From Features to Benefits:Challenges in Telling the Whole Story of

Libraries and Library Users

Alvin M. Schrader, PhDDirector of Research, University of Alberta Libraries

OLA Super ConferenceToronto, February 3, 2012

12 million items borrowed 2 million questions answered

169,000 items purchased 1.8 million web renewals

8 million website visits

14 million library visits 17 libraries

2 million holdings107 databases

169,000 program attendees

2 million on-site uses

All Libraries in Canada*• 40 million inquiries

• 403 million circulations

• 22,000 service points

• 465 million collection items

• 38,000 FTE staff

• $3-3.5 billion expenditure

* National Core Library Statistics Program, 1999

Typical Uses of Library Statistics

• operational decision-making• strategic planning• budgeting and financial planning• policy formation & evaluation, e.g., equity of access

• patterns & trends• benchmarking

CLA, Victoria1998

Big Picture Questions• How do we tell the real story of the value of

libraries and their services?

• What is their importance to library users? and to Canadian society and culture at large?

• How do we capture and communicate, to decision-makers, users, and our publics, the benefits of libraries and services?

Hooks?

Not-for-profit value “equation”

Value = assets - liabilities + goodwill *

* Tina Thomas, EPL

Concepts and Language of Metrics…- performance indicators - social indicators- performance measures - KPIs- performance metrics-effectiveness measures-quality assurance measures- quality indicators- usage metrics - outputs

- success indicators - ROI - SROI - benefits- outcomes- impacts- impact metrics- impact outcomes- results measures- user satisfaction?

So what?

National Core Library Statistics ProgramStatistical Report, 1999:

Cultural and Economic Impact ofCanadian Libraries on Canadian Society

By

Alvin M. Schraderand

Michael R. Brundin

March 2002

National Library Bibliothèque nationaleof Canada du Canada

Concerns in Measuring Library Service• regularity – for previous & multi-year comparisons

• data discrepancies – validity (definitions, different ways of counting), consistency, accuracy, completeness• higher level measures – e.g., per time period; per branch; per

capita; ratio of in-house to off-site use; ratio of visits to use; over time; before & after• economic impact measures – e.g., multiplier effect

• comparison with other services• comparison with other cultural sectors• sense of the particular – individual, not just demographics

• diagnostic value – to identify weaknesses in specific services and make improvements

Concerns … Missing Measures:user visits – on-site, phone, virtual

on-site use of materials, services, equipment awareness levelsuser satisfactionuser demographicsuser attributes – knowledge, understandings, opinions, skills,

beliefs, values, behaviour, attitudes, motivations, perceptions, expectations, feelings, satisfaction, loyalty, etc.

user benefits, impacts, outcomes, change – knowledge, understandings, opinions, skills, beliefs, values, behaviour, attitudes, motivations, perceptions, expectations, feelings, satisfaction, loyalty, etc.

Library service complexity• people-based – hard to study

Studying nuclear physics is child’s play compared to studying child’s play.

- Stephen Herrero in Bear Attacks,

quoting his psychology professor

Library service complexity …• people-based – hard to study

• multidimensional

Federal Government Policy Files:

• industry & agriculture• transport• culture, heritage & official languages• citizenship, immigration & multiculturalism• human resources & skills development• finance

Alberta Government Departments(2004)

• agriculture • children’s services • community development*• economic development • energy & environment• food & rural development• government services • health & wellness

• human resources & employment

• innovation & science• justice• learning**• persons with disabilities• seniors

* public libraries** school libraries** post-secondary libraries

Provincial & Territorial Ministries Most Commonly Responsible for

Public Libraries*

• Culture• Education• Community Services

* 2010 & 2004 combined

Provincial & Territorial Ministries Responsible for Public Libraries – 2010• Municipal Affairs • Education• Culture, Heritage & Tourism• Post-Secondary Education,

Training & Labour• Education• Education, Culture &

Employment• Communities, Culture &

Heritage

• Culture, Language, Elders & Youth• Tourism & Culture• Community & Cultural

Affairs• Culture,

Communications & Women’s Issues• Education• Community Services

Provincial & Territorial Ministries Responsible for Public Libraries – 2004• Community, Aboriginal &

Women’s Services • Community Development• Learning• Culture, Heritage &

Tourism• Culture• Culture et

Communications

• Education• Education• Community & Cultural

Affairs• Community Services• Education, Culture &

Employment• Culture, Language,

Elders & Youth

Library service complexity …• people-based – hard to study

• multidimensional

• designed for self-service

• without physical form

• fleeting, transient

• different every time for every user

• perceived differently by staff & users

The one thing that can be said

with absolute certainty about

service institutions is that their

publics do not have the same

image of them as do the people

who toil within them.- Peter Drucker

Library service complexity …

• prior user experiences influence both expectations & satisfaction

• everyone tends to (over)generalize

• word-of-mouth influences library reputation

• service & quality change with time & circumstances

• library users are “co-creators” and partners in service quality & value

The first step is to measure whatever can be easily measured. This is OK as far as it goes. The second step is to disregard that which can't be easily measured or to give it an arbitrary quantitative value. This is artificial and misleading. The third step is to presume that what can't be measured easily really isn't important. This is blindness. The fourth step is to say that what can't be measured really doesn't exist. This is suicide.

