up2date

Interactive Graphing with Highcharts (more for the data-philes)

From the CU EnhancED blog :

Highcharts is a web-based solution for high quality, interactive graphing and charting data. This open source library is written in JavaScript and it supports a gamut of chart types that includes line, spline, area, areaspline, column, bar, pie and scatter charts. It is compatible with modern browsers as well as the iPhone and iPad.

Additional attractive features in Highcharts are:

• tooltip labels to display information for each points and series
• zooming on a specific part of a chart for a detailed analysis
• loading of data source store in a separate file or from a different host site altogether
• export to image file or PDF.

    ...

got data? ICPSR Summer Program may be for you

From the MIT Libraries blog -- UofC is also an ICPSR member :

"...Each year, ICPSR provides a comprehensive, integrated program of studies in research design, statistics, data analysis, and social science methodology. Registration is now open for the 2011 session.  Note: ... most courses take place at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor...

For a listing of course offerings and application information, see the ICPSR Summer Program web site."

"Perceptions of Libraries, 2010: Context and Community"

From the ResourceShelf, a new report from OCLC:

From an OCLC Announcement:

Perceptions of Libraries, 2010: Context and Community, a follow-up to the 2005 Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources, is now available. The new report provides updated information and new insights into information consumers and their online information habits, preferences and perceptions. Particular attention was paid to how the current economic downturn has affected information-seeking behaviors and how those changes are reflected in the use and perception of libraries.

The OCLC membership report explores:

+ Technological and economic shifts since 2005
+ Lifestyle changes Americans have made during the recession, including increased use of the library and other online resources
+ How a negative change to employment status impacts use and perceptions of the library
+ How Americans use online resources and libraries in 2010
+ Perceptions of libraries and information resources based on life stage, from teens to college students, to senior Americans.

The membership report is based on U.S. data from an online survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of OCLC. OCLC analyzed and summarized the results in order to produce this report.

On pages 94-97 (beginning on page 51 of PDF) some numbers from the original research Harris Interactive are reported for the first time. The section is titled, "2010 Hot Spots."

On pages 98-101 (beginning of page 53 of PDF) some advice for librarians from library users.

Download the Report (Free)
The report can be downloaded as one document (59 pages; PDF) or by chapter.

You can also purchase a bound version of the report for $19.00/U.S. Details here.

data visualization software (some free)

Two of the presentations I went to at SALALM showed off some snazzy data visualizations. The suggested applications the presenters recommend :

"Martha Kelehan mentioned a number of resources to help you create data visualizations:
GapMinder
Google Motion Charts
VUE (concept mapping software)

Daniel Schoorl also mentioned a number of ways to visualize data in his presentation on the Statistical Abstract of Latin America
Many Eyes
GeoCommons
Ushahidi
Social Explorer"

Cited from the SALALM blog.

I wonder if there's a way to use some of these for instructional purposes... Ideas?

NetGen -- perhaps not so net?

From the ResourceShelf:

From a Nielsen Wire Blog Post:

At the annual What Teens Want conference in New York, The Nielsen Company presented How Teens Use Media, which argues once you look past the hype - American teens are not as alien in their media usage as you might expect.

From the findings excerpted on the ResourceShelf, I found a few particularly notable:

Key Takeaways:

+ Teens love the Internet … but spend far less time browsing than adults: Teens spend 11 hours and 32 minutes per month online. Far below the average of 29 hours and 15 minutes.

+ Teens read newspapers, listen to the radio and even like advertising more than most: Teens who recall TV ads are 44% more likely to say they liked the ad.

+ Teens’ favorite TV shows, top websites and genre preferences across media are mostly the same as their parents: For U.S. teens, American Idol was the top show in 2008, Google the top website and general dramas are a preferred TV genre for teens around the world.

CDT Recommends Standards for Use of Analytics Tools on Federal Web Sites

Source: the Resource Shelf

The Center for Democratic Technology have published their guidelines which include limiting data retention to 90 days

Link to report

measuring use of scientific journals

A new study looks at methodologies used to measure the use of scientific journals:

How Do We Measure Use of Scientific Journals? A Note on Research Methodologies

Scientific journals represent a significant and growing part of the libraries and many researchers have attempted to measure their use by various methodological approaches till date. In this paper, the author reviews the methodologies employed by researchers working on scientific journals usage. It aims to present an overall picture of the research methods used in the area, in a way that will be of value to anyone seeking to study scientific journals. The author reviews four main research methodologies which are being used for profiling scientific journals usage including questionnaire, interview, citation analysis and transaction log analysis.

+ Full Paper (PDF; 78 KB)

From the ResourceShelf

Communicating the library's value

Suffolk University's (Boston) FAQ include this: How can I get my tuition money’s worth from the library? And here they tell about how much of each student's tuition goes to support the library and how they can "spend" this money. For instance: study in the library for 1 hour every week: $ 16.4
http://www.suffolk.edu/sawlib/faq.htm#anchor13268
Source: cited in a presentation at the Library Assessment Conference "Conceptual Context for Expanding the Discussion of Evaluation Metrics for Libraries"

Library statistics - service levels & targets

London School of Economics publishes their Library Service level and targets which I think is a great way to highlight the breadth of services and show how well they are managed.

source: Lorcam Dempsey's blog
Agnes Tatarka