ERIC_NO:
ED412969
TITLE:
Planning for Action: Turning Meaningful Data into Programs and Promotion.
AUTHOR:
Howe, Eleanor; Stack, Jack; Rettig-Seitam, Marcia
PUBLICATION_DATE:
1997
ABSTRACT:
This paper presents guidelines and tools for action research in the school library which will help the librarian justify expenditures and
personnel and evaluate and plan services. It shows how statistics can
be turned into meaningful knowledge about what is currently being done
in the library, how well it is being done, whether it should be done,
and what needs to be known to prepare for the future. The paper covers:
what needs to be measured in school libraries; what can be measured; how
to measure--types of data and measurement techniques; analyzing the
data--quantitative and qualitative analysis; and reporting the data--who
needs the data, what data should be reported, and how to report the data
to a variety of audiences. All institutions, including libraries, need
to assess their value and performance in order to justify funding. In
an era of increased expenses and reduced funding, programs which are not
highly rated can be deprived of even maintenance levels of funding, phased
out, or placed on the ballot for referendum by taxpayers. Information
technology has dramatically increased the budgets of school libraries,
and school librarians need to demonstrate the real benefits of these
technologies for students. Action research is a tool which can help to
examine, report on, and improve the total school library program.
(Author/SWC)
MAJOR_DESCRIPTORS:
Action Research; Library Research; Library Services; Program Evaluation; School Libraries;
MINOR DESCRIPTORS:
Data Analysis; Elementary Secondary Education; Information Technology; Library Expenditures; Library Funding; Library Planning; Library Statistics; User Needs (Information);
IDENTIFIERS:
Research in Education; Research Results
PUBLICATION_TYPE:
055; 141; 150