Framing & Deﬁning Metrics for Libraries Rebecca Jones [email protected] HOT topic Value Know the language of your context Metrics Evalua:on Assessment Measures Measure: info about what is Assess: test against a target Evaluate: judge the findings Symptoms Underlying causes h=p://goo.gl/kJrzVw •  We don’t tend to have a “culture of assessment”… What’s below the water causing the symptoms? •  Most “measures” convey past performance •  Difficult and complex •  Our “measures” don’t align with decisionmakers We’ve learned that: •  Identifying & illustrating value depends on conversations with your stakeholders –  …the first conversation shouldn’t be when measures are presented •  “More” isn’t necessarily better –  …in fact, “more” clouds the issue and the message Our frames & mental models h=ps://goo.gl/WOjS7N Why should we frame this issue? •  No one magic measure •  Successful organizations: •  clarity of purpose •  understand their culture •  performance measurement system that fits that culture •  “Value” is dynamic, economic, psychological & relative to alternatives •  Identifying outcomes & especially impact takes a long time & heavy duty analysis IT’S HARD Center for Investigative Reporting’s Frame Non-profit media & their funders have been working on impact for years 4 “strands of the conversation”: ü Standards ü Engagement ü Online analytics ü Offline activities Oh, those offline activities “Because offline activities are messy and irregular and require staff and time to track, they are cast aside as, at best, qualitative data and, at worst, anecdotes. But qualitative data is data, and it is as valuable as quantitative data if it is collected and analyzed using rigorous methods.”! Impact CIR’s definition: Change in status quo @ macro, meso or micro levels “we want to understand the relationship of convertibility among these outcomes. We are only beginning to think about how to quantify these interactions; this is not alchemy, but science – and maybe a little art. “ •  Dissection •  App in Podio Your frame Ideas, discomfort, provoking Your assumptions & beliefs about measurements now: Your assumptions & beliefs about measurements at noon tomorrow: Ideas, discomfort, provoking