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Data-Informed Library Advocacy

Len Bryan - He/Him

Library Technical Systems Manager

Denver Public Schools

@lenbryan25

bit.ly/AASL19DataInformed

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Objectives

Identify data sources
Make data useful
Effectively present data
Connect data to district/school priorities
Explore and share ideas with each other

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Turn & Talk

What is the difference between Data-Driven and Data-Informed advocacy conversations?

Should we be engaged in library advocacy or student advocacy? What is the difference?

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Big Idea #1

EVERYTHING we do is Advocacy.

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Planning Your Use of Data

Consider your Audience

Call to Action

Check Your Vocabulary

Talk About Learners

Tell the Library’s Story Through Learners & Other Educators

Show the Library’s Connection to Student Growth

Source: Article in SLJ by Andrew Maxey and Mike Daria 10/3/18

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http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2013/5/29/getting-your-end-of-the-year-report-read.html

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Big Idea #2

Nobody Cares About the School Library*

….as much as we do.

….in and of itself.

….I know this is difficult to hear.

….take a moment to breathe & get re-centered.

…*until & unless it impacts educators - collaboration, instruction, rigor.

…*until & unless it impacts learners - literacy, achievement, culture.

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Big Idea #3

We CAN Help Others Learn to Care About the School Library.

We MUST be connected:

with the school & district’s goals and priorities.

with the people who make choices about the library.

with learners, their needs, and their preferences.

with the greater community that can support the school library & INFLUENCES decision makers.

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Qualitative and Quantitative Data

Gotta hit ‘em in the heart and in the head!

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Identify Data Sources: the Low-Hanging Fruit

Most Common Library Data Sources:

Circulation

Learners/Classes/Lessons Taught

Database Statistics

Library Website Usage

Collection Analysis

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Circulation - the HEART of Library Metrics

Circulation numbers can be used to reflect a robust culture of reading.

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Creating Perspective

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Trendspotting

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Instruction - the BRAINS of Library Metrics

Instruction and Collaboration with other educators is a vital component to any school library program, and measuring it can be tricky.

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Classes Taught - Create a Shared Calendar

Here is a copy of the Workbook I use for DPS data.

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Conditional Formatting - Celebrations & Concerns

I am using conditional formatting here to be able to see, at a glance, which of our campuses are using our OverDrive eBooks at a high level, and which might need additional support. You could do the same type of thing at the campus level by tracking which teachers’ classes check out the most/least books, collaborate with librarians to deliver instruction, or any activity your school or district values. Once you have an understanding of where challenges and opportunities exist, you can then create targeted of outreach/programming/other strategy to create equitable access for learners, instead of the “Spray and Pray” approach.

This could work for collaboration with teachers, grade level checkouts, or a myriad of other ways to slice & dice data, especially if you have a need to spot problems or highlight successes

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Database Statistics

or

“Look How Much We Are NOT Googling”

The type and levels of information you can get from subscription databases depends on how your accounts are set up and managed. Campus-level usage statistics may not be available if databases are provided and managed by your district, region, or state. There are, however, some ways to get a sense of how much your learners and educators are using databases (and any other resource linked from your campus library website).

This data is useful in several ways - it can inform choices on whether to keep, drop, or expand electronic resources. It can help librarians make the case that resources being used at high levels are worth the investment, or in the case of free resources, worth the curation work it took to bring them to the library website & teach educators and learners about their use. It is no longer enough to justify expenses because we think we know that educators and students “like” something. In the age of data, numbers matter.

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Google Analytics = How’s Your Website doing?

If you have a website that you can edit, Google Analytics can help you get a sense of how it is being used, BEYOND just the number of views. In DPS, we set up access to our subscription resources through a portal we call LION, and every one of our 132 campuses has its own portal page. I have applied Google Analytics to every one of those pages, and I can create a report on each one.

With Event Tracking, I can also see how many users clicked on any given outbound link (Such as links to a database or to Destiny Discover) for any timeframe I choose. Since our databases are not set up for campus tracking (OverDrive is - yay!), this gives me insight into which campuses are really using their digital resources and which ones might need some intervention or instruction.

This is, of course, for the district level, where I need to know a ton of information about over 100 campuses. Think about applying this to the campus level. You could see which of your curated resources teachers & students are actually using, and either promote or weed links & resources they are not accessing. So instead of using your gut instinct, you have data about what to keep, expand, or get rid of. You can also use session and event data in your annual reports to show just how much your curation work is paying off!

