Public Library Dashboards & Data Use Toolkit

The Bureau of Libraries partners with the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC) and Wisconsin's 15 library systems to support understanding and use of our state's public library data.

Data Use Toolkit for Libraries

Libraries are continually expanding how they use data to inform decisions and demonstrate impact. To support this work, the WPLC has created the Data Use Toolkit for Libraries, a collection of practical resources to help libraries understand, analyze, and apply data effectively. This toolkit is written to support public librarians across Wisconsin with varying levels of data training and confidence.

Public Library Dashboard Quick Links

This section provides quick links to a few Wisconsin visualization tools which are built upon Wisconsin public library data. Information on other dashboards and data sources is available in the Data Use Toolkit for Libraries

Data Dashboard - The WPLC Data Dashboard includes select items from the Wisconsin Public Library Annual Report in a visualized format that allows for both individual library data to be displayed, as well as peer comparisons and strategies for benchmarking library data.
Fast Facts Dashboard - Available for all Wisconsin public libraries, the Fast Facts Dashboard from South Central Library System (SCLS) provides a snapshot of library service data across multiple dimensions including: circulation, program attendance, collection size, and technology usage. Data for the dashboard comes from the Wisconsin Public Library Annual Report and Wisconsin’s Digital Library Annual Statistics. The dashboard is designed as an at-a-glance summary of library activity for a given year, and the selected view can be downloaded as an image file or PDF for inclusion in reports or on a website.

Webinar: Make Data Work for Your Library - Getting Started with Wisconsin Public Library Dashboards

See examples of how the Data Use Toolkit for Libraries may be used to answer questions for your library board, build presentations for your governing body, and inform strategic planning. The webinar shows use of both the WPLC Data Dashboard and the SCLS Fast Facts Dashboard.

The Bureau of Libraries, WPLC, and system staff are interested in participating in local sessions to showcase this webinar. For our suggested format participants view the webinar in advance of a question and answer session held virtually or in-person. The requesting organizer would be responsible for attendees viewing the recorded webinar in advance of the session while Bureau of Libraries, WPLC, and system staff would facilitate the Q&A session. Interested? Send a request including timeline, format request, and audience description to libraryreport@dpi.wi.gov. The Bureau of Libraries will work with WPLC and the library systems to arrange your session.

Frequently Asked Questions

Navigation and Usage Tips FAQ

How do I move past the first page of the WPLC Data Dashboard? When you first open the dashboard in your browser, there is a light grey navigation bar at the very bottom which you must hover over to select what you would like to view. Alternatively, you may view the dashboards in Data Studio to access an improved navigation structure. To access this structure, go to the bottom righthand corner of the browser window and select "Data Studio."
Are we able to see our own library compared from year to year? The Fast Facts Dashboard provides information on a library for a single year. You can select and download individual years. In the WPLC Data Dashboard, for pages with line graphs, select only one library to view year over year data for one metric at a time.
How do I keep the library or libraries selected as I move between topics? The dashboard is set up to allow users to make selections on each page individually. There isn't a way to preserve the comparable libraries from page to page. You may request a pre-filtered version of the dashboard. Email libraryreport@dpi.wi.gov for more information.
Why can I only look at up to four libraries at a time on bar graphs and tables? Due to the WPLC Data Dashboard design, functionality, and accessibility, no more than four individual libraries and/or cohort averages can be displayed at a time on bar charts. Displaying more than four leads to issues with label font sizes and other matters of design accessibility.
Why can’t I filter the whole dashboard at once? Due to the different chart and data types, each page of the dashboard provides specific filtering instructions for that page. Because of this, whole dashboard filtering is not currently available.

Advocacy, Communication, and Data Stories FAQ

Who can help me craft my first story? The Data Use Toolkit for Libraries is a good starting point. The first three sections provide an introduction, how to get started, and how to use data for advocacy and communication.
For budget planning time what data could we show our council members? The Fast Facts Dashboard may be a useful resource during budget planning. It covers common library statistics in a compact format. For a deeper dive, the Library Financial section of the WPLC Data Dashboard may also be helpful. This dashboard includes data related to funding structures, including showing what percentage of the budget comes from municipality vs. home county, which could be useful for advocacy purposes, as well as, breakdowns of expenditure categories such as materials, salaries, and benefits. These tools also allow a library to compare itself to others in its cohort.
Could you share a few examples of libraries using data for storytelling well? The toolkit includes sample infographics and fliers created by Wisconsin libraries in the Data Story tab. Also, WiLS communications include examples of how other libraries are using the dashboard and other data sources to craft stories as they advocate for renovations or calculate return on investment for programming.

Data and Definitions FAQ

Is the community size from the municipality of the library or does it include the region? Population estimates are calculated by the Bureau of Libraries annually. The Department of Administration provides annual estimates for municipalities and counties. Resident population for most libraries is the population of the municipality where the library is located. For joint libraries, resident population includes all municipalities participating in the joint agreement. Resident population for a county library is the county population less the population of all municipalities within the county which have their own library. The extended population uses a method to distribute the population of municipalities without a library between the municipalities with a library in the same county. As extended population is based on non-resident circulation submitted within the Annual Report, this value can vary quite a bit from year to year.
A joint library is funded by multiple municipalities. How does this impact my use of the dashboard? In general, the dashboard use will be similar; however, to view comparison related to municipal funding, you will use the most recently available Library Service data spreadsheet to identify other joint libraries in the state for meaningful peer comparisons. Look for those serving similar community sizes as a joint library.
Where can I find a definition for a metric in the Annual Report data included in the dashboard? The metrics included in the dashboard have been operationalized by other entities, such as the Department of Public Instruction and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Resources on the Public Libraries Survey and the Annual Report websites provide definitions and data collection methods. In addition, the Data Use Toolkit for Libraries includes definitions from these sources in an easy-to-find table for select metrics included in the dashboard.
Why is there missing data in a chart I am viewing? Data can appear to be incomplete for a variety of reasons. On trend graphs, it is likely, if you have a Locale or Population Size filter selected, that a library’s locale or population size changed over time and the chart is only displaying the relevant data for when the library met the locale and/or population size filter you have selected. This is normal as communities can grow and change over time. In other cases, there may be missing data from a library's Annual Report. If a metric is missing, it will usually display a “0” or “-1” in the series. Note that select line graphs in the dashboard use linear interpolation to fill in missing data points in a series to minimize the impact of missing data where possible.
How do I report questionable data? Email libraryreport@dpi.wi.gov with the data element and year of data. Please note hours of service for 2017 is known to show only hours for the main library. A similar issue exists for square footage.

Resources

Data Use Toolkit for Libraries
South Central Library System Fast Facts Dashboard
Wisconsin Public Library Consortium Data Dashboard
Statewide Data Landscape Study Report
Institute of Museum and Library Services Public Libraries Survey
Wisconsin Public Libraries Annual Report
WiLS Ideas to Action

Send any questions or report problems to libraryreport@dpi.wi.gov.

Melissa Aro