3. STEPS FOR SUCCESS
1. Begin with numbers
2. Understand your goals and
audience
3. Find your story
4. Establish your approach
5. Design, refine, repurpose
6. Share
10. 2012 ACADEMIC LIBRARIAN SALARIES
Broken down by:
-Region: West/Southwest vs. All
US regions
-Type of institution: 2-year, 4year, university
-Position: Director, Assistant
Director, Dept.
Head, Manager, Non-Supervisory
Librarian, Beginning Librarian
=18 comparisons
44. PIKTOCHART
PROS
CONS
•Templates (but
limited options in
free version)
•Watermark
•Many icons/images
•Chart wizard
•Page resize
•Can add images
•Export as JPG/PNG
or create link for
sharing
•Limited image editing
•Limited FAQ
•Extended features
only available w/paid
account
45.
46.
47. INFOGR.AM
PROS
CONS
•Templates (but
limited options in
free version)
•Watermark
•Many chart options
•Downloads and
extended features only
available w/paid
account
•Can add images,
maps, and video
•Create link for
sharing
•Limited text and icon
options
Importance of data quality: Begin with the numbers
Your data visualization/infographic is only as good as the data that stand behind it. Numbers are the foundation on which the infographic is built.
Why numbers?
Different persuasive approaches speak to different people—stories vs. numbers
We’re in a data-driven world—BIG DATA-take advantage of this and use numbers when trying to raise awareness about your library
Tufte quote: Single best way to improve presentation is to improve content; one test – “if you can’t summarize it, question it”
So, how do you get good numbers?
Defining Purpose/Audience
When figuring out what data to collect, you need to determine the following from the outset:
What’s the purpose? What is the story you are trying to tell?
Who is your audience?
What numbers/information will speak to them most powerfully?
Example: one-on-one tutoring—to demonstrate that libraries are a free genius bar/geek squad
BTOP
So, you have all your data, now what?
This is not about just a collection of data, this is about using data to tell a story, so you need to find your narrative. What do you want to communicate and how does your data fit together to create your story? How can you turn numbers and data into something interesting and memorable?
Sometimes, your story isn’t complete, cohesive, or aligned with your goals. Be willing to walk away at this stage. You will end up doing yourself a disservice if you spend time and money on creating a resource without a strong story and no matter how you try to jazz it up visually, if there is no meat to the storyline, it will not be effective.
Know you know what your story is and what the building blocks of your story look like (your data)format, wireframe
Comparison to other reference points—popular culture, news, etc. that many would be familiar with
Comparison
Timeline: create a timeline of your library
How to’s Libraries have a lot of knowledge here, so what if libraries created infographics like this one?
Flowchart. Something like this one to help people choose a book is fun and can be useful for library awareness
Demographic information: Maybe you share demographic info about your community? I can imagine a lot of businesses, community orgs, and gov officials would love that
This is an example of a research focused infographic that we used it Colorado. For inforgraphics like this one, you can use your own data or other sources to communicate.
We paired that previous research data on the last slide with the barriers and what we were doing about it to support an understanding of the role of libraries in building digitally inclusive communities
Questions
There are also general information inforgraphics. In CO we created this inforgraphic to help libraries understand broadband connectivity, speeds, bandwidth, etc.
Branding that exists: colors, fonts, design elements to create a similar look and feel
The best approach might be with traditional charts and graphs (bar, line, pie charts). It might require a diagram or flowchart to explain a process. A map might be the best way to tell the story. Or perhaps simply showcasing the numbers is best.
or use data that is visual by nature (charts, maps, etc.)
use imagery to illustrate the data, (use imagery in place of traditional charts)
Does your data tell a visual story (use imagery to enhance communicating data that is not visual in nature)