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Collection Analysis

Digging In

Geeking Out

Making the Case

Meeting the Need

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Follett’s Titlewave TitleWise Analysis

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Data for Collection Development

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Pull Data Together Using a Dashboard

If you find yourself managing data from several sources, it might be worth looking into a tool that can capture data from many sources, then display it it an interactive, graphical format. Several companies do something like this - Google, Microsoft, and Amazon all provide large scale data storage and analytics services. Many of these come at a high cost, except Google, which provides Data Studio for free (of course, nothing is free - you are giving Google access to the data you link to DS)

This is a project we are working on right now in Denver, and my hope is we will have a public facing dashboard for every DPS library that can show both campus data and district-wide data. This is a potentially powerful advocacy tool as we hope to highlight inequities from school to school, celebrate our best performers, and set the bar for all of our schools’ library programs. What is giving me pause is that we have some really dismal libraries, locked doors, and anemic circulation and other numbers at several (mostly low SES) schools. Would publishing these statistics spur action, or shame those principals and cause a backlash? There is a delicate balance here...

If you have an unused monitor, projector, or display TV, how cool would it be to have a dashboard like this visible to students, staff,and families?

Some libraries use monitors for BookFlix and other programming or displays. Others use them for reading contests. Imagine adding real-time data to the mix of information that is displayed, and the data literacy lessons that could stem from this real-world application of data.

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Sharing Data for Library Advocacy

Remember, we are not actually advocating for the library here; we are advocating for learners.

We want to empower educators, learners, and the community to advocate for libraries.

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The Elephant in the Room

Of course, the elephant is student performance on standardized tests. While there are hundreds of studies that show correlation between having a library and librarian and improved test scores, it becomes tough to show causality - that your library program directly improves test scores. While tough, it is not impossible. Here are a few ideas:

In Colorado, our students must take their CMAS tests on computers, with a mouse. Many of our ES Libraries also teach basic computer navigation skills through drills, games, and use of our databases and eBook platforms. Might be something there, especially if you can show pre-and post assessment growth before & after lessons and practice sessions.

Compare test scores in classrooms where you have collaborated with the teacher against those where you have not, especially if the objectives for the specific lesson or unit are the same or similar to those assessed on the standardized test.

If you are at the district, regional, or state level, gather data on library staffing and use (through the metrics above), and compare that data with test scores to see if having a robust library impacts those metrics. Again, you can show correlation here; proving causality can be much tougher at a larger scale.

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Great. Now I have data. How do I IMPROVE AND SHARE IT?

Work through this checklist and focus on the activities that most impact learners
As you plan & implement a lesson, activity, program, or resource, consider how you will measure its impact and report that data

Print Circulation = reflects a robust reading culture and consistent, heavy use of the library’s up-to-date, relevant collection, as well as the TLs ability to get books into students’ hands
eBook Circulation = reflects empowered students and staff who regularly use their 24/7 access to reading material as a result of instruction, reminders, and guidance from TLs
Database Use = reflects TLs as instructional leaders, integrating authoritative, ad-free, academic resources into classroom instruction and teaching information literacy through databases in all grade levels and subject areas
Collection Development = The best, most up-to-date, relevant, and well - used print collections are a result of:

Constant weeding
Advocacy for additional funding (Grants, etc. as well as campus-based funds)
Programming that promotes reading
Collaboration with educators to ensure the collection meets curricular needs in addition to students’ needs

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The Library Annual Report

As usual, Jennifer LaGarde gives better advice than I ever could.

Identify the Target Audience

Student Data is the Only Data that Matters

Tell a Story

Diversify the Data

Start Early

Less is More

Do the Work

Learn from Others

While Jennifer’s post focuses on creating a report for your administrator (and you should), I highly recommend sharing your library story with allies - parents, learners, and the community at large. Many people want to support the library; they just don’t know how.

Our profession has been advocating for libraries to administrators and school boards for decades, with mixed results. I recommend taking our advocacy work to their bosses - the community. The community can hold education leaders accountable, and I have faith that they would - if they knew several things - the state of their children’s school library, its staffing level, its funding level, and how those levels impact their kids.

It’s also important for the community to know how other districts and states fund and staff their school libraries, and how learners in those other states and districts experience differ from theirs. It’s about equity.

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Presentation Matters

Source: Arlington (TX) ISD Library Services

See also: Heather Moorefield-Lang’s AWESOME Curated List

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Selected Annual Reports Featuring:

Qualitative Data PDF - Kilmer Library 2018-2019 Annual Report

Quantitative + Qualitative Data Piktochart - Pine Grove Middle School

Video featuring Both Data Types - South East Junior High (5:46)

Combination of Data + Aspirations - Gibbes Middle School

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Annual Reports Curated By Jennifer LaGarde

Google Doc from Jennifer with a TON of resources

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Workshop

Considering the ideas we have discussed, form pairs or triads to discuss:

Considering your audience
Creating a call to action
Checking your vocabulary
Talking about learners
Telling your library’s story Through learners & other educators
Showing your library’s connection to student growth

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Sharing is Caring

Share an A-HA moment from your conversation(s) with your colleagues.

Share one takeaway & your first step when you get back to work next week.

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Keep in Touch!

Twitter: @lenbryan25

librarianlen@gmail.com