DRAFT

RML Evaluation Liaison Meeting

**November 28, 2006**

**Minutes**

# Participants

Dale Prince (Region 2)

Betsy Kelly (Region 4)

Maryanne Blake (Region 6)

Heidi Sandstrom (Region 7)

Javier Crespo (Region 8)

Sharon Brown (NTCC)

Barbara Nicholson (NNO)

Keith Cogdill (NNO)

Lisa Boyd (NNO)

Mellanye Lackey (NLM)

Susan Barnes (OERC)

Cindy Olney (OERC)

1.  ***Measuring Your Impact* workshop**

Maryanne Blake and Betsy Kelly talked about their experience developing
and giving this workshop, designed to teach evaluation to hospital
librarians with an emphasis on demonstrating their libraries'
contributions to the larger organization. Two key factors seem
particularly to contribute to the success of this workshop: librarians
are taught to frame their evaluations so that their work is related to
the mission, vision, or values of the larger organization and (b) the
instructors emphasize a "small ball" approach to evaluation so
librarians understand they can start small by evaluating one important
service.

The demand for the workshop has led recruitment of other RML staff to
provide the workshop in their regions. Susan Barnes started teaching
with Maryanne last year, then she team-taught with Ruth Holst and
Jacqueline Leskovec in August 2006 at the University of Minnesota
Bio-Medical Library. Ruth and Jacqueline modified the workshop and
offered it again at their chapter meeting. Susan and Dale Prince will
teach a class for the Georgia Health Science Libraries group on March
10. Betsy Kelly will give a modified *Measuring Your Impact* session for
the MLA web cast scheduled also for March 7. The Librarians Association
of the University of California, San Francisco has sent a request to the
OERC to have the workshop taught at UCSF and Susan and Heidi Sandstrom
are currently discussing the possibility of team-teaching the workshop
there.

The OERC will hold a more detailed teleconference on at 2:00 p.m. ET,
December 18 (Breeze url:
[http://nihbreeze.cit.nih.gov/workshop/]{.underline} ).

This is primarily for current instructors of *Measuring Your Impact*,
but anyone who is interested in becoming an instructor of this workshop
is welcome to join. The agenda will include discussion of sharing
information and course materials, details about Maryanne's ongoing
assessment of the workshop's impacts, procedural details, and other
issues that the instructors want to raise. The materials, including the
PowerPoint slides, for *Measuring Your Impact* are available at the OERC
website:

<http://nnlm.gov/evaluation/workshops/measuring_your_impact/index.html>

2.  **American Evaluation Association meeting -- report from attendees**

> Maryanne, Betsy, and Heidi talked about their experience at the AEA
> conference in Portland earlier this month. They said they attended
> some good workshops and sessions (and some were not so good), but the
> most valuable part of the conference was getting together with the
> other RML attendees (Cathy Burroughs, Jacqueline, Cindy Olney and
> Susan) and sharing what they learned. Betsy said it would be great to
> have other evaluation liaisons attend the 2007 conference in
> Baltimore.

3.  **Learning Circles**

Cindy described evaluation learning circles, a concept that she, Betsy,
and Cathy heard about at an AEA presentation. Based on adult-learning
theory, learning circles are designed to increase the learner's
knowledge about evaluation practice and methods. (See a description of
learning circles at the OERC blog:

<http://nnlm.gov/evaluation/blog/2006/11/21/evaluation-learning-circles/#more-34>)

> The evaluation liaisons agreed that they would like the OERC to
> facilitate bi-monthly learning circles and would be willing to do some
> homework (short readings and preparation for discussion) for them.
> Cindy listed some potential topics and Maryanne requested that one
> learning circle focus on basic evaluation terminology. The OERC blog
> will be used to both generate learning circle topics and a list of
> evaluation terms to address in the "Evaluation 101" learning circle.

4.  **Teleconferences in 2007**

While learning circles will occupy half of the teleconferences in 2007,
the group discussed items for the other teleconferences. In January, the
RML mid-year Directors' meeting is likely to generate topics of
discussion. The group also would like to share the evaluation activities
happening in their regions.

5.  **Next meeting.**

The next meeting is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET , Tuesday, January 23.
The December 26 meeting is cancelled.