Competency XIV

Evaluate programs and services on specified criteria.
Libraries provide a great variety of programs and services on a daily basis. As technology and cultural change drive experimentation in new functions there is often, nonetheless, a lack of new funding that can be allocated to new services.  With this in mind the evaluative process is essential, not only to ensuring that the best services and programs make the final cut, but that libraries maintain the kind of fiscal responsibility taxpayers and funders deserve.

Limited resources are only a piece of what makes evaluation essential to library services.  As with most tasks or skills there is always room for some degree of improvement.  With that in mind evaluation has the potential to push libraries and their services and programs toward goals of higher quality and, in many cases, efficiency.  Better services are beneficial to all stake-holding parties. They make the institution more valuable and viable as well.

One of the premier models for process evaluation, known as the Deming Cycle or the Continuous Improvement Model, sees evaluation as a unending process that begins again at the completion of each cycle.  Deming’s concept, originally applied to manufacturing, has the effect of pushing processes toward continued improvements in quality and efficiency.  The cycle appears as such:


Applied to librarianship, this model can generate similar effects, allowing for program or service modifications through time to create optimal results.

One thing the Deming Cycle does not account for is the initiation of new services where a perceived need exists.  Though the cycle can accommodate a variety of adjustments through the cycle’s loop, wholly new services and programs require a different sort of vetting and development.  Often this is accomplished through a Needs Assessment, which gauges the community’s self-identified needs for services, information, programs and collections.  If the Needs Assessment is completed with a sample that reflects the demography of the service community, the likely result is the development of services and programs which reflect the community needs, which can then be optimized through the Continuous Improvement Process.

Evidence


In my position at a County Library I have had the opportunity to participate in a variety of program and service launches, varying from technology courses to music performances.  Some have been successful others have not.  One of my greatest struggles has been to bring meaningful Spanish language programming into the library.  Each program presented is evaluated for its effectiveness by the number of attendees and how they felt about the program.  Evaluations offer a snapshot of the positive and negative aspects of each program and data regarding attendance, information that can be used to modify future program attempts.  Currently at the my Library we evaluate on a program by program basis.  Recently we have been working on a comprehensive program and service evaluation through our needs assessment.  My responsibility has been to look at the efficacy of various programs and services supporting our Help Students Succeed in School Objective.

Looking toward possible programs, in LIBR 283, Library Marketing, I looked at Riverside County Library’s comprehensive Spanish language marketing and programming slate, Leer es triunfar. The paper analyzes the success and functionality of this program, especially focused on the keystone event Día de los niños, which is a major family programming event throughout that county.

In LIBR 210, Reference Information Services, I was responsible for qualitatively evaluating a peer presentation, looking at presentation structure, interaction and general organization.  This analysis focused on LibGuide presentations, describing the purposes of various LibGuides from the San Jose State library portal.



References


Moen, R. & Norman, C. (2009). Evolution of the PDCA Cycle.  Retrieved from http://pkpinc.com/files/NA01MoenNormanFullpaper.pdf