, you informally observe many occurrences that can be statistically related to managing the library program.

You probably know more about statistics than you realize.

Extracting “highlights” from assessment data is one example.

Daily, you informally observe many occurrences that can be statistically related to managing the library program.

How about Gateway stats? You check books in and out all year long. Ever wonder if your fiction circulation figures are increasing or decreasing over a span of time? A downward change in these figures might indicate that you need to rethink selection strategies.

You check books in and out all year long.

Ever wonder if your fiction circulation figures are increasing or decreasing over a span of time?

A downward change in these figures might indicate that you need to rethink selection strategies.

Use ** and the appropriate dates P This is a LM 710 report

LM 710 Provides you with powerful data. How can you present it succinctly to your principal, staff members and community members? Excel!

Provides you with powerful data.

How can you present it succinctly to your principal, staff members and community members?

Excel!

You can copy and paste your pie chart into MS Word and Publisher when you are creating an annual report.

Add even more power… Compare your circulation figures across a range of years to determine trends. You may see that Fiction is decreasing and non-fiction is increasing. Do you need to re-examine your fiction selection strategies or pump even more dollars into non-fiction?

Compare your circulation figures across a range of years to determine trends.

You may see that Fiction is decreasing and non-fiction is increasing.

Do you need to re-examine your fiction selection strategies or pump even more dollars into non-fiction?

Note that your data will appear in proper context if you use the earliest year first when creating your Excel workbook… Before building your chart, highlight the data you want to show.

Right click on your chart and choose: Format Chart Area to create a border, change chart colors and make other visual changes for ease of reading.

Visuals powerfully speak…

Did you see the trends? In 2004-2006 circulation of fiction and non-fiction were fairly similar. An upward trend in fiction circulation began in 2005 and has carried through to 2008. This reflects a change in reading requirements for our Language Arts department.

In 2004-2006 circulation of fiction and non-fiction were fairly similar.

An upward trend in fiction circulation began in 2005 and has carried through to 2008.

This reflects a change in reading requirements for our Language Arts department.

Additionally… Non-fiction circulation grew more than fiction circulation during the same time frame. Why? We purchased more non-fiction and used library celebrations, display tactics and word-of-mouth to promote checkout in an effort to reach male students.

Non-fiction circulation grew more than fiction circulation during the same time frame.

Why?

We purchased more non-fiction and used library celebrations, display tactics and word-of-mouth to promote checkout in an effort to reach male students.

Other ways to showcase data… Your budget Show trends in funding Show trends in spending – where are you allocating your dollars? Separate capital outlay spending from the regular library budget line items Tie funding to increased circulation needs!

Your budget

Show trends in funding

Show trends in spending – where are you allocating your dollars?

Separate capital outlay spending from the regular library budget line items

Tie funding to increased circulation needs!

A pie chart is another way to visualize a budget to see where you are spending dollars, such as seeing which piece of the pie is the largest. Here, it is easy to see that a large chunk of the budget has been spent on print and electronic materials. Before building your chart, highlight the data you want to show. Here, because we are using a pie chart, we have highlighted data for one year. Column charts, bar graphs or line charts are a better choice for comparison across years.

What about classes you teach? Keeping statistics on how many class visit occur in your library is a great way to let your principal and faculty learn about how vital your program is for the entire school. If you don’t get the word out, people are not going to know what is happening…

Keeping statistics on how many class visit occur in your library is a great way to let your principal and faculty learn about how vital your program is for the entire school.

If you don’t get the word out, people are not going to know what is happening…

Which is more powerful? “We had a lot of class visits this year.” Concise and specific data showing exactly which faculty are utilizing your facility, and in what ways you are providing support (direct group instruction, one-on-one help, computer usage, booktalks, etc.).

“We had a lot of class visits this year.”

Concise and specific data showing exactly which faculty are utilizing your facility, and in what ways you are providing support (direct group instruction, one-on-one help, computer usage, booktalks, etc.).

