When it comes to advocacy, numbers often speak louder than words.
Whether it’s the public library board, school superintendent, or a taxpaying resident, they need numbers to understand the value of libraries and provide support.
Our members rely on RAILS’s data team to research, analyze, and present information that helps them share that value with stakeholders.
In 2024, we launched the School Library Advocacy Through Education (SLATE) Data Dashboard, which provided information on Illinois school library staffing, budgets, and collection details and was viewed over 6,000 times.
We also published Illinois Libraries, Agencies of Impact: A Data Study which examines the quantifiable impact of Illinois libraries. Over 2,800 physical copies of this study have been distributed, its powerful infographics making their way into the hands of people who can help libraries thrive.
Learn more at railslibraries.org/data-analysis