Visualizing the Future of Collections: How to Make Data Visualization Accessible and Useful for Managing Collections and Museums

Abstract

Data are vital to collections—from managing their holdings to quantifying their impact. Data visualization can be a powerful asset for collections because it translates complex data into something intuitive. In recent years, data visualization (and dashboards specifically) has gradually been applied in collections for various tasks and audiences. However, this frontier is still new, and there are significant barriers making data visualization inaccessible for most collections, including time and resources, programming experience, training materials, and consistent examples. In this case study, I directly address these barriers by designing a suite of collection management dashboards using the free and user-friendly software Tableau Public and tutorials that explain how to use and customize the them. These resources were finalized with the input from a representative pool of the target audience. Everything is freely available online at http://www.CollVizDashboards.com. As museums continue to evolve, data visualization ought to be accessible to all collections.