Hi all, You see them everywhere and may wonder, how was that created? Infographics, word clouds and data tools that convey interesting messages, complex data sets, productivity statistics, compelling stories, and engaging images, all in visual and sometimes interactive formats. Libraries and educational organizations need to "tell your story" and have a 30 second "elevator speech" at the ready, and infographics may just be what lets your message rise above others who compete for the same funding and support. Newly added to the MeL Books & Literacy Gateway<http://mel.org/index.php?P=MeLGateways&ParentId=60> under the Libraries & Information Science<http://mel.org/index.php?P=MeLGateways&ParentId=62> classification is a group of resources to help with creating visual messages. Infographic & Data Tools<http://mel.org/index.php?P=MeLGateways&ParentId=247> currently includes six tools to start with. I see great things in your future - annual reports, summer reading program participation, revenue/expenditure comparison, service area demographics, program promotion - and, Library Snapshot Day postings on social media (#MILibSnap). As Sonya Schryer Norris explained in her May 24, message to this list, plan to participate in this ALA initiative during the week of June 13-17 and show the world what your library does and "...share the impact of your library on your community in eye-catching ways." MeL Minutes are brought to you by the Library of Michigan. Want more information on MeL? Stay tuned for next week's MeL Minute available on many Michigan library listservs, email us at contact@mel.org<mailto:contact@mel.org> or visit mel.org<http://mel.org/>. We encourage you to share MeL Minutes with your public service colleagues. Eunice Eunice C. Borrelli Michigan eLibrary Internet Librarian Library of Michigan/Michigan Dept. of Education 517-241-4996 [Follow MeL on Twitter]<https://twitter.com/meldotorg> [MeL - Michigan eLibrary Logo] <http://mel.org/> [Like MeL on Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/mel.org> [cid:image001.png@01D1A46B.DA1302F0]Our collective efforts can help make Michigan a Top 10 education state in 10 years! Here are the goals and strategies: http://mi.gov/top10in10/
