About EDMS

This site provides assistance and continuing education for those seeking to use evaluation in their library. The EDMS site provides interactive services that include development of reports from state and national library statistics supplied by a national public library survey. The EDMS site also provides instructional services on how to: develop an evaluation and data collection plan, conduct evaluations, generate reports, and use and share findings.

EDMS Design

The EDMS enables users of the system to identify which evaluation methods provide the most useful information needed to meet their local needs and budgetary constraints by type of information required. Ultimately, EDMS will help public librarians and managers select and apply the evaluation approach that best first unique situations related to their library to better demonstrate the value of library programs and services to the community they serve and to better advocate for library needs. In addition, the EDMS allows users to access local library data collected through national library surveys to produce customizable reports for comparison of local library statistics (i.e. availability and use of public access computing) to state and national averages of the same statistics.

Overview of EDMS Areas

Instructional Modules provide aide to practitioners, researchers, students, and others on planning evaluations, developing data collection instruments, analysis of data collected, and reporting of findings. Modules present overviews of most commonly used evaluation techniques and approaches.

Interactive modules provide support to libraries in the development of reports based on the use of local level data sources, such as for advocacy, budgetary, value and quality assessments of a library’s services and resources.

The Commons area provides access to support resources and templates for conducting evaluations. Commons also include interactive Web-based discussion and communication, such as threaded discussion lists, wikis, blogs, etc.