From Data to Discovery: How Destiny AI Gives Librarians More Time to Engage and Advocate

When people think of school librarians, they often picture someone checking books in and out – but the role goes far beyond that. Librarians manage collections, support teachers and curriculum, foster a love of reading across diverse grade and skill levels, and create engaging learning environments. On top of that, they must continuously advocate for resources, often through time-consuming reports. But with only so many hours in the day, balancing it all is a challenge.

This is especially true for Shannon McClintock Miller, Director of Innovation of Instructional Technology and Library Media, who supports students from preschool to Grade 12. As a dedicated Follett Destiny® Library Manager user, she relied on the platform to manage her collection – until she discovered that Destiny AI: Data Assistant could take it even further, streamlining daily tasks, optimizing collection management, and providing powerful data insights for reports, advocacy, and grant writing.

The Challenge

Shannon needed a way to efficiently track library usage, support data-driven decisions, and communicate the library’s impact to administrators, teachers, and students. Some key challenges included:

• Time-consuming data retrieval: Manually gathering circulation statistics and collection insights for reports, grant applications, and advocacy efforts was tedious.
• Collection management struggles: Understanding borrowing trends, optimizing purchases, and maintaining a balanced collection required deep data analysis.
• Library engagement: Keeping students and teachers informed about top checkouts, new arrivals, and reading trends was difficult without easy access to circulation data.

As a dedicated Destiny Library Manager user, Shannon needed a tool that could deliver quick, accurate insights while reducing manual effort. Enter Destiny AI: Data Assistant.

The Solution – Destiny AI: Data Assistant

Destiny AI: Data Assistant is the first intuitive AI-powered assistant built within K-12 library management software to provide insights in an instant. 

Upon adoption, Shannon’s approach to library reporting and insights changed. Destiny AI: Data Assistant provided immediate insights into circulation trends, collection value, and popular books.

“It’s gonna be great when we have these conversations with our leaders and our different groups,    even our teachers, to be able to look at our collection and really, like, sit down and collaborate on it,” says Shannon.

Instant Insights

“Destiny AI has made a difference for me, as a librarian, and for our library, and readers. It will save me so much time as I dig into information and make informed decisions about our collection, our library program, and how the library impacts our community.” 

Now Shannon can quickly retrieve key statistics, making it easier to create reports for the school board, grant applications, and year-end summaries. She knows instantly how many books had been checked out in the last 12 months, broken down by grade level. Destiny AI even helped quantify the value of books cataloged in the past year, which allowed Shannon to advocate for budget allocations and demonstrate the impact of new acquisitions. And, by analyzing nonfiction checkouts, she justified funding requests to enhance nonfiction offerings, aligning with teacher needs.

Optimized Collection Development

Shannon used Destiny AI to make data-driven decisions about her library’s collection. The tool suggested books for removal based on low circulation, helping her maintain a fresh, relevant collection.

Additionally, she can now enter a simple question into the platform to easily identify the top 20 most frequently checked-out books and immediately reveal statistics such as the most popular book series, informing selections and allowing insight into new purchases!

“I love how I can quickly ask questions to get a snapshot of the past year, or even just the week,” says Shannon.  

Enhanced Student and Teacher Engagement

Most importantly, however, is the time Destiny AI: Data Assistant has given Shannon back to spend with students. The tool has even created interactive experiences for Shannon and her students that have encouraged reading and increased library visibility.

”I love seeing our little ones come in and get so excited about new books that we might have, and I recently got some about mummies and all kinds of things. And so, it’s really fun to be able to see what we have.” 

Using real-time circulation tracking, Shannon updated digital displays with the number of books checked out daily – students loved seeing this number grow. New books in the collection were highlighted with teachers and students through printed displays, and teachers and students can benefit from customized book selections based on what is trending in the library and their past library interactions.

“One of my favorite things about Destiny AI is how I can find out important questions about the books we have in our library and how I can make sure we have what our readers love and need. For example, this morning I asked Destiny AI to show me the top 10 picture books checked out in the last month. I can use that in my collection development work in Titlewave and also as I set up our Destiny Discover carousels and resources. It’s just amazing to bring this to our library! “

The Results

Destiny AI has transformed library operations and engagement at Van Meter Schools, saving Shannon hours of manual data collection and instantly generating once-tedious reports. With data-driven insights, she has strengthened advocacy efforts, improved funding requests, and made informed budget decisions. By streamlining collection management, Destiny AI ensures the library is stocked with high-interest, high-circulation materials, allowing Shannon to focus on what matters most – engaging students, fostering a love of reading, and championing her library with confidence. Whether tracking circulation trends, optimizing book selections, or generating reports, Destiny AI has become an essential tool, making librarians’ work easier, more effective, and more impactful.

Want to see how Destiny AI can transform your library? Learn more.