iSchool Capstone

Data-Driven Decision Making in Libraries

Project tags:

business & systems analysis

community engagement & outreach

information behavior & user research

Research Award

The PLA and ACRL launched Benchmark (librarybenchmark.org) in 2021, a tool for data-driven planning and advocacy in public and academic libraries. As Benchmark is a relatively new toolkit, this capstone project seeks to aid those library practitioners who might be unfamiliar with what it has to offer. Through web-based surveys, interviews, and document analysis, this project engages with library practitioners in various classifications to identify their data needs, develop use cases, and empower them to make data-driven decisions that advance DEI values.

Project participants:

Hayley Park

MLISOnline

Izak Hosmer-Dillard

MLIS