Impact Evaluation and the School Library

Dr. Carolynn Rankin joined us for a day focusing on impact evaluation. While this may not be the sexiest of topics it is certainly one of the most relevant for our sector following the launch of the How Good is Our School Library? framework the week before.

The day was stimulating and inspiring not least because of the way Carolynn presented. While powerpoints were present, she encouraged us not to take notes instead sending us detailed notes after the event. There was a lot of time given to group discussion, personal reflection and ample opportunity for movement. I really liked the way she made us talk with different people and work in different groups (usually through some mechanism like coloured dot matching) it meant that we had the chance to speak to everyone there and hear a wide variety of ideas and experiences.

As is to be expected from a School Librarian meet up many of the issues and challenges we had were echoed among the group. Things like how to get Senior Management/ teachers and wider stakeholders to see the value - both of the library and of us, the trained professional running it. While many of us are hopeful the new HGIOS Library framework will help those involved see the value, a lot of it requires evidence. Something that isn't always the easiest thing to collect given nature of our jobs.

For me the days big takeaways were:

• Plan the evaluation/ evidence gathering at the start - what proof do you need? how are you gonna get it?
• Focus - who are your stakeholders? if different who are you targeting with the evidence - what do they want to see?
• You don't need to do it all in one go, break it down and focus on a particular group or activity or even a question.

Doing all this is easier said than done, but tools and resources already exist to help us do just that and making use of this is key. Some of those suggested were:

• CILIP Knowledge and Skills Base (PKSB) if you are a member of CILIP this is well worth a look as it can help you identify and evaluate your skills.
• IFLA School Library Guidelines 2nd Edition when trying to ID what a school library should be. 
• Reading Agency - they have a measuring impact toolkit looking at reading for pleasure.
• SLA  - Quality and Impact: Evaluating the Performance of Your School Library by Elspeth Scott, Sally Duncan and Geoff Dubber 
• plus Loud and Clear: Advocacy for Secondary School Library Staff by Barbara Brand both of which provide a range of tips and tools to help.

Even the venue provided plenty of inspiration as a number of us oohed and ahead over the very pretty book jacket bunting that Helen and Sarah had on display. Many thanks to them and Perth High School for hosting us for the day.