2. Underlying Assumptions
• Few libraries have a “culture of assessment”
Difficult and complex
Most measures indicate past
performance
No cause-and-effect relationship
between measures
Performance measures quantitative, but
library outcomes are largely qualitative
Measuring for Results: The
Dimensions
of Public Library Effectiveness
Joe Matthews, 2004
3. Underlying Assumptions
• Identifying & illustrating value depends on conversations with your
stakeholders
– The first conversation shouldn’t be when measures are
presented
• “More” isn’t necessarily better
– In fact, “more” clouds the issue and the message
“Not everything that counts can be counted & not everything that
can be counted counts.”
- Einstein
4. Three types of measures
Performance
or Value
Operational
Satisfaction
5. Measures…
are, by definition, based on a “beginning” or monitor results against an
agreed-to objective or value
6. Questions driving measures
• What’s the library or information centre doing?
• How much is it doing?
• How well is it doing it?
• Who is it doing it for?
• What positive impact is the service
having for them?
What action will you take as a result of
knowing this?
7. Usage Statistics
• We’ve long tracked “how much”
• We also need to look at differences:
• Peaks?
• Dips?
• Switches?
• What are these statistics really telling us?
– And not?
• Are they highlighting where we should dig deeper?
11. Meaningful performance measures
• Matter to you & to your stakeholders
• Are conveyed in the stakeholders’ language
• Demonstrate that the service makes a difference
• Focus attention on what is most important for the organization
• Are critical for managing, planning & decision-making
• Are organization-dependent
• Connect strategic directives to employees
12. • No one magic measure
• Successful organizations:
• clarity of purpose
• understand their culture
• performance measurement
system that fits that culture
• “Value” is dynamic, economic
, psychological & relative to
alternatives
Learning from others
13. Framework Page 2
Understand
the Context
Align
Strategies &
Objectives
Communicate
Results
Translate
Data into
Outcomes &
Impacts
Identify
Services &
Programs
Manage
Measurement
Data
Define
Measures
15. Know the context and contextors
How is value
defined, measu
red, and
communicated?
Name your
stakeholders
How do they
measure their
progress?
16. Healthy living advocate
Councilor
Good Cause
Endorses physical activities
Spend for bike
lanes, pools, rinks, etc
The library is just a community
centre anyway
Says more people are impacted
by his stuff than by the library
Board Member:
Ms. Expert
Does reconnaissance work on other library systems and
reports back to Board
May not have a good grasp on what libraries do
Feels money is no object when it comes to something she
sees as a trend
Wants to compete in the library industry
17. The Provost of Doom
Libraries days are numbered
Libraries aren’t relevant
Everyone has computers and internet
need information? Just google it
Starbucks has wireless
With eBooks and research online believes facilities can
be made smaller
Dean of Humanities
Dr. Kee Paper
Influential in university & broader academic circles
Focus on research
Has deep seated beliefs in traditional library services
Quiet
No technology
Libraries are institutions for reading & research
18. Framework Page 3
Start with Stakeholders
1. Critical that you understand the context in which the measures are
considered.
In your organization, how is value defined, measured and conveyed?
2. Who are the stakeholders who must understand the value of your services?
Name
Position
How do they Goals &
measure
objectives
their
progress?
What do we know about
them? What type of
stakeholder are they?
What do
they know
about our
services?
19. Logic Model
• Popular in non-profit sector & increasingly in libraries and culture
• Based on “logical links” cause & effect
• Logical links:
– IF teens believe that the Library sees them as valuable, equal
community members & takes their needs seriously THEN teens are
more likely to engage in discussions & programs in the Library that
will positively impact their studies & their lives
– IF the information professional ensures current, relevant content is
easily available on employees’ desktops THEN the organization will
save $X in lost “hunt” time
20. Framework Page 4
It’s logical that
INPUT
OUTPUT
OUTCOME
IMPACT
resource
perspective
operational
perspective
user
perspective
stakeholder
perspective
22. OUTCOME
User
Perspective
Increased skill
Know-how or knowthat
Change in status
Change in behaviour
or attitude
IMPACT
Stakeholder
Perspective
Lower dropout rates
Increased employment
levels
Increased recovery rates
23. Start with the end in mind
Refocus from the activity to the
impact
25. Align Strategies and Objectives
Stakeholder’s Goals & Objectives
Your Goals & Objectives: How they
Contribute
Provide excellent clinical care
Support the development of
procedures and policies relating to
clinical care
Increased research grants
Support the research process
Newcomers contributing to the
community economically
Equip newcomers with links to
language, literacy, employment and
social supports
26. Framework Page 5
Top
Align objectives
• Articulate & document your goals & objectives
What are you trying to accomplish?
