SWIMMING IN THE DATA LAKE (29 Oct 2026)

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 13:30:00 GMT

SWIMMING IN THE DATA LAKE

EXPLORING THE DEPTHS OF ALMA ANALYTICS AND DATA VISUALIZATION

Date: October 29 and 30, 2026

Time: 9:30 am – 3:30 pm EDT

Day One: Getting Your Feet Wet

There’s a lot of documentation out there for both Alma Analytics and Data Visualization. Unfortunately, it’s quite sparse for beginners. Most of it is task-based and assumes you already know enough to navigate the interfaces and understand the questions you need to ask. For most folks, report generation is a small part of their larger job, and dedicating time to that level of research and testing can be difficult. In this introductory webinar, we will spend the day showing you how to get started in both Analytics and Data Visualization. We’ll look at key vocabulary, how the interfaces are structured, how to navigate around them, and how to begin making your own reports or searching out and modifying existing reports.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this webinar attendees will:

Be able to navigate the Analytics and Data Visualization User Interfaces
Be able to create and edit Alma Analytics reports
Be able to create and edit Alma Data Visualization workbooks
Be able to format Alma Data Visualization workbooks

Day Two: Swimming in the Deep

Alma Analytics and Data Visualization give libraries powerful options for data reporting and analysis. Use of tools such as formulas, filters, and prompts allow us to produce reports, dashboards, and visualizations for data exploration, answering questions, and communicating data stories. As strong as these tools are, though, they become even more powerful when used together. This workshop will explore features in Analytics and DV to tailor reports and address more complex data needs. We’ll then look at how they can be used together and with Alma itself to fit holistically into your organization’s larger workflows.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this webinar attendees will:

Be able to apply column formulas, filters, and prompts in Analytics and Data Visualization
Understand how to create and edit data sets in Data Visualization that can drive reports in both DV and Analytics
Be able to join subject areas and data sets in DV
Understand how Alma, Analytics, and DV can work together
Be able to distribute report results using a variety of methods

Speaker Bios:

Kimberley A. Edwards is the Head of Data Discoverability at George Mason University Libraries. She received her MLIS from the University of Kentucky and prior to her current role she worked in the circulation and technical services departments of several college and government libraries. Her areas of interest include collaboration, interdepartmental communication, and collection organization, and she has written and presented on those topics for a range of publications and conferences.

Emily Nilson is the Database Integrity & Analysis Specialist at George Mason University Libraries. She earned her MLIS at the Catholic University of America. While on a quest for a sunburst diagram in 2022, she began using Alma Data Visualization and has spent the intervening years leveling up both her knowledge and enthusiasm for the tool. Emily currently serves as the Deputy Coordinator for the Analytics Community of Practice where she excitedly moderates a Basecamp site and monthly meetings for the nascent Data Visualization sub-community.

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SWIMMING IN THE DATA LAKE (29 Oct 2026)