Government Librarians Get Savvy: Metrics! Metrics! Metrics!

By Chris Zammarelli, The Brookings Institution

Mary Corcoran and Karen Wilson of Outsell presented the results of the company's 2007 Information Management Benchmark Study in this year's Government Librarians Get Savvy Session "Metrics! Metrics! Metrics!" at the SLA 2008 Annual Conference in Seattle, WA.

Photo by Liz Doyle, U.S. EPA Region 10 Library

Outsell is a research-oriented advisory firm geared towards the information industry.  They published their ninth annual survey of information management functions last fall, and Corcoran and Wilson began their presentation by discussing the government information management entities portion of the study.

The survey found that the top challenge for such entities as government libraries were budget concerns, followed by staff shortages and keeping up with new technologies.  The benchmark study noted that governments spend an average of $293 per actual user of information management entities, compared to $1,044 per actual user in the corporate sector.  The study also found that government libraries had averages of 12.1 full-time employees and 4.2 contractors.  While corporate libraries tended to be smaller in size, they averaged one full-time employee per 220 actual users.  Government libraries averaged one full-time employee per 811 actual users.

Next, Corcoran and Wilson detailed how libraries can create self-assessment plans that can produce meaningful results to library stakeholders.  One of the difficulties many libraries have when trying to present their value to their organizations is that the statistics they measure do not mean anything to those who make budget and hiring decisions.  Self-assessment plans are designed to evaluate library functions in a way that all stakeholders can grasp.

The first aspect of a self-assessment plan is strategic assessment.  This is used to examine what information services are valuable to a library's parent organization and how the library fits into the organization's mission.  It can also provide the library with direction, as well as restraints, to make it more valuable to the organization as a whole.

Corcoran and Wilson recommend brainstorming as a team to come up with six to eight strategic actions the library can take.  Think of them as a “To Do” list the library staff has invested some time thinking about.  To make them actionable, assign a leader for each item, then determine the metrics that can measure successful implementation.

The next aspect of a self-assessment plan is stakeholder management.  Target the key decision-makers in the organization, and offer an examination of the big picture that focuses on the bottom line.  It's important to show how the library's strategic actions fit into the organization's plans.

The final aspect of a self-assessment plan is needs assessment.  Take the time to talk to library customers to find out their needs.  Also, it's helpful to talk to non-users to find out why they do not use the library and to see if there is anything that can be planned to draw them in.  Find out how library users get information, and what obstacles there are in getting it.  Doing a needs assessment can help set strategic planning objectives and make budget and staffing decisions.  It can also determine what priorities should top the library's “To Do” list.

Using customer satisfaction surveys that contain Likert scales (ranking items on a scale from one to five) can provide measurable feedback that the library can use to analyze the success of its individual strategic items.  Leaving room for customer testimonials can also offer stakeholders a sense of the library's success.

A Return on Investment (ROI) compares such costs as budget allocation and user time spent on a question to such financial benefits as direct savings and user time saved.  It examines user requirements and can reveal gaps in library services provided.

Using detailed qualitative research directly solicits testimonials from library users, and these testimonials can be used in reports.  Moreover, qualitative research can provide a richer story of the library's success beyond numbers alone.

Corcoran and Wilson concluded by explaining that successful metrics can help manage the library, and can provide the organization with a fuller picture of the library's value and contribution to the organization's own metrics.  Ultimately successfully metrics can showcase the value of the Library and justify the costs for continued operation.