Making It Count

1
Making It Count
the strongest messages, the latest facts, the
best sources and your librarys story

• Keith Curry Lance
• Consultant, RSL Research Group
• Tel. [phone] - Mobile [phone]
• E-mail keithlance_at_comcast.net - Website
  http//www.RSLresearch.com

2
Outline

• The Messages what we know about public
  libraries
• The Facts data that backs it up
• The Sources Where to find it
• Your Story How to communicate it

3
What we know about public libraries

• Public libraries are
• Partners for vibrant educated communitieswhere
  learning never stops.
• Indispensable for a free people places of
  opportunity.
• For YOU The library is what you want it to be.
• A community destination for all.

4
What we know about public libraries

• Public libraries are
• Partners for vibrant educated communitieswhere
  learning never stops. Libraries
• Help children do well in school
• Support lifelong learning

5
Public libraries help children do well in school

• The Facts
• Why participating in summer reading program
  makes a difference
• Reading gets better when you practice it.
• Without SRPs, kids lose reading gains over
  summer. (Especially true for disadvantaged kids.)
• SRP kids more likely to read well than non-SRP
  kids.
• SRP kids read better than those who go to camp.
• SRP kids who visited library and did free reading
  gained more than those in a traditional language
• arts summer program.

6
Public libraries help children do well in school

• The Sources
• Do PL Summer Reading Programs Impact Student
  Achievement? (Dominicans 06-07 IMLS projectin
  progress)
• Making a Splash With Summer Reading, SLJ, Jan
  03. See http//www.schoollibraryjournal.com/in
  dex.asp?layoutarticlePrintarticleIDCA266700
• Study Summer Reading Helps Students, SLJ, Feb
  02. See http//www.schoollibraryjournal.com/in
  dex.asp?layoutarticlePrintarticleIDCA192969
• The Role of PLs in Childrens Literacy
  Development An Evaluation Report. PA Library
  Association, 01. See http//www.statelibrary.
  state.pa.us/libraries/lib/libraries/Role20of20Li
  braries.pdf
• Johnson, Peter. Building Effective Programs for
  Summer Learning. US Dept of Education, 00. See
  http//www.ed.gov/americareads/sum_build.doc.

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Public libraries help children do well in school

• Your Story
• Report number of programs for preschool age
  childrenespecially story times and outreach to
  day care centersand attendance at such programs.
• Report summer reading program statistics. Also
  track impact, if possible.
• Quote parents about the value of these programs.

8
Public libraries support lifelong learning

• The Facts
• Chicago PLs Austin Irving branch
• In partnership with Wright College, serves
• 6,500 regular credit students, AND
• 6,000 adult education students
• Childrens librarian visits every classroom in
  every school partnerships w/school librarians
  promote all childrens services
• 75-90 parents attend story time with kids each
  week

9
Public libraries support lifelong learning

• The Facts
• The top 3 topics for free choice learning are
• Health issues,
• Spiritual/personal growth, and
• Current events.

10
Public libraries support lifelong learning

• The Sources
• The Engaged Library Chicago Stories of Community
  Building (Urban Libraries Council (ULC, 06),
  See http//www.urbanlibraries.org/files/ULC_PFSC
  _Engaged_0206.pdf
• Partnerships for Free Choice Learning PLs,
  Museums, and Public Broadcasters (Urban
  Institute, ULC, 03) See http//www.urban.org/U
  ploadedPDF/410661_partnerships_for_free_choice_lea
  rning.pdf

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Public libraries support lifelong learning

• Your Story
• Report numbers of library programsespecially
  those offered in collaboration with other
  community organizationsthat encourage LL and
  attendance at programs.
• In annual user survey or focus group interviews,
  ask about LL uses of library collections
  services.
• Quote users about librarys role in their LL.

12
What we know about public libraries

• Public libraries are
• Indispensable for a free people places of
  opportunity. Libraries
• Open doors of opportunity for disenfranchised
  communities

13
Public libraries open doors of opportunity

• The Facts
• From Urban Libraries Council (Making Cities
  Stronger, 07)
• Brooklyn Reads to Babies (early literacy campaign
  in 6 languages)
• Providence Ready to Learn Partnership for Parents
  (early literacy training)
• Memphis Training Wheels (mobile childrens
  services)

14
Public libraries open doors of opportunity

• The Facts
• From MDRC (Manpower Demonstration Research
  Corporation, 01)
• Strong library literacy programs help to
  encourage adult students to persevere to meet
  their goals
• From Counting on Results (LRS, 01)
• Basic literacy 42 of these patrons became
  citizens.
• Business/career 36 of these patrons explored
  business opportunities, started or developed
  business.

