Evaluating Library Services, Programs and Collections

PLEASE NOTE: Due to grant funding requirements, this course is open to California library staff ONLY.

Do you know if the programs, services, and collections your library is providing are the right ones?

Data gathered through evaluation can tell you if these are meeting the needs of your community and point you to places where you should make changes. Data can demonstrate the cost/benefit or return on investment for your library. In this practical course, learners will be introduced to a systematic process and a variety of methods for assessing needs. Sources for finding existing data about your community will be highlighted. Strategies for conducting surveys, focus groups, and other data gathering methods will be covered. Best practices for sharing and using gathered data will be reviewed, including examples and case studies from the field. Learners in the course will gain the ability to inform their intuition about their communities with evidence.

Course Description: Through the four weeks of the course, you will start with basic input and output measures and learn how to create simple but effective reports that will help your library move forward. In assignments and discussions, you will develop goals and objectives for programs, services, or collections, and see how these fit into the library’s larger structure and mission. You will have opportunities to determine what types of data to collect, where it can be found, and how to present and communicate it. We’ll explore options for data benchmarking and cost/benefit or return on investment analysis. You will come away with useful resources, best practices, and tips and techniques that can be applied immediately and that will support your work long after the course is over.

Course Outline: When you log in to the Infopeople online learning site, you will see weekly modules with these topics:

• Week 1: Planning for Evaluation
  • Focus on program or process improvement
  • Using evaluation as a tool for communication
  • Planning the evaluation component of a grant proposal
  • Developing goals and objectives
  • The types and sources of both qualitative and quantitative data
  • Input and output measures
• Week 2: Implementing Evaluation
  • Benchmarking
  • Outcome-based evaluation
  • Types of data analysis
  • Ways to evaluate collections
  • Ways to evaluation programs and services
  • Engaging users in the evaluation process
• Week 3: Communicating Your Evaluation Results
  • How and when to communicate and present your findings
  • Different types of presentations for different audiences
  • Conveying the meaning behind complex data
  • Using cost/benefit analysis and return-on-investment (ROI) tools
• Week 4: Using Data to Make Changes and Plan Ahead
  • Determining whether a service or program is the most efficient use of resources
  • Evaluating services to determine whether they fit into the library’s strategic plan and goals
  • Evaluating collections to ensure they meet the needs of the community and are the most effective use of the budget

Pre-course Assignment: Prior to the beginning of the course, you should download and complete this spreadsheet (XLS format) showing basic data for your library. If possible, collect this data for a single library or branch, not a system. However, if only system information is easily available, use that.

Time Required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2½ hours per week, for a total of ten course hours. Each week's module contains readings and various options for assignments and discussions. You can choose the options most relevant to your work and interests. Although you can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night, it is recommended that you complete each week's work within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: Individuals working in public libraries in California who are responsible for evaluation of library programs, services, or collections. Library board members and other stakeholders will also find this course to be valuable.

Online Learning Details and System Requirements may be found at: infopeople.org/training/online_learning_details.

After the official end date for the course, the instructor will be available for limited consultation and support for two more weeks, and the course material will stay up for an additional two weeks after that. These extra weeks give those who have fallen behind time to work independently to complete the course.

Keywords: data