amalatconsulting@gmail.com

PLA’s Project Outcome

In preparation for the Outcome-Based Evaluation Workshop I am conducting next month, I’ve been researching the Public Library Association’s new, national evaluation initiative, Project Outcome. As this is really a unique program and one with great potential, I wanted to share it here.

project-outcome

Here’s more info from the Project Outcome website (shown above):

What is Project Outcome?

We help public libraries understand and share the true impact of their services and programs with simple surveys and an easy-to-use process to measure and analyze outcomes. Project Outcome is a free toolkit offering libraries access to training, data analytics, and standardized surveys that measure outcomes in seven key library service areas:

  • Civic/Community Engagement
  • Digital Literacy
  • Early Childhood Literacy
  • Economic Development
  • Education/Lifelong Learning
  • Job Skills
  • Summer Reading

Note that an account must be created to view the many resources put together by Project Outcome. There isn’t much available on the website unless you sign up and gain access. But it’s free! From there you can learn more about participating and collecting/analyzing evaluation data for your public library. Check it out!

Ready to Read at New York Libraries

PrintA new year = a new project! I am happy to report that I am now working on the New York State Library’s Ready to Read at New York Libraries program. If you are not familiar with this project, I encourage you to check it out (especially if you are a public librarian working with young children and families!).

Here’s a description from the Ready to Read website:

Ready to Read at New York Libraries is an initiative of the New York State Education Department designed to improve and expand the availability of high quality public library early learning services in local communities across the State. Through this initiative, families and caregivers will be provided with the knowledge needed to prepare their young children for their school years ahead.

The priority component of Ready to Read at New York Libraries through 2019 is the Early Childhood Public Library Staff Development Program, a train-the-trainer program that will strengthen library staff skills to ensure that families and caregivers with young children receive the highest quality services at all of New York’s 1,000 public library outlets.

Also, be sure to check out the program’s Facebook page!

And the terrific family resource, DayByDayNY, with daily songs, stories, and activities families can do with their young children to grow early literacy skills. I posted a screen shot below:

Screenshot

ILEAD USA Seed & Grow Videos

As part of ILEAD USA, teams were asked to answer specific questions about their projects while being videotaped (called Seed & Grow Videos). It’s a great way to learn more about the projects coming out of ILEAD here in NY, and a good follow up to the pecha kuchas that were created earlier this year.

These were taped (do we still say taped?) by each team either over the summer or in the fall.

The Red Hook Collaboratorium’s video is particularly creative!

Nice work, ILEADers!

Great Pecha Kucha Examples

The ILEAD USA teams brought great project ideas, creativity, and fun to their pecha kucha presentations at our June session in Utica. I invite you to view all of their hard work below!

And of course, because I am a librarian, I must also give you the definition of a pecha kucha (thanks to Wikipedia):

A presentation style in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each (6 minutes and 40 seconds in total).

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PechaKucha