How Libraries and Librarians Help: A Guide to Identifying User-Centered Outcomes

by Joan C Durrance, Joan Coachman Durrance, Karen E. Fisher

Being able to "tell your library's story," illustrating how library services provide value and help the community and users, is the key to your library's future. The practice of measuring outcomes is becoming crucial to the library's ongoing libraries are being called upon to address the value of library programs by assessing their effects on library patrons and the community as a whole. With funding under a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Durrance and Fisher have developed the "How Libraries and Librarians Help (HLLH) Outcome Model," field testing it in six libraries over two years. In this practical reference, they share their findings, cutting-edge, step-by-step HLLH methods, and library success stories that bring the process to life with outcomes like, "Empowering Youth" and "Strengthening Community." Use this straightforward model To stay in the game, library directors, administrators, managers, and community leaders must prove the value of the library and its services using outcome measures. Here's how to quantify the contribution of your library's programs to individuals and communities to gain recognition and funding.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2004

Reviews

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent case studies - thought-provoking, detailed, interesting - lots on how librarians help build community, and great examples of qualitative research on outcomes assessment. very helpful

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful guide for outcome based assessments, interviews, and community engagement/advocacy.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is split into three logical parts. Part one explains why the outcome model is important for libraries NOW. It's pretty obviously stuff there.

Part two goes through the "how-to's" of putting the "How Libraries Help" model to work. I really liked the exercises, and followed along with my own programming evaluations.

Part three was mostly examples of how the case-study libraries really used outcomes to their maximum effect in their communities. I thought there were more case studies than necessary, but the book is short (<200 pages) so maybe they needed to beef it up somewhere.

Our library started to use outcomes for programming before I read the whole book. While this wasn't some required textbook for following what was happening in our YA committee meetings, it might as well have been for me. At the same time, now that I *have* read the book it seems like we sped through some key points, like evaluating existing programs first, or really analyzing and identifying patterns in our data. The experience so far makes me kind of want to just get this over with. I also want to do a way better job of this next time. So, I'm ready for whenever we get to stop what we're doing now and start from the beginning.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the best book I've read about community outreach and user-centered service in public libraries. It's got a great layout- so many helpful diagrams and visuals breaking up blocks of text, that kept me engaged and gave me a lot of ideas about how to run programs and outreach services, and gain the trust of a patron base. I was so glad to see this book focus on the patron's experience. It focuses on analyzing results of circulation, programming, and reference interactions to change future operations, which seems productive and perhaps more fruitful than trying to perfect an idea before it is even executed. There is also a great chapter on empowering youth to use the library for self learning, which I will definitely come back to if I ever find myself working with kids again.

In any case, this book is very helpful, smart, and useful. Hooray!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, practical advice on documenting "how libraries and librarians help." Worth owning.