7/11 Tools to help manage data
Electronic
Word tables
Data can be managed electronically in a variety of ways. Similar to manual data analysis, the question about 'Making use of computers in the library' can be grouped into categories and themes using a word table:
| Question | Top level category | Second level category | Third level category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making user of computers in the library | Courses | Online | 'clueless about computers' |
| LearnDirect course for Frontpage 98 | |||
| BBC webwise CD | |||
| Library | Computer club introduction to the internet | ||
| Internet use | |||
| Holiday research | |||
| Building a website |
You would then go back to your data and look for more category levels such as user satisfaction and impact.
Databases
The same information could also be place into a database. The advantage of using a database is that data can be stored and queried in a number of ways.
Large amounts of data can also be added to a database and then key words filtered in order to sort the data into categories and themes. For example have a look at this Access guide in Word format.
