Call Slip Data Analysis at the Center For Brooklyn History (Pratt Fellowship Project)

Project Description

As a student Fellow at the CBH, I used paper call slips from the past year and a half to create a spreadsheet showing archival collection use at the Othmer Library. I then downloaded the data as a CSV file and created a Python script to analyze collections use patterns, ultimately creating a report with various charts to present to my colleagues on the collections team.

Methods

I first created my dataset by entering fields like appointment date, collection title, and box number from each call slip into a spreadsheet. After entering in a backlog of slips that had been collected in the months before I started my fellowship, I kept the spreadsheet up to date as more materials were requested each week. Then, I converted the spreadsheet into a CSV file and developed a Python script using methods I was learning in my Programming for Cultural Heritage class to analyze the data. For the time period represented, I determined the total collections used, total boxes requested, busiest days of the week, and the most used collections. I used Python’s matplotlib module to create pie charts showing some of this data and presented the findings to my coworkers.

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My Role

I am the sole creator of the Python script and collected most of the data myself. Some data was added to the spreadsheet by my colleague at the CBH, Kevin Dao.

Learning Outcome Achieved

Technology

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Rationale

While completing this project, I gained hands-on experience writing original code in Python, specifically to analyze data related to library materials usage. I also learned how data can help library staff make informed decisions about their work. I hope that the findings of my analysis will help the CBH collections team determine how to prioritize their time and develop methods to increase access to their materials. 

In order to maintain the privacy of the data I collected for the CBH, I am not including the final report or data visualizations that I created for the use of the collections team. If you are interested in learning more about the project or my methods, please contact me.