15
Public libraries open doors of opportunity

• The Sources
• Making Cities Stronger PL Contributionss to
  Economic Development (ULC, 07) See
  http//www.urbanlibraries.org/files/making_cities_
  stronger.pdf
• "I Did It for Myself Studying Efforts to
  Increase Adult Learner Persistence in Library
  Literacy Programs (MDRC, 01) See
  http//www.mdrc.org/publications/106/execsum.html
• Counting on Results New Tools for Outcome-Based
  Evaluation of PLs (LRS, 99-01) See
  http//www.lrs.org/CoR.asp

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Public libraries open doors of opportunity

• Tools
• PL Geographic Database (PLGDB) See
  http//www.geolib.org
• LRS Community Analysis Scan Form See
  http//www.lrs.org/asp_public/ca_form.asp

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Public libraries open doors of opportunity

• Your Story
• Map recent or specific circulation data to learn
  who is and isnt using your library.
• Do a community analysis. (Use PLGDB LRS
  community scan form.)
• Publicize programs on preparing for GED exam,
  selecting college, starting home-based business.
• Interview key user groups in your legal service
  area (e.g., students, adult learners, small
  business owners).
• Design outreach efforts to reach non-users.

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What we know about public libraries

• Public libraries are
• For YOU The library is what you want it to be.
  Libraries ...
• Will get you through times of no money
• Change peoples lives!

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Public libraries will get you through times of no
money

• The Facts
• Public library usage increases when the economy
  slumps.
• During the 2001 recession, circulation ran 8-9
  above what would have normally been expected
  (ALA, 02).

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Public libraries will get you through times of no
money

• The Facts
• Public libraries generate a measurable
  return-on-investment in terms of community
  development (SLPL, 1998).

St Louis PL 97 budget 15 Million Opportunity/t
ime costs 90 million Consumer surplus 47
million Willingness to pay 15
million Teacher/caregiver benefits 13
million Business user benefits 7 million
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Public libraries will get you through times of no
money

• The Facts
• Overall public libraries return 6.54 for every
  1.00 invested from all sources.
• For every 6,448 spent on public libraries from
  public funding sources (federal, state, and
  local) one job is created.
• FL Taxpayer Return-on-Investment study

22
Public libraries will get you through times of no
money

• The Sources
• Taxpayer Return on Investment Study of FL PLs
  (04) See http//dlis.dos.state.fl.us/bld/roi/Fi
  nalReport.cfm
• Economic Hard Times and PL Use Revisited,
  American Libraries, Aug 02, pp. 62-63. See
  http//www.ala.org/ala/ors/reports/economichard.ht
  m
• Placing a Value on PL Services (St Louis PL, 98)
  See http//www.slpl.lib.mo.us/libsrc/restoc.htm
  
• For more, see the Library Research Service
  websites economic impact studies page at
  http//www.lrs.org/topics.aspecon2

23
Public libraries will get you through times of no
money

• Your Story
• Chart year to year trends for your community,
  including
• Librarys local income, collection expenditures
• Library visits, circulation, program attendance
• Labor force participation, unemployment rate.
• Survey businesses that use the library about cost
  savings.
• Ask users for success stories about how library
  services helped them find jobs, start businesses.

24
Public libraries change peoples lives

• The Facts
• Of general library users
• 74 read for pleasure.
• 56 learned about a skill, hobby or other
  interest.
• 46 found info needed for school, work or a
  community group.
• Facts on this following slide from Counting
  on Results (LRS, 01)

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Public libraries change peoples lives

• The Facts--continued
• Of all users for libraries that studied specific
  service responses
• Library as place 59 found quiet place to
  think, read, write or study.
• Local history/genealogy 53 made progress
  researching family histories.
• Basic literacy 36 read to a child or helped a
  child choose a book.

