Auto-evaluation School

Libraries Model in
England
David Streatfield
Information Management Associates, UK
Evaluation: Doing what you can with
the resources that you have 1

• International large programme

• International small project
• National intensive project
• National self-evaluation programme
• Single library
Evaluation: Doing what you can with
the resources that you have 2

International large programme

• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global
Libraries Initiative (public access ICT in
public libraries – 15 countries)
• Intensive baseline (where we are now) and
annual (how we have changed) evidence
collection.
Evaluation: Doing what you can with
the resources that you have 3

International small project

International Federation of Library
Associations Training courses in
Free Access to Information and
Freedom of Expression
• Collect stories and materials used
Evaluation: Doing what you can with
the resources that you have 4
National intensive project
The Impact Initiative
22 UK university library teams; 2
years.
• Systematic impact evaluation of one
initiative each; supported action
research approach
Evaluation: Doing what you can with
the resources that you have 5
National self-evaluation programme
England and Wales
• Systematic process; very detailed
support materials – published and e-
versions*; the School decides what to
evaluate and when.
* The Portuguese version of School Library self-
evaluation is partly based on these.
Evaluation: Doing what you can with
the resources that you have 6
Single library evaluation
CILIP (UK Library Association) one-day
training workshops: all kinds of libraries;
process supported by a book*

*Sharon Markless and David Streatfield

Evaluating the impact of your library
London: Facet 2006
What does auto- (self-)
evaluation involve 1?

FOCUS

Role of Impact it Aims of

Library can have Service
What does self-evaluation
involve 2 and 3?

INDICATORS

That you are doing

What will change has
things to
tell you: happened?
meet your aims?

EVIDENCE
 Key Questions
2. How high are standards?
4. How well are pupils’ attitudes, values, personal qualities
developed?
3 How effective are teaching and learning?
• How well does Library meet pupils’ needs?
5 How well are pupils guided and supported?
6 How effectively does the school work with parents/the
community?
7 How well is the Library led and managed?
 Questions and sections:
an example
3. How effective are teaching and
learning?
3a The quality of teaching provided by Library
staff.
3b Co-operation between Library staff and
teaching staff to ensure effective learning
3c Pupils’ attitudes towards and progress in
Library-based work
 Doing this self evaluation:
nine steps 1-4

• Which question should I address?

• Which section do I want to work on?
• What evidence do I need to collect to
see how the Library is doing?
• How can I collect evidence for each of
the indicators within the section?
 Doing this self evaluation:
nine steps 5-9
5 How good is the evidence I have collected?
6 At what level is the Library performing
according to the evidence?
• What can I do to improve the work of the
Library in this area?
• What should I put in the Summary Sheet?
• How else can I use the findings of this self
evaluation?
 Focus of key questions

• Pupils/staff - mainly impact indicators

Key questions/sections 1, 2a, 3a & 3c, 5b

• The library – mainly process indicators

Key questions/sections 2b, 3b, 4, 5a, 6, 7
 What do we mean by
impact?

“ … any effect of the service (or of an event

or initiative) on an individual or group.”
• may be positive or negative
• may be intended or accidental
• may affect pupils, teachers, Library staff,
senior managers, parents, etc.
 Success criteria
Looking for changes in:
.
• behaviour (doing things differently)
• competence (doing things better)
• Levels of knowledge
• attitudes (e.g. confidence; valuing
librarians!)
Challenges of evaluating
impact
• Need for clarity in objectives of Library
• Need for clarity about pupils’ learning objectives
in Library
• Need to know what to look for as indictors of
learning
• Problem – capturing evidence in busy libraries
• Rigour and system needed in collecting, analysing,
reporting data
• Problems with both qualitative and quantitative
evidence
 Evidence of learning
Lesson observation 1

• How do you know something was

learned?
• What made the session a good
learning experience?
 Evidence of learning
Lesson observation 2
The pupils:
• Showed interest
• Kept on task
• Listened to instructions
• Thought about the work/were able to reflect
• Wanted to carry on in their own time
• Were proud of the finished piece of work
• Asked good questions
• Worked independently
• Used information in the right place
 Collecting Evidence of
Impact

Observation, including informal

observations
Asking Questions to pupils or to other
people (and recording the answers!)
Looking for changes in documents and
written work