Hackathons and libraries

Editor's Notes

• #3: What is Storing Stories …. it is a web-based….. Or in other words – it was our attempt to answer the So what? question
• #4: We would never have thought of attempting to find a digital solution to the question of measuring impact because we didn’t have the necessary skills ourselves…in fact when we were offered the opportunity of attending, I was extremely worried that we had to take laptops with us …. I was pretty sure nothing I could do with a laptop would be helpful!
• #5: Really excited to be included in the first SLIC/Carnegie UK Hackathon…gave us the chance to work with two national bodies who were supporting use of open data and smarter working to create solutions. And the reason the hackathon model worked so well: Melting pot of talent and skills from a whole range of backgrounds – students, business and industry professionals and library and information professionals - no-one had the solution or the knowledge on their own, but together the range of experience combined to provide real answers. It helped to have a brief….to have 2 days set aside with a specific problem to solve, with facilitators on hand to keep the pace moving and the disparate groups focussed The competition element really injected a feeling of dynamism and galvanized activity towards creating the most relevant and workable solution…something that could actually be realised and would be effective And the funding was a crucial element to allow the development – and it was the hook
• #6: This is a direct quote of the statement that I made to our team when they asked my colleague Lesley and I what was the major issue we found to be facing libraries… We knew if we were going to be asking our customers for their time to give us feedback, we had to make the process fast, attractive and simple We wanted it to be digital – we had reams of paper surveys and evaluations holding valuable data that we just couldn’t extract And it had to be searchable – in order to make it an effective tool for reporting on the measurement of impact against specific indicators, we had to be able to search for specific themes Anonymous and therefore archive-able – we can save and use the data without permission as there is no link to any individual – although if we wanted to gather age/location data for a specific theme, we could do that. And linked to key indicators so that we can demonstrate to our stakeholders the difference that our strategy and provision are making a positive difference. And by stakeholders I mean our employers (Councillors and Council bosses), our funders (Professional bodies, Scottish government), our customers and our colleagues.
• #7: For us as a Scottish public library service the main priorities that we wanted to link to were:
• #14: We added all of our local branches – and we also made sure that the questions we asked reflected the service delivery we offered….with each service tied to one of the key indicators We started with two branches that were demographically different – one a generally affluent and motivated area, with a high proportion of professionals who are often happy to feed back when asked, and another in an area of social deprivation, high unemployment and less likely to offer feedback - in part due to literacy issues. In first 2 days we stored 46 stories. Fantastic response rate – we can have a paper survey in branches for a month and get less than half that number of responses. In one month we stored 243 stories from those 2 branches. We were so pleased with the results we spoke with SLIC and Kofi and all agreed to extend the pilot in Stirling across all of our 16 branches. Because the nature of the responses was so good, we wondered if we could develop a separate events module to help us evaluate our annual book festival – Off the Page. Same process – mapping this time the reasons for attendance to key indicators – and again logging the anecdotal evidence of impact. We now have hundreds of comments in support of the services libraries are providing and also giving us the important follow up to service delivery…what effect do we have or what change do we make to people and our communities?
• #15: Monthly report clearly identifies areas of strength and popularity…by service area, and by community. This helps us to see where communities are involved and interacting with libraries for a start…and then drilling down…what services are most popular, or most well-used in each of our communities, with their own diverse needs.
• #16: The pie chart here shows clearly what services people have been responding to…where impact is being felt This gives us a chance to look at what we are doing well and replicate it…and also to look at areas for improvement. There may be local reasons why an area is particulalrly low in responses, and that is fine, but there may be other factors which we can affect (opening times, staff training etc.)
• #17: And within each section – a further breakdown about what actually makes a difference
• #19: … a reminder of the indicators that we mapped our responses to – and then a look at some of the kinds of impact we have seen for each indicator – because this anecdotal evidence is what is the most compelling thing about this collection of data
• #20: The impact we are seeing ranges from improvement in literacy skills and reported reader development – in all ages - to the less easily recorded types of impact like improved confidence, social inclusion and wellbeing
• #21: This is my area of work now and the impact here has been remarkable – we have many reports of digital skills improvement having a direct affect on employability and learning, with the attendant reports of social and economic inclusion, economic regeneration, skills development. In this area especially we are also seeing strong feedback from our partners about the impact we are having on their delivery and customers. This has been a key area in which reported impact has had a direct affect on strategy and funding already - £25K capital growth money from Councillors
• #22: In common with other local authorities, we strive where possible to provide best value for our customers and communities and we are committed to fighting the effects of poverty - preventing them where we can. Being able to demonstrate to our stakeholders that we take this aim seriously affirms our reputation as a welcoming safe place for all, where money, or lack of it, will not be a barrier
• #23: As well as social inclusion, I think libraries have always been aware that they play a significant role in social wellbeing and improving health – particularly mental health.
• #24: Again, this was an area where we knew we made a difference by providing resources, events and activities, but what it highlights again are the less directly recognisable benefits like mental wellbeing, building strong networks and enhancing communities It underlines the need for libraries to continue to offer access and opportunities – this is crucial when it comes to budgets and what programmes/projects/positions might be under review.
• #25: We know that libraries matter, but evidence like this cements our role as one of the most important institutions to a community In times of austerity, community support for our services and our trained staff help protect our existence, and showing that we can co-locate, share delivery and work well with partners all help to emphasise the crucial role we play.
• #26: Library strategy – we are used the feedback to draw up our most recent service review PLIF funding to roll out across further local authorities was successful and partners were keen to be involved. We have had our first meeting and already we have 3 more local authorities with locally adapted tools almost ready for pilot. National pilot – interesting to see if the results are the same across other authorities – what tweaks do people want/need? Does this affect the efficacy of the tool? E.g. more than one response…we think no, but we might trial it…. The interest in the tool from local partners in Culture, events and Education, as well as nationally with our external partners like Engine Shed, Macrobert etc. It’s very difficult for cultural activity to return a hard impact measure beyond numbers of activities delivered to how many people….so, many of our partners would like to be able to adapt this tool to record their own evidence. Securing IP is the next step to protect Kofi’s rights as the developer – he has two choices – to own it and sell it to local authorities and institutions. Or there may be a national body who would want to buy the tool directly and roll-out across Scotland? Reporting processes – needs to be at a local level – working on that now – to give local admin rights and real-time reporting. And more work done to code stories with metadata to allow us to make that archive searchable – closes the loop of cross-referencing. Furniture Promotional material