Class Visits

Excel Pivot Table also does this… STUD. NATURALIST TAPS WORLD HISTORY WORLD HISTORY TAPS STUD. NATURALIST SPED SPANISH II SOPH ENGLISH SOCIOLOGY SIGN LANGUAGE SCIENCE--PSI SCIENCE--A&P SCIENCE READ 180 QUEST PE MATH INTERNAT'L CULTURES INTERNAT'L ARTS/CUL HEALTH GERMAN GEOGRAPHY FRENCH FASHION ENROLLMET ENGLISH III DRAMA DRAMA DEBATE CP ENGLISH IV COLLEGE READ. CHEMISTRY CAREERS & LIFE PLAN CAREERS CAREER & LIFE PLAN BUSINESS BIOLOGY ART-SCULPTURE ART-PHOTOGRAPHY AP English III AP AMERICAN HIS. AP AMERICAN GOVT. AMERICAN GOVT. AM. GOVT AM HISTORY AM GOVT. ADV. PSYCHOLOGY ACT PLAN ENGLISH III ENROLLMET FASHION FRENCH GEOGRAPHY GERMAN HEALTH INTERNAT'L ARTS/CUL INTERNAT'L CULTURES MATH PE QUEST READ 180 SCIENCE SCIENCE--A&P SCIENCE--PSI SIGN LANGUAGE SOCIOLOGY SOPH ENGLISH SPANISH II SPED STUD. NATURALIST TAPS WORLD HISTORY WORLD HISTORY TAPS STUD. NATURALIST SPED SPANISH II SOPH ENGLISH SOCIOLOGY SIGN LANGUAGE SCIENCE--PSI SCIENCE--A&P SCIENCE READ 180 QUEST PE MATH INTERNAT'L CULTURES INTERNAT'L ARTS/CUL HEALTH GERMAN GEOGRAPHY FRENCH FASHION ENROLLMET ENGLISH III DRAMA

Keeping track of visit statistics during A.R.T. and Seminar allows us to show our principal typical library usage during those times. Also – gathering statistics on library programs (such as Media Night for example) could work to your advantage in terms of budget allocations.

You have a library website? Great! You can keep track of how many times your site pages are “hit” two ways: District stats: http://teachers.olatheschools.com Free web counters We use: Statcounter

Great!

You can keep track of how many times your site pages are “hit” two ways:

District stats: http://teachers.olatheschools.com

Free web counters

We use: Statcounter

Put it all together - End of Year Summary Concise Attractive Shows comparison across years Notes any changes in programming that may affect numbers (such as snow days causing cancellation of Media Nights)

End of Year Summary

Concise

Attractive

Shows comparison across years

Notes any changes in programming that may affect numbers (such as snow days causing cancellation of Media Nights)

Last year’s summary report:

Summary report, contd.

Access this presentation: OE Library site: http://teachers.olatheschools.com/oelibrary/ click on: Presentations Slide Share http://www.slideshare.net/lfranklinoe

OE Library site:

http://teachers.olatheschools.com/oelibrary/ click on: Presentations

Slide Share

http://www.slideshare.net/lfranklinoe

Recommended Resources Hartzell, G.N. (1994). Building influence for the school librarian. Worthington, Ohio: Linworth Publishing, Inc. Rowntree, D. (1981). Statistics without tears: A primer for non mathematicians. New York: McMillan Publishing Company. Trochim, W. & Donnelly, J.P. (2007). The research methods knowledge base (3 rd ed). Mason, Ohio: Atomic Dog Publishing.

Hartzell, G.N. (1994). Building influence for the school librarian. Worthington, Ohio: Linworth Publishing, Inc.

Rowntree, D. (1981). Statistics without tears: A primer for non mathematicians. New York: McMillan Publishing Company.

Trochim, W. & Donnelly, J.P. (2007). The research methods knowledge base (3 rd ed). Mason, Ohio: Atomic Dog Publishing.