Demonstrating Results: Using Outcome Measurement in your Library

Citation

Calvert, P. (2006), "Demonstrating Results: Using Outcome Measurement in your Library", The Electronic Library, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 577-578. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640470610689304

Performance measurement has become an established part of the LIS literature over the last decade or so as managers of libraries and similar institutions come under pressure to justify the large sums of money that are spent on their institutions by parent organisations. There has been a shift in emphasis from measuring traditional inputs and outputs such as annual budgets (inputs) and circulation figures (outputs) towards the assessment of actual outcomes. Another term sometimes used as a synonym for outcomes is “impacts” and that is what has to be searched for. What is the impact of the library: after all the buildings, furniture, equipment, staff, materials, and so one are paid for, what do the customer get from the library that makes a difference to them? Can the library ever be said to have made an impact on society?

One of the first books in this field was Hernon and Dugan's An Action Plan for Outcomes Assessment for your Library (American Library Association, 2002). That volume concentrated on academic libraries and did it very well. The newer title from Rubin focuses on public libraries and so it provides a good complement. There are six main chapters and the flow from one to the next is entirely logical, making it very easy to follow the methods the author is advocating. Firstly, decide the what, when and why of outcomes measurement. This section contains a healthy amount of theory underpinning the practical solutions suggested by the author. Then determine the desired outcomes you are seeking. There's no point in measuring undesired outcomes, but isn't that actually what happens a lot of the time? Then, make those outcomes are measurable. This chapter deals not only with quantitative measures but also the harder to define qualitative aspects of measurement. The importance of selecting the right words for the measure are emphasised here. The fourth chapter is about data collection, not only how to do it but which methods suit which programs. The fifth chapter deals with implementation, especially planning. That's not all, though, for the final chapter covers communicating the results to key agencies; a crucial topic omitted from several similar books.

The six chapters constitute only just over half of the book; the rest is full of appendices, such as the very long list of verbs that can be used in writing outcomes, tips on measuring staff learning outcomes, sample forms, tips on writing questionnaires, and data preparation and coding. There are several pages of workforms. There is a good glossary, and a selected yet very useful bibliography.

The author has used two running case studies that are referred to throughout the book; one very relevant to readers of this journal is the Internet class for seniors, the other a teen mother‐mentoring program. They are good examples and serve the book well. Yet it is here there is one small reservation I have about this book, in that it concentrates upon outcomes of finite programs, and measuring the impact of an Internet class for seniors, while not easy, is nevertheless easier than trying to measure the impact of general book lending, and that, after all, if still the bulk of a public library's activities. If this suggests that public libraries should move towards programs rather than unfocussed book provision, then it makes a lot of sense, but it isn't the current reality for a lot of library managers. This is, though, a minor criticism for a book that I otherwise recommend highly.