1. Measurable Outcomes (Evaluating and Assessing Our Services)
By Kymberley Pelky, Oneida Community Library & Youth Services/Inclusion Liaison for Nicolet Federated Library System

2. What is a Measurable Outcome?
The IMLS, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, is a great guide, as to what a measurable outcome is, as they fund the LSTA, so it prepares us for grant writing. However, even if not worrying about proving ourselves or our programs’ and services’ worth for a grant, measuring our outcomes can help us in communicating with our directors, our boards, our systems, and our community. (Rudd, 2000, p. 20).
Definition: Goal: What you hope to achieve and/or accomplish.  Outcome: A benefit to users of a service or product - a high level result. Output: A measure of the volume of a program's activity, (e.g., meals served, number of clients tested, etc.) - Basic number counting. Indicator: Observable and measurable; generally numeric. People, satisfaction levels, survey results of people that feel they or their children learned and benefited and/or found real world value of your program and/or service.

3. Elements of Outcomes Outcomes have elements of
Input: What was put into the program. Everything you needed for your story time plan(s), your stories, songs, craft supplies, staffing, guest presenters, the age focus/demographic or population targeted, etc.
Activities: What did you do? How and with what did you engage your patrons/participants.
Outputs: How many came? What were their ages? Did the ages/demographics that came to your program match the ages/demographics you planned for/targeted?

4. Ways to Measure
Measure YOU with a Self-Assessment Tool. For Libraries teaching 21st Century Skills, there is one on pages of this document: 21st Century Skills. “Leadership & Management” first means YOU, improve what you can on your own, and then you build your team.
Rubrics, Logic Models, and other assessments.

5. Rubrics
A rubric, Heidi Andrade of Rubistar’s definition is paraphrased this way: A “document that articulates the expectations for: a program “by listing the criteria” (such as literacy skills and practices) “and describing levels of quality from excellent to poor.”
Examples: Puppet Show Rubric. There are more links to what I’m trying to do on the last page of this presentation.

6. For more than a Mini-Presentation
Take an entire course on “Shaping Outcomes,” all about Outcome-Based Planning and Evaluation (OBPE) at
Check the catalog database for measureable outcomes to glean out-of-the-box ways to measure from others not in library land.
Search “IMLS Measurable Outcomes”

7. Bibliography
Andrade, H. (2008). What is a Rubric? screen=WhatIs
IMLS. (2009.) Museums and Libraries: 21st Century Skills.
Rudd, P. D. (2000). Perspective on Outcome Based Evaluation for Libraries and Museums. “Demonstrating the Value of Libraries Through Outcome Measurement.”
Spirit Mountain Community Fund.
Background Art and Graphics: Adrianna Pelky and me…

8. My Measuring Assessments
I’m not sharing these with you because I think they’re so stellar, as I’m a beginning outcome measurer, too. I just know these are safe to share with you:
Puppet Show Rubric (start somewhere…) (I made this at
Program and Offering Rubric:
Logic Model for Early Literacy and Preschool Programming:
MEOW Assessment:
Umbrella for Offerings, Programs, and Drop-Ins:
Drop-In Documentation: