I admit it. I’ve been suffering from a case of statistician’s block. No inspiring ideas for this blog have presented themselves since July. Well, actually, a couple did surface but I resisted them. Very recently, though, the irresistible “infographic” shown here came to my attention. I am therefore pleased to return to my keyboard to discuss this captivating image with you!

Source: ALA, Libraries Connect Communities, 2012.  Click for larger image.

The infographic appears in the executive summary of the American Library Association’s (ALA) report, Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2011-2012, published in June. The graphic’s basic message is an ongoing struggle between two sides. On the left the blue silhouetted figures represent public demand for technology services at libraries, with four percentages quantifying levels of use. The lone silhouette on the right side personifies library funding (is he a municipal budget official?), with a single percentage quantifying that. Apparently, the quantities on the left are, using the tug-of-war metaphor, overpowering the right side.

Let’s look a bit closer at the quantitative evidence in this infographic . . . [Read more]