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2014 NEKLS Trustee Workshop Joan Frye Williams
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Measuring What
Matters
Presented byJoan Frye Williams
NEKLS Summer Trustee Workshop June 7, 2014
To understand how your library relates to your community…
Look beyond what’s
always been measured
Look beyond the conventional wisdom
1. Start with the people
As long as you’re looking at groups, you’re not breaching confidentiality
Who is eligible to use your library?
• Demographics• Neighborhoods• Destinations: where residents work, play,
shop, go to school, and hang out• Technology availability/usage• Quality of life goals and priorities
Who has signed up for a library card?
Member profile
• Age range• Neighborhood• School (add to patron record)• Other demographics or target audiences (add
to patron record) e.g. Spanish speakers, business owners, new residents, etc.
• Recruitment rate• Retention rate
Who works at the library?
Employee and volunteer profile
• Age range• Years of service• Similarity to community profile
2. Reach consensus on
what role your library should play
in your community
Consensus
The process was fairI understood the decision criteriaThere was an opportunity for my voice to be
heardEven if the direction isn’t exactly what I would
have chosen, I will support it with positive communications and actions
Strategic profile
• Mission, vision, values• Alignment with broader
community goals• Positioning with respect
to other service providers• Desired impact
3. Get acquainted with library services
What can the community get from their library?
Service profile
• Complete list of services available• When each service was introduced• How each service relates to the library’s
strategic profile• Where each service is offered – in the library,
out in the community, online/virtual
Which services are members choosing?
Demand data
• Number and percentage of members who are using each service
• Types/groups of members who are using each service
• Seasons, days, or times of heaviest demand• Services for which community demand
exceeds the library’s capacity to respond, with an estimate of the gap
Bonus: What is a “typical” transaction for members of different groups?
4. Understand how library resources are allocated
What does the community get for its investment?
Cost data for key services
• Per capita• Per member• Per user• Per program/event• Per transaction
Compare: 1. Total cost2. Staff costs only
5. Be on the lookout for…
Diversification
Signs that interest in a service is waning
Cost/demanddispa
rities
Outliers and exceptions
Omissions
Surprises
6. Gather brief, compelling stories about the impact of library services
Critical pieces:1. Person – Caden was a bright 6 year old boy.2. Problem – Caden had a stutter, and was having
trouble in school.3. Library intervention – Caden’s Mom took him to the
library, and he saw a library program where children were reading to service dogs. Caden began reading to Toby, and eventually overcame his stutter.
4. Happy ending – Caden’s Mom called last week, and he’s doing much better in school!
