Daunted by Data? You Got This!

| By Lisa Novohatski, Marketing Analytics Consultant, Gale | No surprise to any of you–library culture is focused around information. Working alongside librarians for the past five years has helped me to understand how this culture both empowers staff and the communities it serves. I’ve also seen that not only are libraries great sources of information, … Read more

Programming for Patrons Who Love the Cold

| By Fred Zimmerman, Product Manager, Analytics On Demand | Analytics On Demand helps libraries achieve their strategic priorities by applying state-of-the-art data analytics tools, running on the highly-regarded Alteryx platform. Analytics On Demand blends data exported from the library ILS, in a simple spreadsheet form, with detailed household-level demographic and psychographic data from many sources … Read more

How to Manage 71 Experian Mosaics as Library Patron Profiles

| By Heather Hoffman, Digital Content Coordinator, Toledo Lucas County Public Library | In 2016, the Toledo Lucas County Public Library developed a new strategic plan with three focus areas: Support essential literacies Foster a culture of innovation and leadership Strengthen our community engagement Strengthening our community engagement had always been a focus for the Library, … Read more

Register Today! Driving Decisions with Data Webinar

Is Your Library Measuring Up? How can you ensure your library’s goals and initiatives support households in your community? It can be tricky, but with Analytics On Demand, you can add value to your library’s existing data and unlock key insights about your community. Join us, and American Libraries, July 24th for a free episode … Read more

Introducing: The Dashboard

A new tool has been added to Analytics On Demand. It’s called the dashboard. What is the Dashboard? The Analytics On Demand dashboard gives users the ability to transform patron data and drill down into rich visuals. Best of all, once the three apps needed for the dashboard output are acquired by the library, it’s no … Read more

So a Non-Librarian Walks into a Library Full of Librarians…

By Kelly Torpey 

As I walked into the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library to attend Library Journal’s Transformative Power of Community Engagement workshop, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew where I was, and what I was attending, but I wasn’t entirely sure what I (a non-librarian) would glean from the experience.

I joined Gale as a marketing team member just over six months ago. I’m new to the world of libraries, and in truth, I was hoping to listen. To listen to what libraries and librarians go through on a daily basis; their conversations, struggles, and triumphs. I was also hoping to add some type of value to the conversations I was a part of, even though I knew (or, at least I thought) my own professional and personal experiences may not be 100% relatable.

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Data-Driven Decision Making Ideally Locates New Library Construction

Posted on May 9, 2016

When Dedham Public Library realized the time had come to replace both its 19th century main library and early 20th century branch, the primary question was, where is the best place to construct a new library to meet the needs of our 21st century patrons?

A professional librarian with more than four decades of experience in public and academic libraries was called upon to help answer the question. Mary Ann Tricarico, BA, MLS, MA, DA, began researching, tabulating and analyzing information to create a strategic planning document to optimally locate the new construction. “All my career I’ve been involved in answering complex questions about communities, patron populations, borrowing patterns and usage data – all hand- calculated and hand-tabulated,” she says, noting that it’s an expensive and time- consuming activity.

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Strategic Planning Takes a Leap Forward with Data Analytics

Analytics On Demand

Posted 12/3/2015

By Jackie Sullivan and Sarah Withers

Mastering data analytics for public library administrators and their board of trustees is a critical success factor for planning and community engagement. The South Carolina State Library wanted to optimize the strategic planning resources that public libraries currently have available including collection strategy, materials investment, outreach, and programming to drive more value to the communities they serve.

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