Overview

Assessing impact is increasingly critical to the survival of services: managers now require comprehensive information about effectiveness, especially in relation to users. Outlining a rigorously tested approach to library evaluation and offering practical tools and highly relevant examples, this book enables LIS managers to get to grips with the slippery concept of service impact and to address their own impact questions in their planning. The 2nd edition is fully updated to include international approaches to qualitative library evaluation, new international research, and current debates on the evolving nature of evaluation, as well as reflections on the importance of involving stakeholders and of evaluation to guide advocacy. Key topics include: The demand for evidence Getting to grips with impact The research base of this work Putting the impact into planning Getting things clear: objectives Success criteria and impact indicators: how you know you are making a difference Making things happen: activities and process indicators Thinking about evidence Gathering and interpreting evidence Taking stock, setting targets and development planning Doing national or international evaluation Where do we go from here? Readership: Practising library and information service managers and policy makers in the field. LIS policy shapers and managers in public, education (schools, further and higher education), health and special libraries and information services working in any country or internationally and people engaged in professional education in the field such as lecturers or students.

Full Product Details

9781856048125

Table of Contents

Reviews

About the last edition; 'Stands out as a shining example of how a guide ... should be written.' INFORMATION RESEARCH 'The strength of the book lies in its duality as both a tool and as an,,insightful analysis of the context, concepts and methodologies required to demonstrate the effectiveness of your library.' ARIADNE 'It is a real pleasure to review a book which - does exactly what it says on the tin. Its aim is to enable the reader to undertake impact evaluation of their library service and it delivers this handsomely - an excellent and highly recommended volume.' LIBRARY REVIEW

Writing a review on a second edition of any book that one has reviewed before is not an easy task, especially if one's favourable opinion shows up on the cover of the second edition for attracting readers's attention. Nevertheless, I thought that it is worth repeating myself six and a half years later because this edition is as good as the first one. -- Information Research

About the previous edition; Stands out as a shining example of how a guide ... should be written. - Information Research The strength of the book lies in its duality as both a tool and as an insightful analysis of the context, concepts and methodologies required to demonstrate the effectiveness of your library. - Ariadne

Author Information

David Streatfield leads Information Management Associates, a research, training and consultancy team working in education, health and libraries. He has over 25 years' experience in educational and social sciences research and consultancy, including several years as Head of Information Research and Development at NFER. Both David and Sharon are Independent Impact Consultants to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Libraries Initiative and have worked in a similar capacity for various overseas and international programmes including the International Federation of Library Associations and the United National Development Agency in Bulgaria. Sharon Markless is a Senior Lecturer in Higher Education at King's College, London and at the University of Surrey. She carries out research and consultancy work with Information Management Associates in the field of public, academic and school libraries. She is a trained teacher and was formerly a Senior Researcher at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available