Law libraries tend to collect extensive data about their collections, services, facilities, budget, personnel, and other categories. Analyzing and interpreting this data to inform decision-making and planning is critical. However, opportunities to manage the law library’s narrative and build relationships are lost when the data and the lessons learned from it are not shared with stakeholders. Visualizing data in ways that are accurate, informative, and meaningful can help facilitate conversations with stakeholders. 

This two-session webinar will cover overarching principles of data visualizations as well as practical tools and advice that participants can use to visualize their library’s data. The first session will discuss the value of data visualizations, some of the basic principles of information design, as well as common missteps in data visualization. The second session will focus on the tools available in Microsoft and Canva to create and edit visuals that focus an audience on your message and distill ideas. The discussion in the first session is fundamental and necessary for participant understanding in the second session.

Amanda Karel is the Project Manager for NELLCO Law Library Consortium, Inc. She works on the ALLStAR Benchmarking project and specializes and data collection, analysis, assessment, and surveying. She has also served as the Strategic Planning Project Manager at the University of Washington School of Law and is Co-Owner of AKR Consulting. She has extensive experience with assessment and data visualization.