Competency N
evaluate programs and services on specified criteria
The periodical evaluation of programs and services provides libraries and information centers with immediate feedback on the efficacy of their efforts and serves as an important tool to maintain their connection with their users. Evaluation is beneficial to libraries and information centers because it allows them to maintain their services relevant to the users while at the same time maximizing the organization's resources. Put simply, it serves as a gauge of the library's value to its community as a whole and to the users as individuals. The majority of the courses I have taken in the MLIS program have constantly emphasized the need for evaluation. I am now fully aware of how service improvement hinges on the ongoing evaluation of library programs and services. In the paragraphs that follow I will demonstrate my competency in this subject through examples of my class work.
The most constructive way of conducting evaluations is with the help of data collection tools that allow for interactions with the users. Some of these involve surveys, interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, case studies, statistical studies, observations, and tests and assessments. What makes an evaluation successful in providing the organization with valuable feedback is keeping the process customer-focused and sensitive to respondents while allowing for the feasible and affordable collection of credible data. In addition, for evaluations to be effective in obtaining quantifiable results they must measure specified criteria. A public library, for instance, that wishes to evaluate the success of its collection, would review its circulation numbers, usage statistics, hold requests, and collection standards, and compare them to the population of the community it serves. A different organization that aims to improve its electronic services might prefer to measure the current usage of electronic resources, the number of requests for help with operating databases and computers, or any public participation in electronic resources training.
For a LIBR 221 (Government Information Sources) legislative information analysis I compared two legislative information resources on specific criteria given to me by my instructor. In this case it was the services' capability to provide the researcher or user with accurate, cost effective, in-depth information regarding current legislation. The two services that I evaluated are the Library of Congress THOMAS (a free resource from the U.S. Government) and LexisNexis Congressional Universe (a paid for commercial service that is offered by libraries and other institutions). To be able to test the strengths and weaknesses of each service's offerings I researched the same bill through both avenues. I objectively compared the services based on specified criteria such as interface design, ease of use, navigation, and quality of content. I concluded that it was hard to justify having a paid subscription to LexisNexis Congressional Universe when THOMAS offered the same quality of results for free. In addition, LexisNexis is a powerful tool in a researcher's arsenal but it involves a substantial learning curve. Regardless of how much information a service has, it can remain unused if users do not know about it, or worse, cannot figure out how to retrieve information from the system. LexisNexis' superiority to THOMAS is limited to its availability of historical congressional records and publications, and its offering of different resources without leaving the system. However, I felt that these two aspects were not enough to justify the cost investment in LexisNexis unless it is being purchased by a school or an institution that can specifically benefit from such features. Otherwise, THOMAS does a great job of providing the user with a wealth of free information. This assignment allowed me to put into practice evaluating individual web resources on the basis of their usability and success at satisfying the users' legislative information needs. In addition, I realized that by evaluating resources, libraries and information centers also benefit. Specifically, such an analysis could help an organization determine which resources justify their expense and which can be substituted by credible information that is available without a cost to the organization.
Evaluation does not necessarily need to be limited to the programs offered by one institution. In a different assignment for the same class I had the chance to evaluate three different government depository libraries (i.e. regional public library, university library, law library) in the State of Michigan on the basis of two specific criteria: internet accessibility and record offerings. For each library I compiled a community profile that included population statistics and a usability information on their web sites. I then evaluated the strength of the depositories' offerings as it related to how well they addressed their user needs. This exercise taught me to focus the evaluation of the services on the audience (i.e. determined by the community profile). It is important that libraries are in tune with the needs of their users background and characteristics in order to offer programs and services that are relevant to their communities.
In yet a different assignment for LIBR 266 (Collection Management) I wrote a case study that involved evaluating the ethnic user needs of a library and proposing a policy or plan that addressed any current issues. From staff interviews, review of a community needs assessment, and population statistical analysis, I realized that although Hispanics represented the city's largest ethnic population group the library's collections, services, and offerings did not particularly address their social and cultural needs. In the case study I looked at the impact of the lack of targeted library services on the community and the barriers that stood in the way of services improvement (i.e. reduced budget, physical layout, outreach, staff availability, training, signage, physical accessibility). After carefully evaluating each aspect of the current library services I was then in a position to offer recommendations that addressed the lack of library services to its ethnic community while being mindful of the library's budgetary constraints. Evaluating the library resources allowed me to exercise my analytical skills by considering a wide array of management aspects and their impact on the staff, the community of users, and the library offerings. In my final document I also emphasized the need for the constant evaluation of services through user feedback by including a section on collection assessment and evaluation that dictates the timeframe as well as the tools to use to determine the strength and relevancy of the collections and services (i.e. objective analysis, management benchmarking, community feedback, circulation report numbers, collection usage rates, shelf space, and volume count).
These assignments, as well as others in the MLIS program, have made me realize the importance of evaluating library program and services on an ongoing basis. Library and information professionals must be able to study and evaluate programs and services in order to identify and remedy any issues in lack of offerings that are revealed. Having a feeling for the approach and methodology of evaluation will allow me to critically assess the programs and services of any organization with the objective of maintaining offerings that are relevant to the users it serves. This is a skill that is applicable in any type of institution. For example, in my current job, I am constantly evaluating vendor services and products on the basis of what is important to us: cost, performance and reliability. The evaluation skills I have acquired through class work and professional experiences have further readied me for work in an information setting.
Evidentiary
LIBR 221 - Government Information Sources – Legislative Information Analysis
LIBR 221 - Government Information Sources – Depository Investigation
LIBR 266 - Collection Management - Ethnic Collection Policy