Make infographics

Make your own infographics

From: Karen Bonanno

In a previous report on Graphic Statistics I indicated that stating statistics can really get people to take some notice. Having the statistics presented in a graphic format seems to grab attention and sends a very clear message.

The makeuseof web site has a great post on 10 Awesome Free Tools to Make Infographics

The author, Angela Alcorn, provides these tips for designing infographics:

  1. Keep it simple! Don’t try to do too much in one picture.
  2. Decide on a colour scheme.
  3. Research some great facts and statistics.
  4. Think of it as a visual essay: ensure your arguments hold and are relevant.
  5. Remember that it’s all about quickly conveying the meaning behind complex data.
  6. Draw conclusions.
  7. Reference your facts in the infographic.
  8. Include your URL so people can be sure who made it.

What sorts of things would you capture so you could create an infographic for your school?

Let’s look at what you could capture and report on for one term of the school year, for example. (You could use a shorter or longer timeframe.)

  • Number of resources borrowed.
  • Range of formats of resources borrowed.
  • Specific listings borrowed, e.g. fiction.
  • Number of times you were “booked” by teachers to work with them to develop curriculum programs.
  • Number of times you were “booked” by teachers to work with students.
  • Number of students in the class you worked with during that time, e.g. 1 teacher X “x” number of students X 1 term could present impressive statistics to include in an annual report or newsletter.
  • Number & type of requests from students (have some way of noting these at the circulation desk).

With very little imagination I’m sure you can come up with ways to use the data your library/learning management system captures or reflect on the frequently asked questions that teachers and students ask to be able to develop a visual representation of information.

Brought to you by KB Enterprises (Aust) Pty Ltd

If you haven’t already signed up to receive our free School Library Management Hot Topic reports, then please complete the sign in at https://kb.com.au/school-library-management-ideas/