Measuring the value of public libraries in the digital age: What the power people need to know

Abstract

The evaluation and impact of public libraries is highly topical as local authorities make decisions about what can and cannot be provided through the public purse. This article reports the outcomes of a research workshop which used the Delphi method to gather opinions from expert stakeholders on this subject. Key themes included the value and social benefits of libraries; the need for effective communication; the need for research; the role of CILIP; and the required next steps. The authors suggest the novel approach of using a human rights-based approach to support arguments in favour of public library provision.

Keywords

Delphi method evaluation Human Rights Impact Assessment impact public libraries value

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aabø

(2005) The role and value of public libraries in the age of digital technologies. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 37(4): 205–211.

Anstice

(2013) Public Libraries News. Available at: http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/ (accessed 20 February 2013).

Armstrong

(ed.) (2001) Principles of Forecasting: A Handbook for Researchers and Practitioners. New York: Kluwer.

Arts Council England (2012) Summary of Findings from Phases One and Two of Envisioning the Library of the Future. London: Arts Council England. Available at: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/doc/Summary_findings_from_phases_1_2.docx (accessed 17 February 2013).

Bawden

Calvert

Robinson

.(2009) Understanding our value: Assessing the nature of the impact of library services. Library and Information Research 33(105): 62–89.

Beyond Access (2012) Libraries Powering Development: How Public Libraries Contribute to the Millennium Development Goals. Washington, DC: IREX. Available at: http://issuu.com/irex-dc/docs/beyond_access_libraries_mdgs_20_page_small2/1 (accessed 17 February 2013).

Black

(2000) The Public Library in Britain, 1914–2000. London: The British Library.

Black

Pepper

Bagshaw

(2009) Books, Buildings and Social Engineering: Early Public Libraries in Britain from Past to Present. Farnham: Ashgate.

Boksberger

Melsen

(2011) Perceived value: A critical examination of definitions, concepts and measures for the service industry. Journal of Services Marketing 25(3): 229–240.

10.

Booth

Brice

(eds) (2004) Evidence Based Practice for Information Professionals: A Handbook. London: Facet.

11.

Bourke

(2005) Public libraries: Building social capital through networking. Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services (APLIS) 18(1): 71–5.

12.

Brophy

(2001) The Library in the Twenty-first Century: New Services for the Information Age. London: Facet.

13.

Bryman

(2012) Social Research Methods. 4th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press

14.

Cabinet Office (2013) Big Society – Overview. London: Cabinet Office. Available at: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/big-society-overview (accessed 20 February 2013).

15.

Chowdhury

Poulter

McMenemy

(2006) Public Library 2.0: Towards a new mission for public libraries as a ‘network of community knowledge’. Online Information Review 30(4): 454–460.

16.

CILIP (2011) Campaigning hits home. Library and Information Update (March): 4.

17.

CILIP (2012) Ebook Acquisition and Lending Briefing: Public, Academic and Research Libraries. London: CILIP. Available at: http://www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/policy/Documents/E-book%20acquisition%20and%20lending%20by%20libraries%20%28August%202012%29.pdf (accessed 20 February 2013).

18.

Crawford

(2006) The Culture of Evaluation in Library and Information Services. Oxford: Chandos.

19.

Culture Media and Sport Committee (2012) Library Closures (HC 587). London: The Stationery Office. Available at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmcumeds/587/587.pdf (accessed 17 February 2013).

20.

Dalkey

(1969)The Delphi Method: An Experimental Study of Group Opinion. RM-5888. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.

21.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2008) Public Library Service Standards. London: The Stationery Office. Available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/PulbicLibraryServicesApril08.pdf (accessed 17 February 2013).

22.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2009) Capturing the Impact of Libraries: Final Report. London: BOP Consulting.

23.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2010) The Modernisation Review of Public Libraries: A Policy Statement. Cm 7821. London: The Stationery Office.

24.

Gildersleeves

(2012) The importance of service evaluation in libraries for children and schools. In: Rankin

rock

(eds) Library Services for Children and Young People: Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Age. London: Facet, pp. 207–219.

25.

Goulding

(2006) Public Libraries in the 21st Century: Defining Services and Debating the Future. Aldershot: Ashgate.

26.

Great Britain (1964) Public Libraries and Museums Act. Ch. 75. London: The Stationery Office.

27.

Halpin

(2002) An evaluation of the Child Rights Information Network: Examining information management in a global NGO – Part 1. Canadian Journal of Library and Information Science 27(4): 31–54.

28.

Harrison

(2011) Human Rights Measurement: Reflections on the Current Practice and Future Potential of Human Rights Impact Assessment. Journal of Human Rights Practice. 3 (2): 162–187.

29.

HM Treasury (2010) Public Spending Review No. 7942. London: The Stationery Office.

30.

Hsu

C-C

Sandford

(2007) The Delphi technique: Making sense of consensus. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation 12(10). Available at: http://pareonline.net/pdf/v12n10.pdf (accessed 13 February 2013).

31.

Hunt

MacNaughton

(2006) Impact Assessments, Poverty and Human Rights: A Case Study Using The Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health. Health and Human Rights Working Paper Series No. 6. Submitted to UNESCO. Available at: http://www.who.int/hhr/Series_6_Impact%20Assessments_Hunt_MacNaughton1.pdf (accessed 15 February 2013)

32.

Imholz

Arns

(2007) Worth their Weight: An Assessment of the Evolving Field of Library Valuation. New York: Americans for Libraries Council.

33.

