Evaluating the Impact of Your Library

Sharon Markless and David Streatfield Evaluating the Impact of Your Library. London: Facet, 2006

It is a real pleasure to review a book which, to coin a phrase, does exactly what it says on the tin. Its aim is to enable the reader to undertake impact evaluation of their library service and it delivers this handsomely.

This is a “how-to” manual of evaluation, aimed at producing an evidence base to guide an evaluation of impact. The positive feel this book sends out begins with its very high production values. It is a model of clarity, design and layout. It is not - and probably would not pretend to be - a good read, although it is intended as a clear guide for the busy manager. And it is lucidly written. From the very start it draws a contrast between studying efficiency and studying effectiveness, the latter being the goal of this book

The first three chapters give background and context. But first of all there is a concise clear and helpful glossary of terms and how they are used in the book as well as helpful advice on the use of sloppy language in real life. The current obsession with accountability and targets, with best value reviews and ‘methodological fundamentalism’ is explored and a nice distinction explored between the merits of evidence based and expertise informed decision making. The meaning of impact is then explored and finally the evidence and research base that the authors have used for this work.

The bulk of the book is in effect a manual for evaluations of impact. It is full of text boxes with the Laws of Impact Evaluation; with many well posed questions, with success criteria and impact indicators, with examples and commentaries on them. There is an excellent analysis of evidence and its typology and what are appropriate surrogates, methods of collection and the different types of change which services can engender. A further chapter then explores how to gather and interpret evidence and the final chapter in this section then looks at how the evidence informs setting targets and development planning.

The final section is a view of the larger picture, of social capital and related issues and of how to begin digging deeper into the topic

So all in all an excellent and highly recommended volume. There is a single grumble. The authors have extensive experience, but there are no author biographies and therefore no context, simply an apparent assumption that a good publisher will only publish good and knowledgeable authors. The fact that both authors are experts and have wide reputations is expertly concealed, buried in chapter three. The modesty is unbecoming for those unfamiliar with the experts in the area.