Five Steps of Outcome-Based Planning and Evaluation for Public Libraries

by Melissa Gross, Cindy Mediavilla, Virginia A. Walter

Overview

Planning and assessment are both crucial elements of a public library that functions efficiently and flexibly. So why are they often treated as separate processes? This concise book combines planning and evaluation in a holistic approach, helping public library managers and staff put library resources to work for the community. Based on a series of successful workshops, the authors present a workflow made up of manageable steps for integrating outcome-based planning and evaluation (OBPE) into the routine functions of the public library. Offering step by step guidance that's transparent and easy to follow, this book

introduces the concept of OBPE and explains how it can be a streamlined, effective method of getting library users' feedback;
defines "outcomes" and shows why public libraries should use them to plan and evaluate services;
shares methodologies for assessing community needs and interests, including key informant interviews, surveys, focus groups, and environmental scans;
demonstrates how to use community assessment data to create outcome statements that not only guide the creation of new library services, but also provide targets for measuring the effectiveness of those services;
offers techniques for designing services that directly serve the community while also achieving the outcomes the library has targeted; and provides tips for sharing the results with stakeholders and maximizing successful outcome-based programs to leverage the library's role in the community.

Featuring plentiful examples of how to proceed through each phase of the OBPE model, this book boils down planning and evaluation into an approachable, easy to understand process for public librarians, library managers, and grant writers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780838914045
Publisher:	Ala/Library Video
Publication date:	01/15/2016
Pages:	120
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.25(d)

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2016
Gross (information studies, Florida State Univ.), along with Cindy Mediavilla and Virginia A. Walter (both, information studies, UCLA), contends that library funders, stakeholders, and partners are shifting from using traditional evaluation measures of inputs (e.g., numbers of books acquired annually, staffing levels for programming) and outputs (circulation ratings, event attendance) to outcome-based assessment (how many patrons attended a program and what was gained from participating, such as a new skill). Thus, library personnel must adjust needs assessments, programming, and evaluation accordingly. To that end, the authors have adapted a series of presentations on their model of outcome-based planning and evaluation, a five-step process for determining community needs, developing services, setting and evaluating goals for such activities, and leveraging results to demonstrate an institution's value. Outcome assessment is a large topic in librarianship, and while this work is not groundbreaking, it is admirable in overall brevity and the utility of its model. Appended templates and tracking tools will also be helpful for anyone implementing this approach. VERDICT This slender book will be welcome to time-strapped staff seeking an effective strategy to designing and evaluating programs and proving their library's worth.—Evan M. Anderson, Kirkendall P.L., Ankeny, IA

Library Journal