Page 259 - DLIS003_LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Library Administration and Management

Notes Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
12. Statistics may be defined as the collection, presentation, analysis and interpretation of
………………..

13. An …………………. study does not involve experimental manipulation.

Case Study Global Statistics for Advocacy: An Edge Initiative

S entrepreneurship at its best.
ystematic library assessment is on the move. The Initiative shows US

The initiative was launched in 2011 by a coalition of library and local government
organizations, including The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The goal is to develop a suite of tools that support continuous improvement and
reinvestment in public technology. This approach was probably inspired by the Gates
Foundation, which has always emphasized evidence-based planning and assessment.
Edge is developing a rating system comprised of benchmarks and indicators designed to
work as an assessment tool – will help library staff understand best practices in public
access technology services for their communities and determine what steps they need to
take to improve their technology services.
The whole system looks very well designed: balanced, clear and comprehensive. The
instrument has been developed for a US context, but the basic approach could well be a
model for similar initiatives in other countries.
Since they are looking at statistical indicators rather than evaluation and assessment in
general, I have extracted the more statistical components. Version 1.0 of the benchmarks
asks for three types of statistics: survey data, book-keeping data and web traffic data,

Survey Data
The library surveys patrons annually about public technology use and outcomes in the
following purpose areas:
Workforce development
e-Government

Education
Health & wellness
The following questions are included in an annual survey:

Patron satisfaction with library technology
Personal importance of library technology
Importance of library technology to others in the community
Contd...

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