1 Telling Your Story Through the 7 Questions of Assessment Assessment Training September 24-27, 2013

2 Introductions Michelle Harrell Washington, OLOS, ALA Zina Clark, OLOS, ALA John Amundsen, OLOS, ALA Evan Leach, TAP Consulting Diana Post, TAP Consulting

3 Social entrepreneurs are change agents in the social sector, by: Adopting a mission to create and sustain social value (not just private value); Recognizing and relentlessly pursuing new opportunities to serve that mission; Engaging in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation, and learning; Acting boldly without being limited by resources currently in hand; and Exhibiting heightened accountability to the constituencies served and for the outcomes created. I.What is Social Entrepreneurship ?

4 II.What is Success? It depends on your point of view: Target population Library Partners Funder Staff 4

5 III.What do we measure? Formative vs. Summative Assessment Outputs Short Term Outcomes Long Term Outcomes Triggers 5

6 IV.How can my program make a difference in my library? Increased circulation Collection development Increased participation Fundraising Partnership development Resource Use 6

7 7 V.Why do we measure success? Assessment helps us to understand both ourselves and our audience so that we can tell our story more effectively. Assessment helps us to be accountable to ourselves, our constituents, our partners and our funders. Assessment provides a measure for understanding program impact by determining the level of growth or change (or non-change) that has occurred over time as a result of a planned action, or outreach activity. In addition, we investigate the aspects of the project that contributed most and least significantly to that change. Assessment is something that libraries already do all the time. 7

8 8 VI.What are some challenges to authentic program evaluation? 8 It can't be measured. You can't tell how far you have come without knowing where you began. Failure to consider reliability and validity of data. Being a mile wide and an inch deep. Failure to consider both quantitative and qualitative methods. Failure to involve stakeholders in the process.

9 9 VII.How do we assess our American Dream project? 9 Outputs Short term Outcomes Long term Outcomes Target Population Library Partners Funder Staff

10 Your questions

11 If you have any assessment questions related to the American Dream your library, please contact Evan Leach, President of TAP Consulting, at or Zina Clark, Program Coordinator, at Need help?