Getting Started With Evaluation

Hernon, Peter, Robert E. Dugan, and Joseph R. Matthews. Getting Started with Evaluation. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2014. 
ISBN: 978-0-8389-1195-2

Publisher's Description

Everyone agrees that evaluation of library services is essential, but without a background in research it can be a challenge to apply abstract concepts such as strategic planning, evidence-based decision making, and accountability to real-world situations. Finally library managers have a workbook to help them master key concepts of service quality assessment, offering directed exercises and worksheets to guide them. Firmly rooted in practical application, this book

• Presents an overview of evaluation and the types of metrics, linking them to strategic planning and infrastructure
• Examines qualitative versus quantitative measures
• Shows how to decide which metrics are relevant to one’s own institution, covering benchmarking, best practices, peer group filters, and those metrics that offer a high return on investment
• Includes pointers for launching and maintaining successful library evaluation through flexibility and smart delegation among library staff
• Offers advice on marshaling data to effectively communicate the value and impact of a library and its services, no matter the audience

Complete with a detailed list of sources for metrics and concrete examples of evaluation in practice, this workbook will be both valuable and immediately useful to managers at academic and public libraries, as well as to library trustees and others interested in assessing service quality. 

Table of Contents

Preface

1.  Evaluation

2. Evidence-Based Planning and Decision Making

3. Library Metrics

4. Internal Evaluation for Planning and Decision Making

5. External Evaluation to Inform Stakeholders and to Guide Continuous Improvement

6.  Measuring Satisfaction

7.  Measuring Service Quality

8.  Measuring Return on Investment (ROI)

9. Measuring the Value of the Library and Its Services

10. Using and Communicating the Results

11. Positive Organizational Change

Selected Readings

About the Authors

Index 

Say It With Data

Dando, Priscille. Say It With Data: A Precise Guide to Making Your Case and Getting Results. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2014. 
ISBN: 978-0-8389-1194-5

Publisher's Description

Administrators, policymakers, legislators, and the public demand concrete, measurable evidence of the need for libraries and their use. The collection and dissemination of data about library service in a straightforward, convincing manner are integral components of library advocacy in the current economic climate. Addressing frontline librarians lobbying for increased programming or staff, as well as administrators marshalling statistics to stem the tide of budget cuts and prevent library closure, this vital new book explores the whys and hows of using data to build a better picture of library needs and success. With a distinctive combination of research-based information and practical application, Dando

• Demonstrates how data from surveys, focus groups, ALA, and state and local sources can be aggregated and used to craft a strong message
• Takes readers step by step through the process of using data to tailor a message to specific audiences
• Offers real-world examples from school and public libraries that can be used as models

Addressing the requirements of a variety of stakeholders, this concise resource lays out an easy-to-follow, systematic way of inspiring action through clear, compelling data. 

Table of Contents

Preface 

Acknowledgments

1 Determining Need, Message, and Audience 

2 Secrets of Effective Communication 

3 Working with the Power of Statistics 

4 Methods of Measurement: Surveys 

5 Methods of Measurement: Focus Groups 

6 Presenting Data to Get Results 

Appendix A: Survey Checklist 

Appendix B: Focus Group Checklist 

Appendix C: Data Presentation Checklist 

Appendix D: Birmingham Public Library Patron Survey 

Appendix E: Sample Student Survey, Robert E. Lee High School 

Appendix F: Sample Teacher Survey, Robert E. Lee High School 

Appendix G: Westborough Public School Library Survey (Faculty) 

Appendix H: Sample Survey Results for Analysis 

Bibliography 

Index 

Information Literacy Instruction That Works

Ragains, Patrick, ed. Information Literacy Instruction that Works: A Guide to Teaching by Discipline and Student Population. 2nd ed. Chicago: ALA Neal-Schuman, 2013.
ISBN: 978-1-55570-860-3

 

Publisher's Description

Information literacy and library instruction are at the heart of the academic library’s mission. But how do you bring that instruction to an increasingly diverse student body and an increasingly varied spectrum of majors? In this updated, expanded new second edition, featuring more than 75% new content, Ragains and 16 other library instructors share their best practices for reaching out to today’s unique users. Readers will find strategies and techniques for teaching college and university freshmen, community college students, students with disabilities, and those in distance learning programs. Alongside sample lesson plans, presentations, brochures, worksheets, handouts, and evaluation forms, Ragains and his contributors offer proven approaches to teaching students in the most popular programs of study, including

• English Literature
• Art and Art History
• Film Studies
• History
• Psychology
• Science
• Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
• Hospitality
• Business
• Music
• Anthropology
• Engineering

Coverage of additional special topics, including legal information for non-law students, government information, and patent searching, make this a complete guide to information literacy instruction.

Table of Contents

Transforming Preschool Storytime (book)

Diamant-Cohen, B. & Hetrick, M.A. (2013). Transforming Preschool Storytime: A Modern Vision and a Year of Programs. Chicago, IL: Neal-Schuman.

*Betsy and Melanie provide excellent and brief overviews of the school readiness domains, life skills, early brain development related to young children's need to repeat things, Piaget's constructivism learning theory explaining how children learn through their experiences, Vygotsky theory of scaffolded learning explaining how to build on learning by providing experiences at the appropriate level for each child,Gardner's theory that there are multiple ways (or intelligences) people learn, and Every Child Ready to Read's five early literacy practices. ALL of these things are reviewed in 10 just pages--extremely well worth the 15 minutes or so it would take to read them. (Katie's review)

According to recent research, the best way to make new connections in a child’s brain is by building on something already known. A child who loves a book will listen to it repeatedly, maintaining interest. Using a selected book in a number of consecutive preschool storytimes, but presenting it differently each time, can help children learn new skill sets. This book presents a new approach to storytime, one that employs repetition with variety to create an experience which helps children connect and engage with the story on a higher level. Diamant-Cohen, recently awarded the 2013 ASCLA Leadership and Professional Achievement Award, and Hetrick offer a year’s worth of activities specifically designed to address multiple intelligences through a repetition-based process. Incorporating recent theories on developmental learning, this book includes

• Scripts for 8 different books, with enough activities to repeat each one for six weeks, along with lists of optional alternative books
• Planning aids such as outlines of storytime sessions, a fill-in-the-blanks planning sheet, questions for evaluation, and tips for enhanced storytimes using props and crafts 
• Detailed but straightforward explanations of theory and research that will help readers communicate effectively with parents, caregivers, and other stakeholders

From setup to execution, here’s everything you need to create and implement a successful, elevated storytime.

Check out this book’s Web Extra now!

Fundamentals of Children's Services (2nd Ed)

Sullivan, M. (2013). Fundamentals of Children's Services, 2nd Ed. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

Children's services are the heart of the library; in fact, more than one-third of U.S. library users are under the age of 12. Sullivan has updated and expanded his comprehensive reference, covering both innovative and standard practices in children's services. Fundamentals such as collection development and management, programming, homework support, and reference and readers' advisory are all thoroughly updated. In response to pervasive changes in the field, he also

• Offers an expansive view of what it means to ensure that children are well-served in light of ongoing budgetary challenges
• Shows how to collaborate effectively with parents, teachers, and administrators, and how to cooperate with schools
• Gives techniques for using tools such as social media for marketing, outreach, and advocacy
• Addresses the subject of children and e-books
• Helps readers understand the importance of new cataloging trends, such as RDA: Resource Description and Access and RFID, and reference work in the digital age

Those studying to become children's librarians, experienced and new children's librarians, library administrators, and trustees alike will find Sullivan’s book a definitive guide to the fundamentals of children's services.

(book description)