How can you measure and evaluate library services?

1 Why evaluate library services?

Evaluating library services is not just a bureaucratic exercise or a compliance requirement. It is a way of understanding how well your library is meeting the needs and expectations of your users, stakeholders, and community. By collecting and analyzing data on your inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impacts, you can identify your strengths and weaknesses, highlight your achievements and challenges, and plan for improvement and innovation. Evaluation can also help you communicate your value and advocate for your library, by providing evidence-based stories and arguments that show how you contribute to your organization's or community's goals and missions.

2 What to evaluate in library services?

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to evaluating library services. Depending on your context, purpose, and resources, you may want to focus on different aspects of your library's work. However, a useful framework to guide your evaluation is the logic model, which links your inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. Inputs are the resources you use to provide library services, such as staff, budget, space, and collections. Activities are the actions you take to deliver library services, such as lending, reference, instruction, programming, and outreach. Outputs are the direct results of your activities, such as the number of loans, visits, queries, participants, and publications. Outcomes are the changes or benefits that occur for your users or stakeholders as a result of your outputs, such as increased knowledge, skills, satisfaction, or engagement. Impacts are the long-term or broader effects that your outcomes have on your community or society, such as improved literacy, education, health, or well-being.

3 How to evaluate library services?

To evaluate library services, you need to collect and analyze data that can answer your evaluation questions and support your evaluation claims. There are many types of data that you can use, such as quantitative data (numbers, statistics, ratings, scores) or qualitative data (words, stories, opinions, feedback). You can also use different sources of data, such as primary data (collected by you or your library) or secondary data (collected by others or existing sources). Some of the common methods for collecting data are surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, tests, assessments, document reviews, and web analytics. You can use different tools and techniques to analyze data, such as descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, content analysis, thematic analysis, or data visualization.

4 When to evaluate library services?

Evaluating library services can be done at different stages of your library's planning and implementation cycle. You can conduct a formative evaluation before or during your service delivery, to monitor your progress, identify problems, and make adjustments. You can conduct a summative evaluation after your service delivery, to measure your results, assess your effectiveness, and report your findings. You can also conduct a developmental evaluation throughout your service delivery, to support your learning, adaptation, and innovation in complex or uncertain situations.

5 Who to involve in evaluating library services?

Evaluating library services is not a solo endeavor. It requires the involvement and collaboration of various people and groups, both within and outside your library. You may want to involve your library staff, managers, and leaders, to ensure their buy-in, participation, and support for your evaluation. You may also want to involve your library users, stakeholders, and partners, to solicit their feedback, perspectives, and expectations for your evaluation. You may also want to involve external evaluators, experts, or consultants, to provide their expertise, guidance, or assistance for your evaluation.

6 How to use your evaluation results?

Evaluating library services is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end, which is to improve your library's performance, value, and impact. Therefore, you need to use your evaluation results to inform your decision-making, planning, and action. You can use your evaluation results to celebrate your successes, acknowledge your challenges, and share your stories. You can also use your evaluation results to identify your gaps, opportunities, and priorities, and develop your goals, strategies, and action plans. You can also use your evaluation results to communicate your value, demonstrate your accountability, and advocate for your library.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?