[Libs-Or] Impact Survey for Public Libraries - Free until October 2014

[Darci Hanning]

Greetings!

(Please pardon any duplicates!)

For those who have been following along as well  for those who have not heard of the Impact Survey, I have some great news - the Impact Survey is now out of beta!

What is the Impact Survey? I'm glad you asked!

The Impact Survey is an online survey tool designed specifically for public libraries that want to better understand their communities and how people use their public technology resources and services. Written and validated by research staff at the University of Washington Information School, the Impact Survey is designed to quickly and easily provide busy librarians with useful data on how their patrons use library technology services. The program saves libraries the time and costs associated with writing, programming, analyzing, and reporting an in-house survey. The tool includes:


  *   Cut and paste code with a variety of options for linking to the survey.
  *   Easy-to-read data-oriented reports detailing survey results in charts and graphs.
  *   Advocacy-oriented communication tools showcasing survey results.
  *   Downloadable data for libraries that want to do deeper analysis of their survey results.

Know your community. Improve your technology services.
Understanding your community is essential to providing patrons with the technology services they need. The Impact Survey asks patrons about how they use library technology services like public computers, wireless networks, online resources, digital literacy training, as well as outcome oriented use in the following areas:

How is this different than the Edge Initiative?
The Edge Initiative a self-assessment process for library staff to identify specific areas of technology and technology services that could be improved while the Impact Survey is your chance to get feedback directly from your patrons.

As you can imagine, the Edge Initiative and the Impact Survey can be used together; the Impact Survey:


*       Fulfills requirements for conducting needs assessment and patron surveys (Benchmarks 4.2, 4.3 & 6.2)

*       Contributes to the evaluation of digital literacy programs (Benchmark 4.4)
*       Provides materials to use while building relationships with key stakeholders (Benchmarks 4.1. & 5.1)

Also, presented together, libraries have a stronger case to make with local leaders about the value of the library in addressing community needs.  However, your library does NOT need to be participating in the Edge Initiative in order to take advantage of the Impact Survey - this is a great tool for ANY library of ANY size to learn more about their patrons and their use of technology. The state library would like to encourage all public libraries to consider taking advantage of this awesome program while it remains free (until October 2014).

For more information about the Impact Survey, please visit: http://impactsurvey.org/ Questions? They have a FAQ<http://impactsurvey.org/faq-page> and a Getting Started Guide<http://impactsurvey.org/howto>. I'm also available to assist as needed - please feel free to email or call.

Cheers,
Darci
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Darci Hanning * Technology Development Consultant * Library Development Services
Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, OR  97301
503-378-2527 darci.hanning at state.or.us<mailto:darci.hanning at state.or.us>


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