#BCLC2018 :: it's time for the ever-popular Hot Topics session! Head to the Elmbridge room to get fired up! Starts at 5.
Book shoutout: 
Whose interests ought to be considered, and in what measure, when doing library evaluation? How can we as evaluators develop understanding of library resources and services? How can we plan for realistic and usable data?
Evaluation suffers from over-emphasis on objectives and emphasis on productivity and efficiency.
Consultation, dialogue, evaluation : we must consider multiple stakeholders when identifying what is *important* and *successful*
And "stakeholders" must include disenfranchised and marginalized groups. Recognize who has a right to be included.
And "stakeholders" must include disenfranchised and marginalized groups. Recognize who has a right to be included.
Every library is the same. Every library is different. :: How do you recognize unique features of libraries, branches of libraries, communities, and workers? How does this play into stakeholder evaluation?
1. Include variety. 2. Anticipate conflict & engage with it transparently. 3. Negotiate priorities (what evaluation questions are most important? what data do we need to answer those questions & provide meaningful insight on as many people as possible?)
4. Pay attention to the powerless.
help others develop an accurate understanding of libraries, library resources, and library workers; libraries help bridge the digital divide, but are also more than books and technology : Borrow a banjo - Foster human interaction - Develop employment skills - seek refuge
pay attention to what's been planned, AND what happens organically, when considering what is important to evaluate.
Evaluation consideration:
1. Do you want to know what's happening beyond statistics? Stats might tell you there's increase in employment related services, but looking broader gives you the narrative of the community.
2. Do you want to know about the IMPACT of the service?
1. Do you want to know what's happening beyond statistics? Stats might tell you there's increase in employment related services, but looking broader gives you the narrative of the community.
2. Do you want to know about the IMPACT of the service?
Numbers often wash out the human experience ; telling a story can capture the program, who participates, and the nature of the relationships built and activities involved.
The bean-counting method is often necessary, but it's not the only option or the only way to assess and evaluate, and it's not always the best way.
Don't always consider the organic, off-the-side-of-your-desk things as outside of your evaluation just because they are outside of your goals. Note the things that happen in the day-to-day and how they relate to goals, service plans, etc.
elevator pitch? develop a relatively short story that engages and illustrates the personal stories that a statistic can't do.
How do you pull back and collect fewer statistics? Identify your stakeholders then engage in a deliberative process that examines the statistics and common indicators--the utility of the numbers you're gathering--and how they relate (or don't) to stakeholders.
