What does it mean to have a successful library collection? How can that success be measured in terms of community benefit? How do you communicate those benefits to your users and stakeholders?

1. Accountability and
Measuring Success
IS 430 (UCLA)
Sarah Clark
Monday, November 25, 2013

2. Overview of Today
1. Measuring Success and Communicating
Benefits (60 min)
2. Group-led discussion of readings (30 min)
3. Field Trip and Guest Speaker:
Julia Glassman, UCLA College Library (70-90
min)

3. Next Week
● Bring the following:
○ Your library’s mission + Your community profile
and needs assessment
○ Your collection policy
○ Your website/flyer/artifact to connect your users to
your resources

4. Final Project
● Due: Friday,
December 13th
(sorry!)
● Submit via email:
sarahclark@ucla.edu
● You can pick it up
from the GSEIS
office after break.
Credit: Clear Guitar

5. Measuring
Success...
Flickr CC @martapiqs
… and demonstrating your success to your
stakeholders and community.

6. Evaluation and Measuring Success
● How do you determine
what “success” means in
terms of a library
collection?
● What are ways to
measure success of our
collections?
● What are the benefits
and drawbacks to those
methods?
Flickr CC @SalFalko

7. The Logic Model

8. Source: KnowHowNonProfit.org

9. Outcomes
Outcome = the impact your collections and
services have on your user community.
Ask yourself: What is the big purpose? What
impact do I want my collections to have on my
user community? How will I measure that
impact?

10. Outputs
Outputs = Activities and what
is
produced through activities.
Libraries tend to be good at measuring
outputs: #of participants, #circulations, etc.

11. Source: QuantumLeap.com

12. Everyday example
H
E
A
D
A
C
H
E
Situation
Get pills
Take pills
INPUTS
OUTPUTS
Source: University of Wisconsin
Feel better
OUTCOMES
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation

13. Everyday logic model –
Family Vacation
Family Members
Budget
Set up camp
Car
Camping
Equipment
INPUTS
Drive to state park
Cook, play, talk,
laugh, hike
OUTPUTS
Source: University of Wisconsin
Family members
learn about each
other; family
bonds; family has
a good time
OUTCOMES
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation

14. A bit more detail
INPUTS
OUTPUTS
OUTCOMES
Long-
Program
investments
What
we
invest
Activities
Participation
What
we do
Who
we
reach
Short
Medium
term
What results
SO WHAT??
What is the VALUE?
Source: University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation

15. Fully detailed logic model
Source: University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation

16. Source: University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation

17. OUTPUTS
What we do
ACTIVITIES
•Train, teach
•Deliver services
•Develop products
and resources
•Network with others
•Build partnerships
•Assess
•Facilitate
•Work with the media
•…
Source: University of Wisconsin
Who we reach
PARTICIPATION
•Participants
•Clients
•Customers
•Agencies
•Decision makers
•Policy makers
Satisfaction
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation

18. OUTCOMES
What results for individuals, families, communities..…
SHORT
MEDIUM
LONG-TERM
Learning
Action
Conditions
Changes in
Changes in
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Awareness
Knowledge
Attitudes
Skills
Opinion
Aspirations
Motivation
Behavioral
intent
CHAIN
Changes in
Behavior
● Conditions
Decision-making ● Social (wellPolicies
being)
Social action
● Health
● Economic
● Civic
● Environmental
OF
Source: University of Wisconsin
OUTCOMES
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation
University of Wisconsin - Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation

19. Work Backwards from Your Goal

20. Example Outcome at Windward
● Collection: Grab and Read
● Target Group: High School
students too busy for
pleasure reading
● Outcome: Students who
otherwise would not read for
fun will take breaks from the
rigor of school to reignite
their imaginations and
rediscover the love of
learning independently and
with friends.

21. What Are Your Outcomes?
● Identify a target community.
● Create a specific outcome connected to
your collection.

22. What Are Your Outcomes?
OUTCOMES
What results for individuals, families, communities..…
SHORT
MEDIUM
LONG-TERM
Learning
Action
Conditions
Changes in
Changes in
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Awareness
Knowledge
Attitudes
Skills
Opinion
Aspirations
Motivation
Behavioral
intent
Changes in
Behavior
● Conditions
Decision-making ● Social (wellPolicies
being)
Social action
● Health
● Economic
● Civic
● Environmental

23. Demonstrating
Success
communicating your successes with your
community and with stakeholders

24. Flickr CC @Enokson

25. Turning Data into Stories
● Show the problem
(and how you plan
to make a
difference).
● Show your impact.
Source: Daniel Melbye
● Make your data
beautiful.
● Return to the story.

26. Storytelling in Presentations
Nancy Duarte

27. Elevator Speech
Flickr CC @daryl_mitchell

28. So, what is it that
you are doing here?
Flickr CC @daryl_mitchell

29. Elevator Speech should ...
● … be simple and memorable.
● … be ready at any time for a chance
encounter.
● … show what your collection contributes to
the community and why it matters.
● … create curiosity.
Flickr CC @daryl_mitchell

30. Step 1: Imagine Success
Imagine success.
What does it look
like? Invent the
results you want.
What impact does
your collection have
on your
community?
Flickr CC @Fairfax Library Foundation

31. Step 2: Who is Your Audience?
How will you modify
your message for
different
stakeholders?
Organizational
Head
Librarian
Peers
Patrons

32. Speed Elevator Speeches -- Round 1
1. Find a partner.
2. One person gives his/her elevator speech as
if the partner is a key stakeholder. (30 sec)
3. Partners switch roles. (30 sec)
4. Rotate to a new partner.
5. Repeat.

33. Speed Elevator Speeches -- Round 2
1. Find a partner.
2. One person gives his/her elevator speech as
if the partner is a library patron curious
about the collection and its purpose. (30 sec)
3. Partners switch roles. (30 sec)
4. Rotate to a new partner.
5. Repeat.

34. Parting Words
● Begin with your
purpose. Know
what outcomes
you want.
● Consider how
you will
measure your
success from
the beginning.
Flickr CC Local Studies NSW
● Embrace the power of
storytelling.