- Robert McNamara

What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

- Oscar Wilde

Not everything that counts can be counted.- Albert Einstein

HASSL (!)

entrance

From supplier eyes to user eyes ...• Library features and services are potentials for user

benefit.

• Library service outputs – transactions & interactions – are user inputs.

• Library service outputs are potential impacts.

• Library user impacts, outcomes, & benefits are changes & transformations in user attributes.

From supplier eyes to user eyes …• Every library use is about choice – about people making

intentional choices to use a library.

• Every library use is about an experience.

• Every library use is about potential impact & benefit.

• Every library use is about impact & transformation – on knowledge, understandings, opinions, skills, beliefs, values, behaviour, attitudes, motivations, perceptions, expectations, feelings, satisfaction, loyalty, and other attributes.

From supplier eyes to user eyes …• Every library use is about a “moment of truth” for

institutional reputation, marketing, & branding.

• Every library use is about perception & image, about “the library brand” & library branding.

a brand is the intangible sum of attributes & implicit cultural referencing, a unifying identity

• Every library use is about shared values.

• Every library use is a story.

A way forward in measuring library value …

• Identify key user-centric metrics.

• Consider all kinds of problems – e.g., studies of visibility, usability, awareness, economic impact, specific services, shared values, etc.

• Consider all sources of evidence – including users & staff, especially front-line staff interacting with users.

• Consider all kinds of evidence – including testimonial, anecdotal, narrative, qualitative, quantitative, visualization, & philosophical.

A way forward … cont’d

• Develop a plan for systematic collection of key user-centric data – market research.

• Develop a communication & marketing plan – recognizing word of mouth, staff, users, champions, etc.

One patron's testimonial is worth a thousand gate counts when it comes to making the case for libraries.

- Sandra Singh

At the beginning of the 21st century, there are more libraries in Canada than Tim Hortons and McDonald's combined — 22,000 compared to 2800 Tims & 1400 McDonald's.

More libraries

than

Timmies!

Public Libraries: More cardholders than

VISA, more items than FedEx, more

outlets than Tim Hortons & McDonald’s– Ottawa Public Library

The City’s most-used public facility – visited more often than the Calgary Flames, the Calgary Zoo, Theatre Calgary, Heritage Park and other sports, culture and recreation facilities combined!

- Calgary Public Library

Asset Sound Bite

• Openness to newcomers Toronto Public Library is & earning their trust where newcomers go to

become Torontonians. [former Mayor David Miller]

• Staff expertise & resources Recession sanctuary. for people in employment transition• 24/7 digital access Fast, friendly, self-service.

* thanks to Wendy Newman, Senior Fellow,

Faculty of Information, University of Toronto

Worksheet for developing key messages*

Asset Sound Bite

• Physical space The third place.• Staff expertise & resources Your partners inknowledge.

We sweat the details so you don’t have to. - Ulla de

Stricker

• Children’s services & Libraries grow good kids.resources• Library as place The community’s living room. - Strathcona County PL

Worksheet for developing key messages (2)

Asset Sound Bite

• Rich resources, ILL Passionate about sharing. Beyonce’s latest. Beethoven’s greatest.

• Progressive, fun organization We are information ninjas.We speak geek.

• Defenders of intellectual Standing up for ideas. freedom.

* Edmonton Public Library

Worksheet for developing key messages* (3)

Asset Sound Bite

• Rare books & special A legacy investment. collections

• Effective legal research Practising safe research!

? ?

Worksheet for developing key messages (4)

Central Questions• What value do we add to the universe of cultural records and information for the people we serve?

• What value do we add to their quality of life?

• Are the library vision & mission user-centric & outcomes-driven?

• How do we answer the big “So What” questions?

• And what are the hooks to get – and hold – people’s attention?

Librarianship isn't about gate count and circulation figures, but people helped, lives enriched, and communities improved.

- Sandra Singh

Repositioning Libraries

• Benefits not features.• Value experienced not value added.• Transformations not transactions. • Making a difference in people’s lives.

Telling their stories is telling ours.