MAY 23
Measures that Matter: A View into the Current Public Library Data Landscape
Part one in a three-part webinar series about Measures that Matter, a project from IMLS and COSLA, surveying the current state of public library data, assessing current strengths and weaknesses and formulating a plan for future action. Register to attend More info
Data gathering and responding to surveys are part of every public librarian’s routine. Yet we rarely pause to reflect on these efforts and consider what data matters most. What measures best demonstrate the role, value, and impact of public libraries in the 21st century? How can the various surveys and tools commonly used by public libraries be leveraged with each other and other data sources to best demonstrate that impact? The Institute of Museum and Library Services in cooperation with the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies is launching the “Measures that Matter” initiative, a field-wide discussion of the current state of public library data. The initiative will first take stock of the current landscape and then re-envision how data could be collected, stored, used and disseminated more productively in the future. In this webinar, the first in a 3-part series, we’ll discuss the view that emerged from looking at a number of major library surveys and data collection tools, and consider opportunities to pursue a national action plan to move the field toward ever-more meaningful measures.
Presented by: Stacey Aldrich, Hawaii State Public Library System; Vailey Oehlke, Multnomah County Library (OR); Linda Hofschire, Colorado State Library
JUN 13
Measures that Matter Part Two: Detailing the Data-based Story of Public Libraries
Part two in a three-part webinar series about Measures that Matter, a project from IMLS and COSLA, surveying the current state of public library data, assessing current strengths and weaknesses and formulating a plan for future action.
In the United States, there are a number of national surveys of public libraries and their patrons. While all of these efforts help us tell a data-based story of public libraries, they differ in terms of their samples, what types of data they collect, and how their data are collected, stored, and accessed. During the first webinar in this three-part series, we scanned the landscape of major public library surveys and considered how library data could be used more productively in the future. In this second webinar, we will drill deeper into the concepts of sampling, data types, and data management, and how they impact what we know about public libraries and their patrons. At the end of this webinar, participants will have a greater understanding of various sampling methods, recognize the differences between inputs, outputs, and outcomes, and be aware of the data management practices for various national public library surveys.
This webinar is the second in a three-part series about the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies’ Measures that Matter initiative, a field-wide discussion of the current state of public library data.
Presented by: Rebecca Teasdale, Senior Evaluation and Research Associate, Garibay Group; John Bertot, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professor, College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland; Linda Hofschire, Director, Library Research Service, Colorado State Library