Using Mobile Business Analytics to Visualize Library Data Let the Data Talk – ALA Annual, June 24, 2012 Rachel Besara Assessment Librarian Florida State University Libraries

What are business intelligence/analytics apps? Roambi What are business intelligence/analytics apps? One of the first mobile BI apps Low cost Sample reports Various ways to organize & present your data Best practices information Example spreadsheets MicroStrategy QlikView

Data Overload I’m an assessment librarian gathering, compiling, interpreting, reporting & explaining this kind of information is my job… Easy to manipulate. Hard to ‘read’ – it’s hard to ‘see’. Hard to storytell. Hard to advocate. Limited accessibility.

Traditional Static Reports Static (not interactive) – when I create this I have to completely anticipate my audience’s needs/desires (and I might miss the mark) Linear (progression of data starts and ends where the writer thinks it should) Didactic (telling rather than exploring) – You might apply it – and there is discovery within the structure I created – but a lot of additional work would have to be done before

Instant, Visual, Interactive Data Instantly Visualize, Interact & Compare

Let me show you…

Could a BI app be the right tool? Audience loves quantitative data flexibility & interaction in data storytelling “choose your own adventure” for advocacy or brainstorming

Florida State University Libraries Thank you! Rachel Besara Assessment Librarian Florida State University Libraries rbesara@fsu.edu