Wisconsin State‐Level Data Sources for Public Libraries
Understanding how to locate primary data sources is essential, especially when working with information related to Wisconsin libraries. This section takes you directly to the datasets collected by the Department of Public Instruction and other key primary sources.
The Wisconsin Public Library Annual Report is intended to provide a general description of the public library and the services it provides to library users. Library boards are required to file reports with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the libraries’ governing body, under Wis. Stat. 43.58 (6) (a).
The information supplied by public libraries and public library systems is published online on the Wisconsin Public Library Service Data page. Selected data elements are cooperatively shared with the Institute of Library and Museum Services (IMLS) to add to a national database of public library information as part of the national Public Libraries Survey (PLS).
| Tip: Annual Report Data Use You can use Annual Report data to: – Track circulation trends over time – Compare your library to statewide averages – Highlight services and community reach in reports or grant applications |
Overseen by the Bureau of Libraries, BadgerLink is Wisconsin’s Online Library. It provides residents access to licensed databases and other electronic resources designed to provide a foundational collection serving all Wisconsin residents, augmenting those available through K-12 schools, public libraries, public and private universities and technical colleges, medical and health-care facilities, and state agencies.
Statewide usage data for a rolling 6-year period, details about reports and data definitions, as well as information about how libraries can obtain their own usage data is available on the Statistics page of the BadgerLink website.
The Department of Public Instruction provides multiple ways to discover, visualize, and access Wisconsin education data.
- WISEdash is a data portal that uses dashboards, or visual collections of graphs and tables, to provide multi-year education data about Wisconsin schools. Among the many resources available this Quick start user guide and the library-centric slide deck may help gather your local School District’s student demographics.
- GIS and Maps provides interactive education, library, and community data maps.
A simple internet search of ‘Wisconsin state datasets’ will return multiple pages of results. Here are a few for consideration.
- County Health Ranking & Roadmaps, a program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, draws attention to why there are differences in health within and across communities. Includes data on civic and community infrastructure such as library and broadband access as metrics associated with public health.
- GetFacts is Wisconsin’s demographic data and visualization portal focused on counties and municipalities. This tool is built by the University of Wisconsin (UW) Applied Population Lab (APL) and the UW – Madison Extension. APL provides several other resources.
- Institute for Research on Poverty-WI Administrative Data Core is a cross-agency array of administrative data over time that supports evidence-based policymaking and allows for research and evaluation across multiple programs and outcomes.
- United Way ALICE provides a comprehensive, unbiased picture of financial hardship through reporting via ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) measurements.
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services Environmental Health Data Dashboards offer insight into resident’s environmental health covering many topics.
- Wisconsin GIS Data provides geospatial data, imagery, and scanned maps from multiple state agencies.
- WisConomy Visual Catalog from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development provides a large collection of career pathway, workforce, and unemployment information as dashboards and a data tools product to create custom visualizations.
When working with a dataset, start by learning the basics about it. Look at the descriptions, data point (field) definitions, how often the data is updated, how it was collected, and where it came from. This information, the metadata, helps you understand the data and avoid mistakes when using it.
Next, think about the format of the data. Many datasets come as spreadsheets, such as CSV (comma-separated values) or tab-delimited files, which can be opened in tools like Excel or Google Sheets. These will be the most straightforward to use with common tools and skillsets. Some datasets may come in more advanced formats like JSON or XML, which organize information in a structured, hierarchical way.
Finally, choose the part of the data that best fits your goal. You may need to filter the dataset or focus on a specific group for comparison. This could include narrowing the data by categories such as dates, locations, age groups, or other characteristics that might affect the results. The right subset of data will depend on the question you are trying to answer.