Collaborating across the UK- the work of ALMA

Jane RobinsonALMA Co-ordinator

Today’s session covers:

• About ALMA • Working in strategic

partnership• Collaborative activities• Focus on the ROI in

libraries project• Collaborating – lessons

learned• Any questions?

ALMA is:

• A cross-nation, cross domain partnership, dedicated to enhancing the public value of archives libraries and museums

• A voluntary partnership between strategic bodies in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland

Membership:England•Arts Council England•The National Archives

Northern Ireland•Libraries NI•Public Records Office of Northern Ireland•Northern Ireland Museums Council

Ireland•Local Government Management Agency

Scotland•Scottish Library and Information Council•Museums Galleries Scotland•Scottish Council on Archives

Wales•CyMAL : Museums Libraries and Archives Wales

Working in strategic partnership:• Neutral forum• Leaders and senior staff

engaging in regular roundtable discussion

• Equal partnership and voice

• Exchanging sector intelligence

• Adding value to strategic practice

• Joint projects

Exchanging sector intelligence:

International opportunitiesSector standards

Legislative change Strategies Sector skills

Examples of good practice

Collaborative Activities: Leadership Development project

• Evidence gathering exercise

• Workforce Development sub-group

• Key findings – – Range of development

opportunities– Importance of

succession planning– Role for standards and

skills frameworks

Collaborative Activities: Economic Impact project

• Initial research commissioned 2010 from ERS• Scoped existing approaches• Analysed available toolkits• Consulted stakeholders• Reviewed pros and cons of approaches used• Recommended suitable approaches for

museums archives and libraries

Economic impact research findings Published report 2011 : http://almauk.org/working-together/our_activity/economic-impacts/Identified: •What evidence relevant to economic impact studies is already collected •Feasibility of obtaining other information needed for a toolkit •The form of toolkit most suitable for completion Concluded: •Multiplier analysis methodology for museums and archives•Return on investment/ economic value methodology for libraries

Economic impact toolkit for museums and archives

Designed to enable archives and museums estimate their impacts on the local economy Toolkit in 4 sections:1.Organisational background and procurement details2.Expenditure on employees (salary costs)3.Visitor related impacts4.Overall impacts derived from the aboveToolkit includes workbook, guidance and aggregator templateToolkit includes workbook, guidance and aggregator spreadsheetPublished 2011: http://almauk.org/working-together/our_activity/economic-impacts/

Project focus:Return on investment in libraries

• Work in progress – commissioned 2013, ERS• Based on a survey piloted in 2012• Commissioned 2013 from ERS• Partners - Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland• Country reports and toolkit due for

publication soon (early 2014?)

Libraries survey 2013 - approach

• Undertaken June-July 2013• 50 libraries in 11 Local Authorities in Scotland;

25 libraries in 8 Local Authorities in Wales; and 8 libraries in Northern Ireland

• Randomly selected• User surveys in libraries combined with data

collection at service level • 4009 surveys completed and analysed across

the 3 nations

Libraries’ toolkit collects evidence of:

• User Investment - the cost to individuals of using the services;

• Community Benefits - the spending with local service providers;

• Cost of Alternatives - money saved by using the library;

• Employment effects - as a result of staff wages and their spending; and

• Supply chain effects - the value of library spending on goods and services.

Report due SOON!

Partnership and Collaboration: lessons learned

• Shared ethos and values• Realistic expectations• Regular meetings• Co-ordination• Relevant and timely projects, clearly defined • Delegation to working groups• Regular review

Any questions?

http://almauk.org/