Assessment, evaluation & planning

assessment

With patron and community needs always evolving and expanding, how do we know we're providing the right services? When funders ask questions we can't answer, how do we gather evidence of the library's importance? And how do we evaluate our services so that we plan for changing needs? Explore various resources for needs assessment, planning, and evaluation to inform decisions about facilities and services to serve community needs.

Self-paced courses and webinar recordings on this topic are freely available in the WebJunction Course Catalog.

Photo: Kennisland, CC BY-SA 2.0

Most Recently Added

Align library services with community aspirations

Publish Date: News / 27 February 2024

The most successful library services are often those that help the community meet its aspirations while also honoring the unique purpose of the library. But balancing the community’s goals and the library’s scope is not always an easy task.

Webinar series: 12 months to better library data

Publish Date: News / 14 February 2024

The Research Institute for Public Libraries (RIPL) is a national initiative to provide training about data and evaluation to public library workers. While RIPL typically provides in-person trainings, this March it will launch a free, monthly, yearlon...

Cardholder Signup: Collecting and Analyzing How Patrons Get Library Cards

Publish Date: News / 27 November 2023

In May 2023, with funding from the Mellon Foundation, Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) launched an 18-month research project to collect and study cardholder signup policies from public libraries across the nation. The project aims to identify the range ...

Redefining the Library Experience

Publish Date: News / 19 September 2023

Libraries are no stranger to change. As community expectations shift, so do our libraries. This adaptability was on full display during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But as that pressure has subsided, we’re seeing widespread reflection around ...

Universal Design at Your Library

Publish Date: Webinar / 31 March 2023

This presentation will introduce the principles of Universal Design and offer concrete advice for how to apply each of the principles at any library.

Meeting Global Challenges with Collaborative Leadership

Publish Date: News / 1 February 2023

Each year, the Global Council has selected an area of focus to help concentrate efforts around a challenge facing libraries around the world. This important work spans not only geographic regions, but all types of libraries, and provides opportunitie...