Using Data Visualization to Improve Performance

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Prince George's County Memorial Library System has become a data-driven organization over the past five years, using consumer behavior information to support purchasing and marketing, project management software to improve facility support and most importantly, Tableau, (a data visualization software package) to increase efficiency in any number of workflow processes throughout the organization. By using innovative data visualization and analysis, the Library is able to staff the branches more effectively, monitor the circulation of millions of items in the collection and upgrade services to County residents. PGCMLS was the first in the state of Maryland to use this process, and the results have been impressive. The State Library of Maryland was pleased with the results, to the extent that they have reimbursed PGCMLS for our initial expenses and created a grant for all of the libraries in the state to participate in this initiative, with our Business Intelligence Analyst as the project lead and trainer for all the counties in Maryland.