Publisher's Synopsis
Using real-world examples, this book makes communicating library value with data achievable for busy librarians by detailing various assessment methods, illuminating the difference between marketing your library and communicating its value, and describing tools for building relationships with stakeholders.
In theory, librarians understand that they need to be able to demonstrate the value of their library to stakeholders. In practice, librarians may be unsure about what they need to do, what data to use to do it, and how to present this data. This practical take on assessment provides readers with a set of best practices to communicate library value to diverse sets of stakeholders using targeted data and messaging.
This book is for library practitioners who want to understand how assessment data can be leveraged to communicate library value, build relationships with stakeholders, and improve the efficacy of library services, expertise, and resources (SERs). It is also for those who have experienced challenges performing assessments, have trouble using assessment data once it has been collected, and find communicating with stakeholders difficult.
Evidence-based advocacy is about more than marketing-this book shows you how to leverage the assessments you perform in order to communicate your library's impact. Benefitting from interviews with library directors, assistant deans, and assessment librarians, it provides readers with authentic and useful guidance.
- Articulates why assessment is important and explains how to make it happen
- Outlines how to strategically plan assessment and communication activities
- Explains how to demonstrate library value using collected data
- Builds foundations for better relationships by focusing on the impact the library has on stakeholders' lives
- Helps librarians to master the language and tools needed to communicate with individual stakeholders
