Assessment and Evaluation
Excellence is best achieved when library services match local community needs, interests and priorities. Ensuring a good match can best be achieved when both assessment and evaluation are undertaken. Assessment is a process by which a local community’s assets and needs are identified. It is a critical first step, undertaken before implementing any new program or service strategy, that helps inform how such programs should be planned and designed. Equally important, but occuring after programs are in existence, is the process of evaluation. This critical step helps determine a program's impact and effectiveness. It can inform if and how programs and strategies should continue. A variety of assessment and evaluation tools exist to assist libraries with both of these undertakings. Links to some of these resources are provided below. Additional resources are also available through the Resources section of this website.
IMLS Fellowship Courses
Community Assessment
Evaluating Results
Instructor: Cindy Mediavilla cmediavilla@library.ca.gov
I've been teaching workshops and library school classes for more than 20 years. During my 35-year career as a librarian, I've written many grant applications...all of which required an assessment to show proof of community need. I've also evaluated many library programs as a freelance consultant. This adds up to lots of experience utilizing these various techniques. I hope these courses will inspire you to conduct a solid assessment of your boomer community's needs as well as the critical evaluations that can ensure optimal success.
Tools
Environmental Scan – Internal (Library) (doc)
Environmental Scan – External (Community) (doc)
Community Assessment Strategy Worksheet (doc)
Samples
Boomers Community Assessment- Monterey Park, CA (pdf)
Resources
- Author/Presenter: .
- Resource:
- Community Building: What Makes it Work: A Review of Factors Influencing Successful Community Building .
- Publisher:
- St. Paul, MN: Fieldstone Alliance, 1997 .
- Notes:
- A practical guide to what really does (and doesn't) contribute to community building success. Reveals 28 keys to help build community more effectively and efficiently .
- Organization:
- www.fieldstonealliance.org
- WorldCat:
- www.worldcat.org/oclc/36676036
- Author/Presenter: .
- Resource:
- Demonstrating Results: Using Outcome Measurement in Your Library .
- Publisher:
- Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 2006 .
- Notes:
- Discusses how to use outcome measurements to help libraries evaluate how they affect their users quality of life .
- Organization:
- Public Library Association
- WorldCat:
- www.worldcat.org/oclc/61451521
- Author/Presenter: .
- Resource:
- “Getting to Know Your Patrons/The User Experience”
- Publication:
- Library Journal .
- Publisher:
- Library Journal, v136, no.10 (June 1, 2011): 24 .
- Notes:
- Discusses how to use observation to evaluate how patrons use the library, providing context when creating library policies
- WorldCat:
- www.worldcat.org/oclc/731060982
- Author/Presenter: .
- Resource:
- “It Takes a Community to Create a Library”
- Publication:
- Public Libraries Online .
- Publisher:
- Public Library Association, v50, no. 2 (March/April 2011): 30-35 .
- Notes:
- Discusses a four-year, four city community development project in Canada in which public libraries used non-traditional assessment methods to identify the needs of "socially excluded" populations and the barriers to their library use
- WorldCat:
- www.worldcat.org/oclc/719780448
This TLA50 project was supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.