Libraries across the country are adapting to the digital age with more online programming and digital resources available for patrons. This growth can make it complicated to plan, track and manage programs in various formats and on various platforms. 

While libraries advance and grow their programs, the way they account for attendance is stuck in the past. Hand tallying and paper trails are cumbersome and time consuming. There’s a better way!

 At WhoFi, we want to make your job easier by automating tasks that take your time away from patrons and helping you get the information you need to plan for the future of your library. Community Calendar is the solution to program planning for libraries in the digital age. 

What Is Community Calendar? 

Community Calendar is a reporting tool to help libraries understand their programming and better serve the community. It’s an easy-to-use system to schedule programs and view insights – all in one place. This tool makes it easy to schedule, manage, and count attendance at all programs and events.

The program creates the data graphs and charts that provide an easy-to-read report with the click of a button. It doesn’t require a lot of time and anyone can use it, no special spreadsheet or IT skills necessary. 

You Can Easily Create and Manage Program Categories

Community Calendar has preset categories for every PLS type (children’s and adult programs) so you can define clear categories and programs to create consistent reporting. When you set-up and schedule an event, you can select from various preset categories (that are required for PLS reporting) and pull reports for all of it after the event. 

For example, when you are scheduling your program, you can select the program platform (such as Facebook or Zoom), choose the type (live virtual or recorded), choose the location (virtual or in-person) in addition to the program type (children, youth, young adult or adult). When you are done creating the program, all of the information for the program category will be included in the posting and stored in the system so you can easily see attendance for every program and sort by category. 

It Makes Counting Program Attendance Simple

When the program is over, simply enter the total number of attendees into the system for that specific program. All of your program information and counts will be stored in one place where you can reference it at any time. This makes it easy to keep track of program attendance, rather than keeping track of various sheets of paper. You’ll also be able to pull reports that show you program attendance for every program and category. The reports show you an overview, detailed breakdown and graph so you can easily interpret the data and get what you need for PLS reports. 

How Does Community Calendar Benefit Your Library?

 You save time, reduce stress and get more accurate numbers for program attendance. Library directors and staff use these insights during board meetings and with just a few clicks you can easily pull reports and numbers you’ll need for the PLS report. 

Preset categories mirror exactly what will be required to fill out the PLS, which means you spend less time tallying, totaling and counting on various papers or spreadsheets. The layout makes it easy to view specific data points of interest (like program categories), whereas spreadsheets have everything in view with no way to select or sort for specific views. 

The biggest benefit of Community Calendar is that it gives you back more time, assures accurate reporting, and fits exactly with what you need to fill out the PLS survey. Time and convenience are major benefits of using the Community Calendar. 

Schedule a demo today and see how your library can benefit from Community Calendar.