Public Library Data Dashboard Access Extended

The Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC) Data Dashboard access has been extended to June 30, 2025. Back in September, the WPLC in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), facilitated a statewide data dashboard pilot that was due to close December 31, 2024. Due to growing interest in the Data Dashboard pilot, the DPI provided additional support to extend access for an additional 6 months. The WPLC Data Dashboard allows all public library and system staff from across the state to have barrier-free access to statewide public library service data as gathered in Wisconsin's Annual Report. 

All library staff are encouraged to utilize this free tool! The dashboard includes over 35 data points from the Annual Report, as well as some customized calculations. All public library service data (as reported to the DPI) from 2015-2023 will be available in a visualized format allowing for peer library comparisons. In addition, the dashboard offers cohort options based on library locale and resident population size for optional benchmarking options when examining library data.

You can access the dashboard on the WPLC website at: https://wplc.info/dashboard. (Please note this web page is unlisted on the WPLC website so you will not be able to navigate to it from the main page.) No login credentials are needed!

As part of the pilot, feedback is being solicited from users about the benefits and challenges of dashboard use and the ways in which library staff utilize tools such as this one. To that end, users are being provided with training materials on how to use the dashboard and different ways to consider/engage with the included data. Your experiences will be an essential component of improving public library data access and use as part of this pilot! We hope you will participate.

For any questions about the dashboard pilot, please reach out to Kim at WiLS, kim@wils.org.