• Clarify how these contribute towards your stakeholders’
objectives & desired outcomes
28. Framework Page 5
Bottom
Identify Services
What services, programs or products contribute to your realizing an
objective?
Stakeholder Goals &
Objectives
Your Goals & Objectives
Your Services
29. Academic Example
Input
One liaison librarian
Output
Faculty research support for a Grant Application
Outcome
Completed application submitted on time
Impact
Grant dollars received by faculty. Faculty member is able
to hire 2 grad students to conduct research: increased
university reputation, a number of articles are submitted
and accepted by academic journals, increased citations
for faculty member, university increases visibility.
30. Public Library Example
Input
-Funding
-Staffing
-Supplies
=$10,000 to develop learning place programs
Output
10 new programs each offered 5 times per year
Outcome
Number of program registrations increased by 25% year
to year. 1,600 students ages 6-10 completed learning
program
Impact
Children attending programs are able to maintain the
skills taught in school verified by parent follow-up.
Library recognized for helping children develop and
maintain literacy skills. Board of Education partnership &
recognition based on improvements in standardized
testing results.
31. Government Example
Input
$100K resource budget
Output
2500 resources utilized
Outcome
Resources used by 75% of employees in policy development
Impact
Usage enabled policy development to:
1. Eliminate department-specific resource purchases
saving the organization $35K
2. Reduce policy duplication or “blind-sides” by at least
25% (as reported during policy debriefings)
36. Define Success
What will success look like?
How will you track progress towards meeting goals?
What indicators or measures will you use?
Qualitative? Quantitative?
What data needs to be collected? How?
Keep it key
Keep it simple
Be practical
Don’t get mired – or
overwork frontline staff
37. Framework Page 6
Left
Service Impact
Inputs
Person power, money,
content, etc.
Activity
What you do
Outputs
What the activity
produces
Outcomes
How the client uses the output
Impact
What changes for the client
Outcome Measures
Impact Measures
38. Define Outcomes and Impact
What will success look like?
And how will you “get” there?
INPUT
OUTPUT
OUTCOME
IMPACT
39. Define Outcomes and Impact
OUTCOME
User
Perspective
Increased skill
Know-how or
know-that
Change in status
Change in
behaviour or
attitude
IMPACT
Stakeholder
Perspective
Lower dropout
rates
Increased
employment
levels
Increased
recovery rates
40. Define measures by success being sought
Inputs
Person
power, money, content,
etc.
Activity
What you do
Outcomes
How the client uses the output
Outputs
What the activity
produces
Impact
What changes for the client
41. Framework Page 6
Bottom
So – what data will you need to collect?
What data or measures do you What data or measures do you to collect
to collect about Outcomes?
about Impact?
43. Framework Page 7
Manage the data
• Do it
• Determine a collection schedule
• Work out agreements with other departments that have needed data
• Are you currently collecting data or indicators that are no longer relevant?
• How long do you need to keep data?
• Who is responsible?
45. Framework Page 8
Bottom
Interpret data
So... What?
What does the data say? What doesn’t it say?
Examine it from various angles
What is the progress towards the goals & objectives?
47. Framework Page 8
Communicate results
• Actually begins when you are understanding the context
• Your message: “we have contributed towards your goals by……”
• If your goals & objectives are meaningful for your planning & decision-
making, your measures will be indispensable
Need to connect all data – usage stats, outcomesWhat is usage telling you? Anything?Percentage of community that are card holders, borrowers, e-resource users – what assumptions do we need to make (if 90K are borrowing, can we assume that 100K are using the facilities?)What is the cost of the usage?
