Let's Tell Them That We Are Worth It
2002 Conference Program presented by the Interlibrary Cooperation and Networking (ICAN) section of ASCLA
June 15, 2002, Atlanta Georgia--In most cooperative library systems and consortia, staff members work very hard at providing services for members. They manage creative programs and assist in cost saving resource sharing with participating libraries. However, few cooperative library systems take the time to evaluate what they have accomplished. Fewer still prepare reports, press releases, articles or publications to share their successes - even when they know it is important.
The speakers' presentations at the "Let's Tell Them that We are Worth It!" program reinforce the importance of letting members, boards, funding agencies and state legislatures know how the library cooperative is spending their money (taxes, dues, fees, etc.) and staff time in providing services. The speakers explored the challenges of evaluating library system services to "Prove our worth" with an emphasis on communicating value to members and funding agencies. Effective evaluation can tell system members, program participants, funders, and others about the value of programs and services.
The presentations approached evaluation from several points of view. Dr Joanne Gard Marshall, Dean and Professor at the School of Library and Information Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shared her research into the intrinsic value of the intangibles of service. She emphasized the importance of finding appropriate measures to determine the importance of services to users. The outcome model asks the question "what difference does it make?" Sondra Taylor-Furbee of the State Library of Florida described the Outcome Based Planning used for grant programs in Florida. She provided examples of programs and the measures used by library cooperatives in Florida. Jean Currie, of the South Central Regional Library Council in New York, explained the "report card" shared with system members each year. The SCRLC report card lists both the services provided by the member for the system and the services provided by the system for the member. Continuing with the themes of measurement, outcomes, and evaluation, Sara Laughlin provided examples from many customer based service organizations. She described the relationship with customer satisfaction and program success and concluded with the "big three of evaluation" - useful, credible, and realistic.
These speakers graciously agreed to share their Powerpoint® presentations through the ASCLA Web site:
- State Library of Florida Outcome-Based Measures
Sondra Taylor-Furbee, Library Program Specialist, State Library of Florida
- South Central Regional Library Council: Lets Tell Them We Are Worth It
Jean Currie, Executive Director, South Central Regional Library Council
- Customer-focused Evaluation
Sara Laughlin, Sara Laughlin and Associates
Related Files
Related Links
|
