to the cloud! how to compile and analyze reference statistics easily and for free
DESCRIPTION
Presentation on the technology used to compile and analyze statistics at the Earl K. Long Library at the University of New Orleans. Presented at the Louisiana Library Association Annual Conference in Shreveport, LA on March, 23, 2012 at 1pm by Sonnet Ireland and Faith Simmons.TRANSCRIPT
To the Cloud!
How to Compile and Analyze Reference Statistics Easily and for Free
Sonnet IrelandFaith G. SimmonsUniversity of New OrleansLLA 2012
The Way We Were...
Originally, we used a printout sheet.
This sheet was always at the reference desk in the Learning Commons.
Sheets were also printed out for the Circulation desk.
The Problems...
Messy--Was an absolute headache to compile and analyze
Incomplete - pages were either missing or never created. Trying to use these sheets months later, it could be hard to figure out if a sheet wasn't created because there were no questions or because we were closed.
With different access points throughout the library, many reference interactions went unmarked because of the inconvenience of the location of the sheet.
Why GoogleDocs?
Digital form--spreadsheets that can be used to calculate totals
Can be accessed and updated by multiple people at the same time
Free and user-friendly
Security--multiple options for allowing access to the sheet
How it works...
1. Duplicate the template for the day.
2. Update statistics throughout the day.
3. Copy statistics from GoogleDocs into a stable spreadsheet.
4. Save the stable spreadsheet in Sharepoint (paid program) and Dropbox (free)
5. Use the stable spreadsheets to calculate the totals and analyze the data
CALCULATIONSDemonstration of GoogleDocs
How many of you arefamiliar with using Excel formulas?
Benefits
Hosted offsite--available anywhere with an internet connection
Multiple users can update the spreadsheet at one time
Auto save
Login options--password, or link, or username
Published but not searchable
Can export into a spreadsheet.
Definitions of various interactions are spelled out in the sheet
Problems with Using Google
Too many sheets (for too many days) can get messy
Sometimes there are errors in the formula after duplicating the template multiple times
Communication--important that everyone is on the same page (numbers vs. tick marks; is phone virtual or in-person)
CALCULATIONSDemonstration of Sharepoint
Advanced formulas for analysis.
Why Dropbox?
Free account offers 2GB of storage
Saved across multiple computers and on the cloud
Can be shared with multiple people
Get even more storage with .edu email addresses
How Dropbox Works
Go to Dropbox.com
Create an account and download Dropbox on to your computer. You can download it onto several computers (your work, your home desktop, your laptop, your iPad) with the same account.
When you save a file, save it in a Dropbox folder. This will save the file on any computer with your Dropbox account.
Access the file from any of your Dropbox computers...or from another location via Dropbox.com.
Any changes you make to the file will be automatically updated across all of your computers.
Dropbox Demonstration
Questions?
Resources
GoogleDocs docs.google.comDropbox dropbox.com
Sonnet [email protected]
Faith G. [email protected]