Johnson

(2010) Do public libraries contribute to social capital?: A preliminary investigation into the relationship. Library & Information Science Research 32(2):147–155.

34.

Koren

(2000) Children’s rights, libraries’ potential and the information society. IFLA Journal 26(4): 273–279.

35.

Library and Information Commission (1997) The New Library: The People’s Network. London: Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Available at: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/lic/newlibrary/full.html (accessed 17 February 2013).

36.

Lincoln

Guba

(1985) Naturalistic Inquiry. London: SAGE.

37.

Locality (2013a) Community Libraries - 10 Case Studies. London: Arts Council England. Available at: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/pdf/Community_libaries_research_2013_case_studies.pdf (accessed 20 February 2013).

38.

Locality (2013b) Community Libraries - Learning From Experience: Guiding Principles for Local Authorities. London: Arts Council England. Available at: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/pdf/Community_libraries_research_2013_guiding_principles.pdf (accessed 20 February 2013).

39.

Macdonald

(2012) A New Chapter: Public Library Services in the 21st Century. Dunfermline: Carnegie UK Trust.

40.

McMenemy

(2007) What is the true value of a public library? Library Review 56 (4): 273–277.

41.

McMenemy

(2009) The Public Library. London: Facet.

42.

Markless

Streatfield

(2012) Evaluating the Impact of your Library. 2nd edn. London: Facet.

43.

Matarasso

(1998) Beyond Book Issues: The Social Potential of Library Projects. British Library Research and Innovation Report. London: The British Library Board.

44.

Matthews

(2007)The Evaluation and Measurement of Library Services. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

45.

MLA (2010) What do the Public Want from Libraries? User and Non-User Research - Full Research Report. Birmingham: Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120215211132/http://research.mla.gov.uk/evidence/documents/what_public_want_from_libraries_full_research_report_final_081110.pdf (accessed 17 February 2013).

46.

Njobvu

Koopman

(eds) (2008) Libraries and Information Services Towards the Attainment of the UN Millennium Development Goals. Munich: KG Saur. Available at: http://www.degruyter.com/viewbooktoc/product/40598;jsessionid=AD949EC1F91B52C9E10CFA22CA771F2C (accessed 17 February 2013).

47.

O’Brien

(2010) Measuring the Value of Culture: A Report to the Department for Culture Media and Sport. London: Department for Culture Media and Sport.

48.

Okoli

Pawlowski

(2004) The Delphi method as a research tool: An example, design considerations and applications. Information & Management 42(1): 15–29.

49.

Palmer

(2011) E-books for public libraries. In: Price

Havergal

(eds) E-books in Libraries: A Practical Guide. London: Facet, pp. 71–92.

50.

Pateman

Vincent

(2010) Public Libraries and Social Justice. Farnham: Ashgate.

51.

Proctor

Usherwood

Sobczyk

(1996) What do People do when their Public Library Service Closes Down?: An Investigation into the Impact of the Sheffield Libraries Strike. British Library Research and Development Department Report 6224. London: British Library.

52.

Rankin

(2010) Mind the gap. Library & Information Update 9(12): 34.

53.

Rankin

(2012) The potential of Generic Social Outcomes in promoting the positive impact of the public library: Evidence from the National Year of Reading in Yorkshire. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 7(1): 7–21.

54.

Rankin

Brock

(2012) Library services for children and young people: An overview of current provision, future trends and challenges. In: Rankin

(ed.) Library Services for Children and Young People: Challenges and opportunities in the digital age. London: Facet, pp. 3–27.

55.

Rooney-Browne

(2009) Rising to the challenge: A look at the role of public libraries in times of recession. Library Review 58(5): 341–352.

56.

Rooney-Browne

(2011) Methods for demonstrating the value of public libraries in the UK: A literature review. Library and Information Research 35(109): 3–39.

57.

Rooney-Browne

McMenemy

(2010) Public libraries as impartial spaces in a consumer society: Possible, plausible, desirable? New Library World 111(11/12): 455–467.

58.

Stanziola

(2010) Numbers and pictures: Capturing the impact of public libraries. Library and Information Update (December): 44–46.

59.

UN General Assembly (1948) Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 217 A (III), 10 December 1948. Available at: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ (accessed 11 July 2013).

60.

Usherwood

(2002a) Demonstrating impact through qualitative research. Performance Measurement and Metrics 3 (3): 117–122.

61.

Usherwood

(2002b) Accounting for outcomes: Demonstrating the impact of public libraries. Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services 5(1): 5–13.

62.

Vakkari

Serola

(2012) Perceived outcomes of public libraries. Library & Information Science Research 34(1): 37–44.

63.

Vårheim

(2009) Public libraries: places creating social capital? Library Hi Tech 27(3): 372–381

64.

Walker

Halpin

Rankin

. (2012) Measuring the Value of Public Libraries: The Fallacy of Footfall and Issues as Measures of the Value of Public Libraries, Summary Report. CPLIS: Centre for the Public Library and Information in Society, Information School, University of Sheffield. Available at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.199926!/file/Measuringthevalueofpubliclibraries.pdf (accessed 17 February 2013).

65.

Woodall

(2003) Conceptualising ‘value for the customer’. An attributional, structural and dispositional analysis. Academy of Marketing Science Review 12: 1–31.

66.

Woodruff

(1997) Consumer value: The next source for competitive advantage. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 25(2): 139–153.

67.

Zeithaml

(1988) Consumer perceptions of price, quality and value: A means-end model and synthesis of evidence. Journal of Marketing 52(3): 2–22.