Data Fluency Foundations

After you attend this course, you’ll be able to:

• Understand the steps required to collect, analyze, and act on data.
  


• Evaluate your own data fluency.
  


• Identify what data skills you have and are missing.
  


• Identify what data you are collecting and what you need to make specific decisions.
  


• Evaluate data collections and analysis plans based on changing organizational needs.
  


• Analyze and map data to make decisions and gain insights.
  


• Present data and proposed decisions to different audiences including senior management and library users.
  


• Implement developments based on data collection and analysis.

Thursday, May 7, 2025

Course & Workshop Introduction | 12:00-12:20 pm ET
An introduction to the weekly assignments, an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course, and a chance to complete the course pre-assessment.

Session 1 | 12:20-1:30 pm ET
An Introduction to Data Fluency
How can librarians collect the right kinds of data and make the most sense of the data they have in order to make sound decisions? The introductory session will cover a practical, A to Z process for data, from collection to reporting. You will leave understanding how to engage with and understand the data you have at each step of the process.

Speaker:
Amy Stubbing , University Librarian at Solent University

Session 2 | 1:30-2:30 pm ET
User Experience and Data
How can you ensure you are centering your users and their experiences in all of your data processes? This session will cover the foundations of user experience (UX) as it relates to collecting, analyzing, and engaging with data. You'll gain practical tips for designing effective surveys, as well as explore alternative methods for gathering both behavioral and attitudinal data. You'll learn how data from user research can inform and enhance the design of products and services to truly meet users' needs.

Speaker:

Rebecca Blakiston ,Senior Service Designer, MO Studio

Break | 2:30-2:45 pm ET

Session 3 | 2:45-3:45 pm ET
Data Narration, Visualization, and Reporting
How do you narrate data to maximize its impact? How do you combine data narration and visualize data in a meaningful way? This session will cover the foundations of telling stories with data to advocate for libraries. You will learn how to use the Data Storytelling Toolkit for Libraries and how to choose narrative structures that will make the most impact for your unique needs. Leave with practical ways to use data narration and visualization to create compelling and actionable reports.

Speaker:

Dr. Kate McDowell (she/her/hers) Associate Professor, School of Information Sciences, Center for Social & Behavioral Science Affiliate at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

Break | 3:45-4:00 pm ET

Session 4 | 4:00-4:30 pm ET
Ethics and Kindness of Data
How can you ensure you’re using data ethically and appropriately? What might using data with a kindness framework look like? This session will discuss how to be careful, kind, and people-minded when working with data.

Speaker:

Helen Rimmer , Author of The Kind Librarian, Founder, The Kind Brave Leader; Kindness and Wellbeing Coach, Consultant, and Facilitator

Session 5 | 4:30-5:00 pm ET
What’s Next? The ‘Doing’ with the Data
What do you do once you have collected, analyzed, and even reported on your data? How do you determine and take action on next steps? This closing session will discuss how to establish processes to reflect on and make the best use of data, as well as how to use data to make a case to your leadership. Leave with ideas for how to get the most out of your data processes and ensure nothing slips through the cracks.

Speaker:

Lisa Fraser (she, her) Organizational Strategy Manager, King County Library System

Who should take this course

This course is geared toward people with an emerging level of data fluency. It will be most relevant for library managers or staff who deal directly with data.

This is an online course with a half-day of live, online speaker presentations and an asynchronous 3-week workshop and will include:

• Live Sessions: Guest speaker presentations by leaders in their field. (All sessions are recorded for on demand access for six months after the course ends.)
  
  
• Facilitated discussions:  Audience participation in Q&A and discussion with guest speakers.
  
  
• Asynchronous workshop: Project-based weekly assignments to connect what you’re learning to your professional life. Includes written feedback from an expert in the field who functions as the workshop facilitator, as well as peer conversation via discussion forums. Workshop available for all multi-week courses plus half-day courses where indicated.

• Early access on-demand resources:  Access to a series of past live session archives from Library Journal and School Library Journal courses to explore at your own pace.
  
  
• Online Classroom: The virtual learning platform that holds all course content and is accessible for six months after the course ends.

*Note: You do not have to complete the asynchronous work during these three weeks; it will be open to you for six months. However, the feedback from facilitators will only be available from May 7-28. 

Expected time commitment

If you attend or watch the recordings of all live sessions and participate fully in the asynchronous workshop, you'll spend approximately 4 hours per week on this course. You'll earn 12 hours of PD credit and a Library Journal certificate of completion.

On-demand access

All live guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on-demand for six months following the initial broadcast as a part of your purchase.

Certificate of completion

Complete the course and earn 12 professional development credit hours. We provide a certificate that is emailed to you.

Accessibility

All guest speaker sessions feature auto captioning and are made available on demand after the initial broadcast. Please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration if you require any special accommodations and we will make our best efforts to facilitate them.

Support

For support with online courses, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com .

Discounted rates are available for a limited time only. Secure your tickets now to lock in the best price.

Group Rates

We offer discounts for groups of 3 or more.

For larger groups of 15 or more, we offer the option to apply group rates across multiple courses to receive significant discounts. For more information, select “Bulk Course Credits Packages” in the form below.

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