The table below shows the kinds of information (listed from most important to least) that most decision-makers outside the library and museum communities want. It lists the four most common categories of messages about libraries or museums with some ways to collect supporting evidence.
Notice that outcomes assessment is the most common way to support the most sought after information.
Message |
Information Strategies for Understanding Museum and Library Performance |
---|---|
What Good We Do/Why We Matter |
Outcomes measurement |
How Much We Cost/What We’re Worth |
Return on investment, cost: benefit calculations |
How Well We Do It |
Customer satisfaction, quality benchmarks, rankings |
How Much We Do |
Inputs and outputs: statistics, gate counts, Web use logs, and other measures of quantity and productivity |