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Public libraries change peoples lives

• The Sources
• Perspectives on Outcome-Based Evaluation for
  Libraries Museums (IMLS, undated) See
  http//www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/pubobe.pdf
• Knowing What Audiences Learn Outcomes Program
  Planning (IMLS PowerPoint, 03) See
  http//www.imls.gov/grants/current/ACM-03-fnl.pps
• Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, Member
  Profiles (COSLA website) See
• http//www.cosla.org
• Counting on Results New Tools for Outcome-Based
  Evaluation of PLs (LRS,
• 99-01) See http//www.lrs.org/CoR.asp

27
Public libraries change peoples lives

• Your Story
• Conduct an outcome-based evaluation of a specific
  program at your library.
• Conduct an annual user survey to give patrons the
  opportunity to identify how they have benefited
  from your librarys services.

28
What we know about public libraries

• Public libraries are
• A community destination for all. Libraries
• Are gateways to the World Wide Web
• Bridge the Digital Divide

29
Public libraries are gateways to the World Wide
Web

• The Facts
• From Info Institute (06)
• 99 provide Internet access.
• 83 provide access to licensed databases.
• 55 offer digital or virtual reference services.
• 41 offer technology training.
• 37 offer wireless access.

• From Gates (03)
• New computers increase user visits, bring many
  new visitors to libraries.
• Includes home-schoolers, travelers, and others
  who depend on library computers.
• 75 of patrons "ask a librarian" when they need
  help with library computers.

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Public libraries are gateways to the World Wide
Web

• The Sources
• FSUs Information Institute (especially PL
  Internet project) at http//www.ii.fsu.edu
• The Gates Legacy What's changed and what's next
  as librarians work to sustain public access to
  computers , LJ, 03 See http//www.libraryjourn
  al.com (search terms gates legacy)
• Gates Foundations U.S. Libraries Evaluation
  Reports at http//www.gatesfoundation.org/UnitedS
  tates/USLibraryProgram/Evaluation/USLibrariesFullR
  eports.htm
• OCLC Programs Research publications and
  presentations at http//www.oclc.org/research/

31
Public libraries are gateways to the World Wide
Web

• Your Story
• Report website usage statistics for library
  catalog, licensed databases, virtual reference,
  homework help, etc.
• Publicize profiles of patrons who use online
  services and how they make a difference.
• Publicize stories of librarians helping patrons
  with technology.

32
Public libraries bridge the Digital Divide

• The Facts
• Virtually all library outlets offer public access
  computers, and more than 14 million regularly use
  them. Poor minority patrons are more likely
  than others to rely on access (Gates, 04).
• Libraries in poorer areas, especially rural ones,
  lag behind more prosperous cities and suburbs
  but, E-rate is closing gap (Info Institute, 02).

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Public libraries bridge the Digital Divide

• The Sources
• Toward Equality of Access The Role of Public
  Libraries in Addressing the Digital Divide (Bill
  Melinda Gates Foundation, 04) See
  http//www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/Equality.pdf
• Public Library Internet Services Impacts on the
  Digital Divide (Info Institute, FSU, 2002) See
  http//www.ii.fsu.edu/getProjectDetail.cfm?pageID
  9ProjectID7

34
Public libraries bridge the Digital Divide

• Your Story
• Report availability of library computers
  (especially for poor, low education, minorities,
  older adults).
• Report how patrons benefit from more or better
  access, thanks to E-rate.
• Survey or interview library users to determine
• extent of their reliance on library access to
  Internet,
• computer user demographics, and
• reasons for Internet use (e.g., educational,
  economic, recreational).

35
What we know about public libraries

• One more time
• Public libraries are
• Partners for vibrant educated communitieswhere
  learning never stops.
• Indispensable for a free people places of
  opportunity.
• For YOU The library is what you want it to be.
• A community destination for all.

36
Where to turn for help

• State Data Coordinators (state library agencies)
• State Data Centers
• Nearest library school
• Centers for library research
• ALA Office for Research Statistics
• Institute of Museum Library Services
• Links to all of the above (and more) at
  http//www.LRS.org

37
Contact Information

• Keith Curry Lance
• Consultant, RSL Research Group
• Tel. [phone] - Mobile [phone]
• keithlance_at_comcast.net or
• klance_at_RSLresearch.com
• http//www.linkedin.com/in/keithcurrylance
• http//www.RSLresearch.com