Data Visualization for Collection Development

James Stemper, University of Minnesota

Michele Gibney, University of the Pacific

The purpose of this document is to meet the charge of the SPARC Data Analysis Working Group (DAWG), and provide a high-level overview of how libraries can create data visualizations of usage statistics and use them to make collection development decisions as well as showcase the impact and value of the library to the university community. Below are examples from institutions of higher education and adjacent organizations who have published or presented on use of data visualizations in collection-development planning.

California Digital Library

• CDL Journal Weighted Value Algorithm Assessment & Revisions
  • Updated on 5/26/2016 by Chan Li
  • Updated on 11/3/2017 by Holly Eggleston

• Data Expeditions – Mining Data for Effective Decision-Making (Slides | YouTube)
  • Ivy Anderson, Charleston Conference, November 2018
  • [See slides 4–6 as a way to use visuals to make complex issues understandable]

Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL)

• Canadian Association of Research Libraries Data Visualization Toolkit

College of Charleston

• Using Data Visualization to Examine an Academic Library Collection
  • Jannette L. Finch and Angela R. Flenner
  • College & Research Libraries, November 2016

Iowa State University

• Library Assessment website
  • See also: https://public.tableau.com/profile/assesslibiastate#!/ 

Loyola Marymount University

• Visualizing electronic resources data using a statistics dashboard
  • Marie R. Kennedy & Marisa Ramirez
  • ACRL Conference, 2015
  • See also: https://whheresourcesusage.shinyapps.io/dash/

Ohio State University

• Tableau at the Ohio State University Libraries
  • Sarah Anne Murphy
  • ARL Research Libraries Issue, 2016

• How data visualization supports academic library assessment: Three examples from The Ohio State University Libraries using Tableau 
  • Sarah Anne Murphy
  • College & Research Libraries News, October 2015

• Data Visualization and Rapid Analytics: Applying Tableau Desktop to Support Library Decision-Making
  • Sarah Anne Murphy
  • Journal of Web Librarianship, 2013

State University of New York

• Big Picture in Statistical Frame – A Data Visualization Project of Electronic Resources’ Price Changes in Academic Libraries
  • Cheng Cheng & Colleen Lougen
  • ACRL NY Conference, March 2018

• Statistical Analysis, Data Visualization, and Business Intelligence Tools for Electronic Resources in Academic Libraries
  • Cheng Cheng, Tracy J. Gilmore, Colleen Lougen, & Connie Stovall
  • Charleston Conference, November 2017

University of British Columbia

• Tableau at the University of British Columbia Library
  • Jeremy Buhler
  • ARL Research Libraries Issue, 2016

University of Colorado 

• Showcasing Faculty Research with Elements and Tableau
  • Gabrielle Wiersma and Matt Ramey, University of Colorado Boulder
  • ARL Library Assessment Conference 2016

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

• Tableau at the UMass Amherst Libraries
  • Rachel Lewellen
  • ARL Research Libraries Issue, 2016

• Assessment of E-Resource Usage at University of Massachusetts Amherst: A MINES for Libraries® Study Using Tableau for Visualization and Analysis
  • Rachel Lewellen & Terry Plum
  • Research Library Issues, 2016

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Visualizing Collections Data: Why Pie Charts Aren’t Always the Answer
  • Megan Kilb & Matt Johnson
  • Serials Review, 2016

• Sustainable Scholarship Town Hall- January 2020
  • Nerea A. Llamas
  • UNC Carolina Digital Repository, 2020

University of North Texas

• Libraries Collection Assessment

(last updated August 16, 2021)