Needs Assessment: Asking Significant Questions Instructor: Gail McGovern An Infopeople Workshop Summer 2007

This Workshop Is Brought to You By the Infopeople Project Infopeople is a federally-funded grant project supported by the California State Library. It provides a wide variety of training to California libraries. Infopeople workshops are offered around the state and are open registration on a first-come, first-served basis. For a complete list of workshops, and for other information about the project, go to the Infopeople website at infopeople.org.

Introductions  Name  Library  One or two words that come to mind when you hear the phrase “we should do a needs assessment”

Workshop Overview  Defining Needs  Types of Assessment Methods  Information Gathering Process Steps  Grant Application Considerations

Participant Outcomes  See Needs in Personal & Library Contexts  List Purposes for Assessments  Differentiate Types of Assessments  Match Methods with Needs & Resources  Customize Assessment Processes  Understand Grant Considerations

Defining Needs  What happened in the past? vs.  What do you need in the future?

What are Basic Human Needs? Adapted Hierarchy of Needs Based on Maslow’s Theory Self-actualization Aesthetic Cognitive Esteem Belongingness and Love Safety Biological and Physiological

Reasons for Assessments  Define gaps in service to targets  Increase awareness of issues  Snapshot of current conditions  Anticipate future changes  Gather data for planning or grants

Current users Potential users Hardcore nonusers Governing bodies Staff Volunteers Organizational partners Groups in Your Community

What You Want to Know  What are their characteristics?  What do they need?  What is different about each group?  What types of subgroups exist?

How Do they Feel about the Library?  What do they value now?  How well are their needs met?  What changes would they like?

Human vs. System Approach  Asking what people need = needs assessment  Asking how the library helped = accountability assessment  Telling people what the library offers that they should use = public relations

Types of Assessments  Informal Observation Research data  Formal Interviews (in person, intercept, telephone) Focus groups/community forums (in person) Surveys (mail, online, telephone)

Observation  Direct study of behavior  Watch without intrusion  Record key natural responses

Research Data  U.S. Census  State and local government  Regional planning agencies  Specialized research

Interview  Develops personal relationships  Very helpful in reaching potential users  Provides high quality/quantity information  Makes it easy to clarify questions  Data is subjective/based on opinion  High cost in staff time to conduct/analyze

Focus Group  Develops community rapport  Information high quality/quantity  Makes it easy to clarify questions  Medium cost in staff time

Community Forum  Information lower quality/quantity  Helps develop community rapport  Data is subjective/based on opinion  High cost in staff time

Community Written Survey  Easier to ask complex questions  Provides library visibility  Can be high cost

User Written Survey  Easier to ask complex questions  Doesn’t reach potential users  Medium to high cost

Importance of Reaching Out  To reach potential users, gather data where they are (NOT in a library facility)  Design strategies to identify best method(s) of reaching specific target groups

Question Formats  Open-ended Explore issues Takes more time to summarize  Close-ended Force choices Less flexibility

Your Assessment Experiences Share experiences personal or library-related

Tips for Summarizing Data  Group responses into categories  Create categories that are specific  Same person does all responses for same questions  All have same understanding of categories

Tips for Analyzing Data Ask these clarifying questions… What did you see in the results? What struck you as important? If resources were no object, what would you do?

Tips for Choosing Techniques Keep in mind… Time, energy, financial support Appropriateness for target group(s) Try out different methods

Considerations for Grants  What funding sources want  Common weaknesses  Tips for meeting State Library expectations

Overcoming Weaknesses  Provide PROOF of needs  Show target INVOLVEMENT  Focus on USER needs

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I don't know, Alice answered. Then, said the cat, it doesn’t matter. —Lewis Carroll

Information Gathering Process 1. Define purpose(s) 2. Determine available resources 3. Decide who will conduct the process 4. Decide what information to collect 5. Decide how to collect info 6. Decide on analysis and interpretation 7. Decide how to implement results 8. Decide how to share results

And One Last Caution…… We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are. - Anais Nin