There is lots of work ongoing in the area of measurement. Not wanting to reinvent the wheel, we looked at the various measurement tools & systems in place &what we can learn from these. These included the traditional metrics of usage or activity-based statistics,
Press the easy button
Problem is these demonstrate what we do, -- or the “impact” on the library, NOT the impact on clients or patrons – what do circ stats or website hits say? – they indicate an effect on the library, not on the communityPeaks?Dips?Switches? - of services – or of certain client groups? Using select services more? Less? Recently on listserv DigLib – story in newspaper about “library services – it’s through the roof” – about a library’s website patron logon’s – going from 770,000 in 2005 to 930,000 in 2006 – library expects this to go over a million by 2008 – ppl from 20 states, Cdn provinces & Asia & Australia -- & that reference questions are way down & continue to fall – that they attritube this to the fact that the info is on the webNow – is that a good metric or a dangerous metric? Can’t judge unless u know what they are trying to achieve
What measures do you currently keep?List out into 3 columns
To initiate ideas and provide a framework for developing a meaningful measurement system that focuses on your value, and enables strong planning & decision-making for you, your function and all employees.Having said that, the overall objective for this course is to provide a blue-print for you to use in designing your measurement system. Every library – every information center - is different and the measurement systems for each should reflect the individual environment and situation. It would be so ideal if a course could tell you exactly what to do in your organization. But, it can’t. What it can do is guide you through the necessary steps to formulating a robust, reliable, reasonable and meaningful plan for measuring your value.The definition of a meaningful measurement system is that it demonstrates value that is acknowledged by clients & stakeholders, Is easily communicated, & it facilitates planning & decision-making.The purpose of all courses – not just this one – is to give you a different way of viewing measures and some ideas – to look at what other organizations are doing & let you decide what seems right for you.
There are 2 performance measurement systems that I know of that fit this framework, the Balanced Scorecard and the Logic Model.
This is where u spend the most time – requires conversations with councillors, local government “superiors”, community “partners” – basically stakeholders – stake or support?These stakeholders use the following indicators to measure their progress:In our environment, it is critical that we measure:Ask yourself, in our environment, what is it critical for us to measure? What “counts”?What are the overall goals and objectives?This is where you invest the most timeRequires conversations with superiors, colleagues in other functions & clients, constituentsWho are your stakeholders? That may not be as obvious an answer as you think. There may be 1 or a small group of people who determine your budget. Who influences these people? Is there a council, committee that impacts those decisions? Who’s on them? Who are the key opinion leaders in your organization?It’s never too early in any process to envisage how you’ll communicate the results
Test these goals & objectives with your stakeholdersDiscuss these with staff to ensure their understanding are in keeping with your purpose & will aid with planning & decisions
Clearly define this alignment by articulating & documenting your goals & objectivesClarify how these contribute towards your stakeholders’ objectives & desired outcomesTest these goals & objectives with your stakeholdersStaff need to be involved too – preferably in the first stage in understanding the context, but if that’s not possible, then certainly at this stage; they need to understand the goals & objectives both to ensure they are in keeping with where your organization is headed, and because their own personal objectives will flow from your organizational objectives – all employees need to be working towards these objectives to aid with planning & decisions - & to keep everyone pulling in the same direction
Another finding of the OCLC report was that stakeholders are more supportive of the library if they see the library as a transformational force rather than as source of information. We have shifted from reporting numbers and activities to measuring the difference we actually make. How? Say hello to our friend the logic model
Try to balance the qualitative & quantitativeBe careful to limit key measures to 4 or 5In balanced scorecard, organizations focus on about 4 measures for each of the four perspectives
Try to balance the qualitative & quantitativeBe careful to limit key measures to 4 or 5In balanced scorecard, organizations focus on about 4 measures for each of the four perspectives
Try to balance the qualitative & quantitativeBe careful to limit key measures to 4 or 5In balanced scorecard, organizations focus on about 4 measures for each of the four perspectives
And then…you need to start collecting data We use the term ‘manage’ the collection because it is more than just collecting the data for your measures – you need a collection schedule
One of the best things to do here is to ask people outside the information function or library to discuss the data with you; how do they see it? What does it tell them?
If your goals & objectives are meaningful for stakeholders, your measures will be tooIf your goals & objectives are meaningful for your planning & decision-making, your measures will be indispensableWe talked a few minutes ago about the need to think about how you’ll communicate the measures when you are designing the systemWill you do quarterly stewardship reviews? Bi-annual? Annual? How will you keep on the radar screen of key stakeholders? Presentations? Reports? Short conversations?