In recent years, libraries of all kinds have begun producing economic impact studies. While these studies are often useful in demonstrating impact at the time of publication, data planning and collection over the long term is much more powerful, informing short- and long-term strategies, prioritization, and decision-making. Join Kim Silk and Bill Irwin to learn how you can use data-driven metrics to in- form your strategic plan over the long term, and determine day-to-day decisions in the short term. Presented by Dr. Bill Irwin, Western University and Kimberly Silk, Canadian Research Knowledge Network

1. Strategic Metrics Workshop
Presented by
Dr. Bill Irwin, Western University
Kimberly Silk, Canadian Research Knowledge Network

2. Today’s Agenda
• Recent trends: Impact Studies
• Why Metrics Matter
• Metrics and Your Strategic Plan
• The Importance of Data Planning
• Metrics in Action
• Your Turn: Choosing Your Metrics
• Discussion

3. Recent Impact Studies
• Focus on economic impact, at various
levels:
– State: Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, others
– County: Santa Clara, CA; Suffolk, NY;
– City: Toronto, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San
Francisco
– Gap in looking at other impacts: cultural,
educational, social
– Note to Dr. Bill – I can add summaries of
these studies as examples

4. Why Metrics Matter
• Evidence-based decision-making
• Metrics matter all the time
– Not just at budget time
• Long-term data collection, to develop a
long-term, strategic view

5. Metrics and the Strategic Plan
Strategic
Objectives
Establish
Tactics
Plan Activities
Gather Activity
Data
Communicate
Change

6. Data Planning
• Collect the data that
tells your story
– (not the data that’s
easy to collect)
• Start with: what story
do you want to tell
– Determine what metric
you need to tell the
story
– Collect the data
needed for that metric
• Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
Increase use
of special
collections
Metric: %
increase in
usage
Data on
collection
usage

7. Metrics in Action
• TPL study example
– What data were available determined the
metrics we developed
– What was missing
• Lessons learned
– Can’t measure activity when the data aren’t
collected
– Metrics must be linked to your organization’s
strategic plan

8. Your Turn
• Consider your organization’s strategic plan
– What are your objectives?
– What are you goals?
– What are your success factors? Key
Progresss indicators? KPIs
– What metrics will demonstrate progress, and
success?
– What data should you be collecting to create
KPIs?

9. Discussion
• Talk about the group members
approaches, friendly critique, suggestions

10. Thank you for Participating
Dr. Bill Irwin - birwin6@uwo.ca
Kimberly Silk - ksilk@crkn.ca