Statistics are necessary to measure the usage of acquired materials. However, visualizing those statistics is often difficult due to daunting amounts of raw data. A dashboard was created in order to compile and simplify usage statistics from library material that includes e-journals, databases, and e-books, as well as facts related to print periodicals. Using Google Sites as the home for the dashboard webpage, usage statistics are readily available to librarians from any location.
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Visualizing electronic resources data using a statistics dashboard
1. Visualizing Electronic Resources
Data Using a Statistics Dashboard
Marie R. Kennedy
Marisa Ramirez
2015 ACRL poster presentation
https://sites.google.com/site/eresstatistics/
2. The purpose of a dashboard
“A dashboard is a visual display of the most
important information needed to achieve one or
more objectives: consolidated and arranged on a
single screen so the information can be monitored
at a glance.”
(Few, S. (2006). Information dashboard design: The
effective visual communication of data. North
Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly. )
3. The goal for our dashboard
Our goal is to present librarians with
information pertaining to electronic
resource usage in a manner that is quick,
clear, and simple.
4. Potential users of our dashboard
Primary user group: Our university’s librarians
may use it for evidence-based decisions at
subscription renewal time, as well as using the
linked data sets for research projects.
Secondary user group: You! We have released
the data under a Creative Commons license so
that it can be benchmarked, re-mixed, and
improved.
6. Data maintenance
As the content found in the brief narrative,
graphic, and list areas are summaries of
our university’s fiscal year reporting data,
these areas will be updated annually,
during the month of August.
7. Limitations of our dashboard
Librarians agree that COUNTER statistics are more
meaningful than non-COUNTER statistics; our
dashboard contains only COUNTER data. Over time
we may decide to gather non-COUNTER statistics
for electronic resources, if the publisher provides
them. Gathering these statistics is a current low
priority since they cannot be compared to other
statistics but may be useful for informal decision-
making if it is the only data about the use of the
product provided by the publisher.
8. Dashboard formats we considered
(and examples)
LibGuide-based:
http://law.okcu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=
344895&sid=2861234
Wiki-based:
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Wiki_Statistics
Web-based:
http://library.indstate.edu/dashboard/
9. Why we use Google Sites
• Visually customizable (not bound by the
templates in commercial products)
• Easily updatable
15. Build your own
If you have questions about how to design your
own dashboard, contact us.
Marie R. Kennedy: marie.kennedy@lmu.edu
Marisa Ramirez: marisa.ramirez@lmu.edu
https://sites.google.com/site/eresstatistics/