Analyzing IMLS Data to Find Your Peer Libraries

"Peer analysis" is a tool used in finance, management, and even sports -- and you do it unconsciously all the time.  We're simply finding the similar items in a large dataset by one or more dimensions, and then seeing how they compare in other dimensions.  In other words, if you're the director of a small library in Ruraltown, Nebraska, you don't want to compare your library's collection numbers to those larger library systems in Omaha and Nebraska.

Book Review - "Working as a Data Librarian: A Practical Guide" by Eric O. Johnson

A data librarian is a librarian who specializes in helping people find and use data.  While I'm not a librarian myself, I do help librarians find and use data, so when I saw this book mentioned on Twitter, I was quick to hop on our local library's OPAC and request a copy.  Quick summary: a fantastic introduction to the strategies and tools used by data librarians!