1. Making Difficult Decisions about Priority, Service, and Need
The Outreach Dilemma:
Making Difficult Decisions about Priority, Service, and Need

2. Who We Are Bonny Yeager yeagerb@carnegielibrary.org
Youth Services Librarian
CLP-Lawrenceville
Simon Rafferty
Teen Librarian
CLP-East Liberty
Isabelle Toomey
Children's and Adult Librarian
CLP-Downtown and Business

3. The Why

4. Data informed decision making
The Why
Data informed decision making
First-come, first-serve 
Evaluating need and prioritizing
Matching services to demonstrated need(s)
"This is what we've always done"

5. The Why Have the greatest possible impact in our communities
Enable library staff to make decisions that best serve their communities, within the library's mission and strategic plan

6. Process for Determining Partnerships

7. Determining Available Time
Talk with supervisors and/or schedulers to discuss branch staffing requirements and goals
Consider if your Library has requirements (is it required that you see the local public school for outreach? Optional?)
Collaborate with other youth serving members at your branch
In order to understand how much time you have for performing outreach and inreach, you must: 

8. After you move through the Evaluation steps, you will:
 Begin by making partnership offers
Make offers in order of highest priority to lowest
As partners accept the offer, subtract that time from your available time 

9. Community Scans To determine priority and learn about our communities
The Why
The How
To determine priority and learn about our communities
To identify potential partners
Paid resources:
Policy Map
~Free library databases
The Census (coming soon!)

10. Determining Partner Locations
Maintain lists (and consult lists) of potential partners who have reached out to you 
Keep track of places you've noticed or community members have told you about
Do a community scan (Policy Map)

11. Policy Map 

12. Policy Map allows you to upload and save your data

13. With Policy Map, you can:
See what branches or departments visit each site
Upload customized information, like contacts, clearance information, type of visit, etc. 

14. Evaluating Partner Locations
What we wanted:
Guidelines to help determine need
Data driven evaluation
Compare very different locations
A tool to help specialists and their managers make difficult decisions

15. Another Library's Approach
Guideline Indicators for Top Need Tiers: Site reaches English language learners, children at risk for low literacy achievement, or children living in low socio-economic households. This outreach fills a service gap for the population being served. The site is publicly funded or city run. The center acts as a feeder to Title I school or school that moves in and out of Title 1 status. The outreach would eliminate barriers to access.
Guideline Indicators for Lower Need Tiers: The population being served can easily access library resources and services. They are already customers or have easy access. 

16. Another Library's Approach
Tier I Service  [Highest Priority ]
 Staffed by ELO, YFS Librarians, and LPS 
 Weekly/Bi-Weekly Programming Visit
 Staff Training Workshop
 Deposit Collection
 Library Tour
 Library Card Drive
 Special Event Participation
Tier II
 Staffed by LSS and higher 
 Monthly or Bi-Monthly Programming Visit
 Deposit Collection
 Library Tour
 Library Card Drive
 Special Event Participation
Tier III   [Lowest Priority]
 Staffed by LSS and higher 
 Quarterly or Annual Programming Visit
 Deposit Collection
 Library Tour
 Library Card Drive
 Special Event Participation   

18. Three Pittsburgh Public Schools 6th to 12th grade
CAPA | Obama | Westinghouse

19. Rating
0 = No Need 
1 = Some Need 
2 = A lot of Need 

20. Demographics
Rating
0 = Population is not marginalized nor at a low socio-economic level
1 = Some of the population is marginalized or at a low socio-economic level
2 = Majority of the population is marginalized or at a low socio-economic level

22. Demographics
CAPA
Obama
Westinghouse 1 2

23. School Librarian and State of Library
Rating
0 = Full-time librarian and popular + up-to-date material (low priority)
1 = Part-time librarian and/or adequate material (medium priority)
2 = No librarian and/or material out of date or unpopular (high priority)

24. School Librarian and State of Library
CAPA
Obama
Westinghouse 1 1

25. Environment
Rating
0 = High quality technology and a good teacher to student ratio (low priority)
1 = Adequate technology and acceptable teacher to student ratio (medium priority)
2 = Low quality technology and low teacher to student ratio (high priority)

