Does Counting Count: An Evaluative Study of the Use and Impact of Performance Measurement in Florida Public Libraries (original) (raw)
2002, Does Counting Count: An Evaluative Study of the Use and Impact of Performance Measurement in Florida Public Libraries
The purposes of the study were to identify the current use and perceived impact of performance measurement (PM) in Florida public libraries and to determine whether a culture of assessment exists in Florida public libraries. The study seeks to determine the perceived impacts of PM, methods of data collection, resources expended to conduct PM, current PM methods employed by Library Administrative Units (LAU), use of information resulting from PM, and the types of participants involved in the PM process. The survey was conducted using an evaluative mixed-methodology research design. The study participants were the head public library administrators of Florida’s seventy-five (75) public LAU. The study was conducted in two phases: Phase I of the study was a self-administered attitudinal-quantitative survey of the seventy-five Head Library Administrators (HLA) conducted by e-mail which yielded a 53.3% return rate. Respondents recorded current performance measurement practices, estimated resources expended to conduct PM, identified PM process participants, and perceptions of the impact and effectiveness of PM. Phase II of the study consisted of a qualitative series of interviews conducted by e-mail and telephone with Key Informants (Kl). KIs within and outside of the HLA population were interviewed to gather additional information on the history, current practices, and the future needs and developmental directions of PM in Florida’s public libraries. The results of the study indicate that a wide variety of PM methods are currently used in Florida public libraries with HLA perceiving marginal impact resulting from their use in their LAU. Study results indicate a culture of assessment does not currently exist in Florida public LAU. The study also concluded that Florida public LAU expended an estimated 7.9−7.9 - 7.9−16.1 million and used an estimated 335 - 609 staff FTE (not including training time) to conduct PM in FY 2000-2001. Finally, the study results indicated the PM process in Florida LAU creates Orphaned Data and Knowledge (ODK.) Recommendations of the study include: future research to determine how ODK is created and how ODK can be transformed into a beneficial resource; improving HLA’s use and understanding of the PM process.
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