Library Evaluations:

Community Involvement, On-going Improvement, Results! Ga

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Why?• Good management is based on good decision making.

Good decision making depends on good information and an action or strategic plan to move the library forward.

• Take a good look at your organization from all angles. You will be able to you determine what works and what could be different.

• A good evaluation is honest and brings a focus to the need for a healthy, vibrant library in your community.

• The evaluation can be the launching point for a planned change effort. It can motivate a sluggish board or staff, or help a funder make better funding decisions.

Objectives and Goals• The Librarian and Board communicate the

goals for the evaluation with the Evaluation Team.

• What do you want for your library?

• What does the community need the library to be?

Participatory evaluations

• Uncover potential issues by involving key players in evaluation- staff at all levels, patrons, community members, library volunteers, Friends, city personnel.

• Promote Evaluators learning about the library and its performance. Widen their point of view.

• Mobilize stakeholders, enhance teamwork, and build shared commitment to act on evaluation recommendations.

Who to recruit • A good evaluation is inclusive, complete, and unbiased.

Differing viewpoints are welcomed and valued.

• Use sensitive, impartial, experienced, and skilled people to conduct the evaluation to get the best results.

• Evaluators should possess an understanding of the library as an organization, industry knowledge, and building skills. Ideally an assessment team will have at several members to allow for a broader range of expertise and to complete coverage.

• Involving your community in the evaluation improves credibility and increases awareness of the library’s strengths and challenges.

Create a Culture of Evaluation

• A critical ingredient for developing and maintaining momentum within your library is the establishment of a positive, productive image of the evaluation and its use within your organization’s culture.

• Involve appropriate staff in the development of evaluation.

• Have staff regularly review, discuss, and act on evaluation findings.

• Board members and top leadership own and act on the evaluation findings.

Accurate and complete information• Ensure that the Board and staff are

committed to the evaluation process and that they provide honest, thoughtful information when queried.

• Select Evaluators who inspire confidence in your community and assure impartiality throughout the process.

• Be transparent about what information will be shared, with whom it will be shared, and how the findings will be used to move the library forward.

Exterior

• Parking and sidewalk• Landscaping, bike rack, flagpole• Outside walls and front door• Roof• Building: hvac, safety systems, exits,

structurally sound

Interior• Attractive, clean, clear• Lighting• Signage• Seating and flooring• First impressions

Organization• Cataloging• Shelf and materials organization and

location: Neat, clean, condition, logical flow, spine labels, signage for collections and end panels

• Collection age: Technology, law, medicine, local history/genealogy

• Display

ADA• Outside and parking• Doors outside and inside• Clear handicapped route inside• Drinking fountains and restrooms• Stack aisles and furniture

Policies • Do policies violate state law • Are policies outdated • Do policies have confusing wording• Are any policies difficult to implement • Do any policies seem overly restrictive

Policies • Consider these policies:• Selection/Collection Management• Building/Meeting Room Use• Personnel• Confidentiality of Library Records• Gifts and Donations• Appropriate Use of Online Services• Continuing Education

Policies • Emergency Preparedness/Disaster Recovery• Public Services• Intellectual Freedom• Budget and Finance• Equipment Use• Patron Behavior• Capital Improvements• Surplus Property

Youth Services• Friendly and welcoming to youth• Adequate space for storage and

programming• Child-proof• Furnishings: chairs, tables, shelving,

seating• Collaborates with local entities to

provide programs for youth

Computers• Software up-to-date• Working and clean peripherals• Hard drives locked down• Back up process and schedule for

updating• Furniture, printers, cables, networking

Extras• Spreadsheets for librarians: • Shelf Shuffler• Collection Manager• Data Collector• Library Comparisonshttp://spreadsheetsforlibrarians.blogspot.com/

Analyze the Findings• Work with the Library Board and stakeholders

to reach a common understanding on findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

• The common understanding becomes the cornerstone for a group commitment to a plan of action.

Prepare an action plan

• Work with the Library Board and other stakeholders to prepare an action plan to improve where desired and needed.

• This turns the evaluation and any possible weaknesses into positive action steps.

• Librarians and Library Boards become agents of change and apply their new knowledge into action steps to improve the library on many levels.

References and Resources

• Building Condition Manual http://tinyurl.com/nejcxca

• Conducting a Participatory Evaluation http://tinyurl.com/mvfj5dh

• Create a Culture of Evaluation http://tinyurl.com/asx7obb

• Six Keys to Successful Organizational Assessment http://tinyurl.com/kd3ezou