26. Environment
CAPA
Obama
Westinghouse 2

27. Target Population Rating
0 = Youth from location probably won’t come to my library nor attend special events (low priority)
1 = Some youth from location already come to library and may come to special events (medium priority)
2 = Youth from location most likely would come to my library and attend special events (high priority)

28. Targeted Promotion
CAPA
Obama
Westinghouse 1 2 2

29. Existing Relationships
Rating
0 = No relationship or difficult to establish (low priority)
1 = Location ambivalent to maintaining a relationship (medium priority)
2 = Location has a long standing relationship (high priority)

30. Existing Relationships
CAPA
Obama
Westinghouse 2 2 2

31. Strength of Interaction
Rating
0 = A lot of staff time but results in low level of engagement (low priority)
1 = Level of engagement adequate to the amount of staff time required (medium priority)
2 = Amount of staff time is met with high level of engagement (high priority)

32. Strength of Interaction
CAPA
Obama
Westinghouse 1 2 2

33. FINAL SCORE
CAPA
Obama
Westinghouse
0.69
1.00
1.71

34. Summary Sheet

35. Guidelines: Children and Teen
PPS Early Childhood Education Classroom
STAR Rating and/or NAEYC accreditation
Environment
Serviced by other CLP Departments/Branches
Other Community Support
Demographics
Staffing
School Librarian/State of Library
Test Scores and Literacy Achievement
Funding and Title 1 Status
Special Population
Targeted Promotion
Barriers to Access
Existing Relationships
Strength of Interaction
Teen:
PPS Middle or High School
Graduation Rates
Environment
Serviced by other CLP Departments/Branches
Other Community Support
Demographics
Staffing
School Librarian/State of Library
Test Scores and Literacy Achievement
Funding and Title 1 Status
Special Population
Targeted Promotion
Barriers to Access
Existing Relationships
Strength of Interaction

36. Pros & Cons of Guidelines
Clear directions on finding info
Way to compare very different types of partner organizations
Specialist become more informed about their partners and their needs
Helps make difficult decisions if cuts need to happen
Justifies the reason why we do what we do
Cons:
Complex document that's not incredibly user friendly
Final Total not weighted and should be considered within context

37. Children's and Teen Service Types
Storytime
Read Aloud
Hands On Literacy and Learning
Family PlayShop
Library Instructional Visit
Waiting Room Outreach
Library Card Signup
Community Collection
Tabling and Information
Kid Summer Reading Promotion
Workshop
Teen
BAM!
Classroom Visit
Summer Dreamers
Library Card Signup
Community Collection
Tabling and Information
Kid Summer Reading Promotion
Networking and Professional Development

38. Children's and Teen Service Types

39. Children's and Teen Service Types

40. Matching Services to Need
Use of Guidelines to determine need in specific areas
Match services to assist with that need

41. Sunnyside Middle
Final Score
1.50

42. Sunnyside Middle 2 1 2 2 Demographic Literacy Environment
Librarian/Library 2 2

43. Communicating with Partners
We provide templates for specialists to use and edit on the following likely scenarios:
Frequency change
Pause to site visits
Switch to inreach visits
Unable to provide service

44. Staff Training and Implementation Timeline​
November 2018
Presented at Library Leaders Meeting
Gathered rose, bud, thorn feedback
January​/February 2019
Training at Children’s and Teen Meetings​ on the entire Process
March
Hosted multiple small group regional meetings
April – August​
Flexible pilot of the Process
Questions during regional meetings suggested which tools would be most helpful
July
Check-in with Library Services Managers
September
Check-in at Children's and Teen Meetings
October
Initial training phase is complete
Ongoing
New Staff trainings offered twice per year
Opportunities for staff to provide feedback

45. Next Steps Additional tools Adapting and maintaining existing tools
Determining available time
Cross walk Evaluation categories with Service Types
Community Collections
Program/Partnership Evaluations (effectiveness)
Adapting and maintaining existing tools
Continued opportunities for feedback
What does it mean for the Process to be "in place"