NU SpringShare Playbook

LibInsight allows you to create and set up an unlimited number of datasets to collect and analyze data for all aspects of your library. There are a variety of pre-built datasets that focus on e-resources usage, circulation and acquisition analytics, budget analysis, and gate counts. In addition to the pre-built datasets, you are also able to create your own custom dataset for your own unique data-gathering needs. LibInsight's custom datasets can handle any number of fields and field types, form layouts, report variations, etc. -- enabling you to define specific fields and data points relevant to your library's statistics scenarios.

Setting up your datasets can be a collaborative effort, especially if you'll have multiple staff members managing datasets, recording data, and running analysis. Just keep in mind as you're setting up your datasets that system admins and regular-level users that have been given permission to define and administer a dataset are the only people who can manage each dataset's settings. All other regular users will only be able to add records and use the dataset in analysis and dashboards if they've been given permission to do so. With this level of dataset-specific permission control, you'll want to make sure your staff all have the necessary access to your datasets.

With that in mind, knowing what data you want to collect is essential for determining what datasets you'll need to create. The specific dataset types available to you in LibInsight -- with a link to each type's "everything you need to know" Springboard -- follows: 

• Acquisitions: record either individual transactions or just your aggregate monthly acquisitions. These datasets are designed to import acquisitions data that you've exported from your ILS, so the type of recording option you choose should correspond to the type of data you are exporting.
• Calendaring: keep track of the number of room reservations, librarian appointments, and events at your library. If you subscribe to LibCal, you can actually sync this data automatically from your Room Bookings module, Appointments, and Calendars.
• Circulation: record either individual transactions or just your aggregate monthly transactions. These datasets are designed to import circulation data that you've exported from your ILS, so the type of recording option you choose should correspond to the type of data you are exporting.
• Counts/Aggregate: record and analyze data in a tabular format. This type of dataset is ideal when you want to gather and record daily, monthly, or yearly totals for something. Unlike a Custom dataset, where records are analyzed based upon each record's timestamp, records in the Counts/Aggregate dataset area analyzed by the day, month, or year you provide. 
• Custom:  design your own dataset from scratch, so that you can analyze data for just about anything! You define the type of date/time stamp to use, as well as the different types of fields (such as text entry, checkboxes, radio buttons, etc.). These types of datasets are great for time-based or transactional data, such as: reference questions, instruction session requests, pre- and post-session assessments, or feedback surveys.
• E-Journals/Databases - r4: analyze the usage of all of your e-journals and databases in one place. This dataset supports the uploading of COUNTER r4 files, in addition to the harvesting of SUSHI data directly from your providers. If you happen to have a resource that does not support COUNTER r4 or SUSHI, no worries! You can manually enter or upload generic usage data, as well.
  • Note: before setting up an E-Journals/Databases dataset, you may want to consider using the E-Resources/COUNTER 5 dataset instead as compliant providers were required to start providing r5 reports in January 2019. If you're just starting to collect and analyze your e-resources usage, using that is recommended.
• E-Resources/COUNTER 5: analyze e-journal, ebook, and database usage from COUNTER 5-compliant vendors. Currently, you can import (via SUSHI harvesting) the Title Master Report, the Platform Master Report, and the Database Master Report for any providers you set up. (The Item Master Report will be coming soon.)
• eBooks - r4: analyze the usage of all of your eBook platforms in one place. This dataset supports the uploading of COUNTER r4 files, in addition to the harvesting of SUSHI data directly from your providers. If you happen to have a platform that does not support COUNTER r4 or SUSHI, no worries! You can manually enter or upload generic usage data, as well.
  • Note: as was the case with the E-Journals/Databases dataset, you may also want to consider using the E-Resources/COUNTER 5 dataset instead of the eBooks dataset. 
• Finance:  analyze your library's revenues and expenditures over time. 
• Gate Count: analyze the foot traffic at one or more locations. This includes hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly breakdowns of your gate counts, with breakdowns by day of the week, weekend vs. weekday, location, and month.
• Google Analytics: provides you with key metrics for any website you're tracking with Google Analytics.
• ILL: record and analyze your aggregate interlibrary loan data.
• LibGuides: analyze the total number of public page views, user sessions (if you have CMS), and published vs. total guides for your LibGuides system.
• Reference: track your reference data in one of three ways: by connecting the dataset to your LibAnswers system to automatically keep track of the number of tickets, SMS messages, and LibChat sessions with your patrons, as well as the number of FAQs views in your system; recording aggregate number of tickets/questions, SMS messages, chats, and/or FAQs views from another reference system; or by recording individual reference questions, with data such as the question asked, the answer provided, who answered the question, and more.
• Shared: custom datasets that allow you to collaborate with other libraries using LibInsight.

Source: Setting Up LibInsight