Data Board How To #2

Today we'll do the pie graph of checkouts by area of the library. Only ... I will be changing it some from what you can see in the example pic. Too many little areas cluttering up the visual. I DID separate out the Dewey areas but lets be honest. No one cares about that but us. So for today it will just be a pie graph showing checkouts by Everybody (or Easy or however you have yours labeled), Fiction, and Non-Fiction (or, I guess, technically Dewey).

What to do with that info? My guess is encourage more non-fiction reading (especially you states that have the Common Core standards ... only know what I've read online about that but I've gathered that much!). If you have the Dewey areas separated on YOUR end you can look and say "Oh, a display on books about places around the world might be in order, because really it was only the 500s that got much attention last month." But usually I don't think others would care that much.

This one I couldn't figure out how to make the data entry portion work as a clean form. The columns and rows didn't match up properly (so FYI ... unless some smarter person figures it out then pie graphs need to just be created in the spreadsheet view). So you'll go here, click on File and choose Make a Copy, and then change the cells to match your numbers. I totally made these up but they must be close ... I know we were around 4000 last month cause I was like "No wonder we're so tired." I have about 720 kids. Bigger schools, I do NOT know how you do it!

Once you have your data in Column B (and on your copy you could change the labels and number of rows ... if you wanted to separate out by more specific areas!) then highlight Column A & B Rows 1-3 and choose the chart option.

Choose Pie Graph.

Then again ... I like to move the chart to it's own page. That's just me. ;]

Then click on Advanced Edit.

Then you can play around with the colors and labels. You can choose to have the exact number shown or percentage of total checkouts listed.

 And you can play around with the colors.

 And then Save Image. I like to "tile print" them so that they are bigger than just one regular sheet of paper. Usually they are four sheets of paper. Mini-poster size.

Question ... would it be helpful to have these "how tos" in a pdf or Google Doc or Smores flyer format? So they could be printed? Or does this work for whatever need there might be? Though I have to be honest ... it might take me a while to make that happen. Maybe November break or something.





PS I'm working on a sort of 1.5 ... forms that gather more interesting data like "What is our favorite genre to read?" You can then turn that into a bar graph or if you are really adventurous ... maybe start designing an infographic? ;]