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Last revised: 03/12/2008

Profiling Your Community
Instructions for Worksheets 2A, B and C

You may want to print out both the instructions and the worksheets to share with your planning team.

Working with demographic data about your community.

Introduction:

The activities in this section are designed to help you locate, retrieve and analyze demographic data about your community. For these activities we will be relying on data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau. We also encourage you to seek other sources of demographic information for your community. Are there resources in your library or your community that may help you update the Census data? Who are the statistical experts in your community that might be willing to help you locate and retrieve updated information (school board offices, Chamber of Commerce, City Clerk's Office, etc.)? If your library is located in Kansas, click here for links to additional demographic resources available through the Internet.

Before you begin this activity, have one or two members of your planning group use the Internet to retrieve census data about your community using the following instructions (You may want to print these instructions so that you can refer to them as you collect the census data.) You will be using the U.S. Census Bureau's American Factfinder (http://factfinder.census.gov/) to collect the census information you need.

The American FactFinder provides several methods for retrieving census data. Two methods that are particularly useful for planning activities are zip code searches and searches by place name. If your library service area is defined by place (city, town, etc.) boundaries then the place search may be appropriate. If, however, your library service area extends beyond the boundaries of city or town then a zip code search would probably be preferrable. Data tables generated by the American FactFinder will display your community's (using either place or zip code searches) demographics including both counts and percentages. Instructions for both zip code and place name searches are outlined below:

Zip Code Search:

  • Determine the zip code(s) which defines your community.

  • Click here here to go to the American Factfinder (http://factfinder.census.gov/).

  • Look for the box labelled "Data Sets" and click on "2000 Summary File 1".

  • Locate the menu to the right of "Summary File 1" and click on "Quick Tables".

  • Click in the circle to the left of "list" to mark it as the selection method.

  • Using the drop down menu labelled "Select a geographic type", click on "5-Digit Zip Code Tabulation Area". The screen will refresh.

  • Move to the area labelled "Select a 3-digit ZIP code tabulation area", scroll through the drop down menu and click on the first 3 digits of your zip code(s). (For example: if your zip code is 66049, you would select "660".) The screen will refresh.

  • From the list labelled "Select one or more geographic areas" click on your zip code(s) and click on the "Add" button. (Note: If you need data for more than one zip code, hold down the Ctrl key while you are highlighting the zip codes. Then click on the "Add" button.)

  • Click on the "Next" button and the screen will refresh.

  • Click in the circle to the left of "show all tables " to mark it as the search method.

  • In the box labelled "Select one or more tables" click on the data table that you want to view. If you want to see a description of the table, click on the "What's this?" button to the right of the box. Once you have made your selection, click on the "Add" button and then click the "Show Table" button. (We recommend that you select "DP-1 Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 Universe".) The screen will refresh.

  • Print the table(s) and analyze the data to complete the activities described in Worksheets 2A, 2B and 2C.

City Name Search:

  • Go the American Factfinder (http://factfinder.census.gov/) by clicking here.

  • Look for box labelled "Data Sets" and click on "2000 Summary File 1".

  • Locate the menu to the right of "Summary File 1" and click on "Quick Tables".

  • Click in the circle to the left of "list" to mark it as the selection method.

  • Using the drop down menu labelled "Select a geographic type", select "Place". The screen will refresh.

  • Using the drop down menu labelled "Select a state", select your state. The screen will refresh.

  • Scroll through the list labelled "Select one or more geographic areas", find your community's name, click on it and then click on the "Add" button. Now click on the "Show Table" button and the screen will refresh.

  • Click in the circle to the left of "show all tables " to mark it as the search method.

  • In the box labelled "Select one or more tables" click on the data table that you want to view. If you want to see a description of the table, click on the "What's this?" button to the right of the box. Once you have made your selection, click on the "Add" button and then click the "Show Table" button. (We recommend that you select "DP-1 Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 Universe".) The screen will refresh.

  • Print the table(s) and use them to complete the activities described in Worksheets 2A, 2B and 2C.

Now you are ready to begin Worksheets 2A, 2B and 2C. One or two members of your planning group can do the preliminary analysis of the data and report their findings to the group. Then the entire planning group can discuss the results and what they mean for your library's plan as you work through the activities on the worksheets.

Worksheet 2A:

  • Fill in the name of your town and make a note about whether your data was retrieved by place or by zip code.

  • Find the total population in your census data and compare it to any updated data that you have located. Record the most accurate population figure you have located in the blank at the top of the worksheet.

  • Analyze the data you have collected about the racial makeup of your community. Make notes in the box on the worksheet summarizing what you have discovered. What did you find that was significant? Were these findings reflected in the drawings and paragraphs you completed in the first section? In the circle, make notes of how significant findings may impact your library plan. Jot down notes about further information or updates you need to locate.

  • Use the information about age groups included in the census data to analyze the age profile of your community. In the blank chart below, enter the number of residents in the column labelled "Total Population" for each of the age groups that you have listed in the left hand column. Calculate the percentage of the total population each of these age groups represents using the following formula:


    (Note: Census tables for the 2000 data include percentages.)

    Sample Calculation
    Age group Population within
    that age group    		 Total Population Percentage of population
    Age 55-65 40 400 40/400 = 1/10 = 0.10 = 10%


    Blank Chart
    Age group Population within
    that age group    		 Total Population Percentage
    of population


  • In the elipse on the worksheet, make notes about the significance of these figures and what you think they may mean for your library plan. Also note any further information gathering you may want to do.

    Some examples of possible observations you could record in the ideas box are:

    *No wonder story hour doesn't draw many people (not many preschoolers).
    "How can we serve our 90+ population or the people who work with them?"
    *Are there any surprises?
    *What else do you need to know?

Worksheet 2B:

Continue the analysis of the census data looking at specific data as follows:

  • Refer to the census data and any other demographic information you have gathered. Now analyze this information to see what it tells you about the families and households in your community. What is significant about this data? Record your findings in the rectangle marked "Notes about Family and Household". Then record notes about the significance of these figures and what you think they may mean for your library plan. Also note any further information gathering you may want to do in the elipse to the right of the rectangle on the worksheet.

  • Continue your analysis and recording for the rectangles labelled "Notes about Language" and "Notes about Travel Time". Consider these questions as you record your ideas:

    What did you find out about the households in your community? What do you think this means for your library plan?
    What languages are spoken in your community?
    Are these languages reflected in the library's collection and services?
    How long does it take people to get to work?
    How do these findings affect the library's plan for services and materials?
    What else do you need to know?

To help you organize and summarize some of the data you have collected using the methods described above, you may want to use the guide:
Facts & Figures
The questions outlined in this guide will help you to begin to develop a demographic of your community.


Worksheet 2C:

Now bring the planning group together and share your findings. Brainstorm with the group and record further ideas related to each type of data.

Give every group member a copy of Worksheet 2C. Allow ten minutes for each group member to reflect on the demographic findings and then come back together.

Discuss, as a group, your thoughts and reflections about the findings from the analysis of the census data. Record your ideas and make a list of further information you want to collect.

Forward to Worksheet 2A Back to Profiling Index