The Public Library Blueprints (PLB) blog started in January 2023 with the idea that each post could both share a piece of Public Library Annual Report (PLAR) data and teach a technique for data analysis and visualization. The thirty PLB posts published since then have done this and more, as the blog also evolved into an avenue for sharing tips for accessible research design and the evaluation tools LRS provides. Now, in 2025, we’re wrapping up this blog series. But before we look ahead to what LRS has planned next, let’s review what all PLB has covered to help readers navigate to any current topics of interest.
All the Charts to Choose From!
The instructions for building different types of data visualizations are the highlight of many PLB posts. These often included a discussion of the pros and cons to using each type of chart or visualization, best practices when creating them, and examples of when each might be a good fit for library data. The different charts covered include everything from the most basic bar charts, line charts, and pie charts to the more complex bubble charts, stacked bar charts, and treemaps. However, we also found that some data doesn’t fit neatly into a single chart. Small multiples may be an effective workaround when the story your data tells shines through many simple charts. And, for those times when we want to showcase qualitative data, word clouds may be the best solution.
All of these visualizations mentioned above can be effective ways to communicate data. But sometimes we might not know what we are trying to communicate because we first need to learn more about the data set we are working with. Visualizing data and data analysis can go hand in hand, meaning data visualizations are also analysis tools. Some visualizations that we cover in PLB, such as box and whisker plots, scatter plots, sparklines and histograms, we may not choose to include in the final data reports we share out, but they can reveal a lot about any correlations, distributions, trends, or outliers in a data set. In PLB, we also touched on skills for analysis that don’t necessarily involve visualizing data such as calculating percent change. Even when it’s easy to see that a number is increasing or decreasing from year to year, knowing the percent that it has changed and how this is calculated can help us better understand the magnitude of the difference between the two data points and communicate findings to others.
Although we’ve discussed many options for data visualization (and there are even more included in this blog series), it’s also important to remember that keeping it simple will lead to more effective communication. For those times when we’ve landed on a particularly impressive statistic to share, just adding an engaging visual element, such as a pictogram, can be enough to help it stick with the intended audience. And if there are multiple data points to convey, rather than trying to fit them all into a single, complex chart, an infographic may be needed. It can pay off to think outside the box when deciding how to visualize data, as long as we are always considering what will be most accessible to our target audiences. No matter what visualization method you choose, carefully choosing the colors you incorporate is crucial for keeping it accessible and helping readers interpret it accurately.
Learning from Library Data
At the center of each of the posts linked above is Public Library Annual Report (PLAR) data. As readers learn about each chart type or analysis method, Colorado public libraries’ latest PLAR data was used in the example visualizations. The PLAR topics covered are as wide-ranging as the types of charts described above. For example, we learned that (in 2021) 23% of CO public libraries reported charging overdue fines which was down from 34% in 2020. And in 2021, 86% of CO public libraries reported partnering with different organizations or groups to serve their community. In one case, we even compared CO public libraries to national data to learn that Colorado had the 3rd highest number of registered users per capita in 2021, with only Ohio and New Mexico having more.
Skipping ahead to more recent data from 2023 and 2024, we learned that public library staff assist patrons in 23 different languages across the state. This data came from PLAR questions asking which languages are spoken by staff to help patrons or offer programs. Meeting and study rooms were the focus of another PLB post, where we determined that the average study room was used 663 times in a year. Finally, although not strictly data from the PLAR, we also shared a map of each CO public library system, so everyone can easily see where their legal service area starts and ends. These are only a tiny fraction of the countless data points, statistics, and fun facts from the PLB blog. Other topics covered include library hours, local revenue sources, summer reading registrants, and interlibrary loan to name just a few.
LRS Data Tools are Here to Help
Clearly, we have a lot of PLAR data on hand at LRS. But we also know that many of the questions library staff are asking can’t necessarily be answered with the annual statistics we collect, and so libraries do their own research. Although accurately analyzing data and effectively communicating the findings are both critical steps when working with data, neither will matter if there aren’t quality data sources or a carefully thought out data collection plan. Because starting with both strong research questions and sound data is so important, LRS also used the PLB blog to share some tools for libraries doing their own research.
Some of these posts focused on setting libraries up for success through careful data collection. For example, we discussed using a combination of internal and external data sources and creating accessible surveys. We also shared the tourism community libraries list because comparing two libraries with wildly different demographics and funding sources can be misleading, so knowing which libraries might be compatible for peer comparisons is important. Two posts covered recently updated interactive tools on lrs.org: The Library Value Calculator, where one can input library usage data to estimate the monetary value received from using the library, and the Community Analysis Survey Form, which helps guide library staff through questions they might ask to better understand the communities they serve. Finally, for the mutual benefit of both public libraries across Colorado and us at LRS, we shared the new guidelines for counting reference questions to help ensure we are all collecting data consistently across the state.
What’s Next?
I’ve learned so much while writing each post in PLB and enjoyed featuring tools from LRS to maximize the benefits they can bring to libraries. However, moving forward it feels even more important to collect data from and share stories about libraries across Colorado and the communities they serve. Our next blog series will feature different types of libraries and make meaning from the data we collect to tell impactful library stories. Ultimately, this exploratory, qualitative research will seek to use narrative approaches to help answer questions such as, “What do community members see as the role of the library in their community?” and “How do library staff view their own role in serving their communities in the present day?” As we get started on this new, exciting project, you may not see monthly posts from LRS, but know that more content is coming soon. Also, we will continue to update you when new library data is available or LRS tools are updated, so stay tuned!
LRS’s Colorado Public Library Data Users Group (DUG) mailing list provides instructions on data analysis and visualization, LRS news, and PLAR updates. To receive posts via email, please complete this form.