Impact assessment*

Below I summarize a letter from IFLA to the GLOSSA network about impact assessment.

There will be impact assessment of the actual course, as well as guidance to libraries about how to assess their own impact. The latter includes  how to use standardised statistics as well as customising their own.

IFLA has started to use impact assessment this year as a trial. The projects using it are not yet complete and will be evaluated towards the end of the year.

Core trainers

FAIFE projects are using a four stage process –

• Phase 1: IFLA trains core trainers in programme material and in collecting evidence for impact assessment
• Phase 2: Core trainers return to their regions to train colleagues, and collect stories for evidence
• Phase 3: Stories gathered during training are analysed
• Phase 4: IFLA evaluates evidence against indicators to measure impact

Different levels

At this stage, the impact evidence is focused on the core trainers (people who participate in the workshop). But we  would like to expand impact assessment of the programme to be able to collect impact evidence at different levels:

• the individual participants who attend the workshop
• the association
• and possibly the sector as a whole.

Impact data

We would seek to gather impact data on –

• The workshops themselves –
  • self-assessment, feedback, pre and post testing
• Usage of the knowledge gained within their associations
• Whether any change was achieved towards association’s goals
  • for example, was an advocacy plan developed?
• Were long-range secondary goals achieved – such as
  • new policy as a result of advocacy plan?
  • increased membership?
• Sustainability (of programme, funding, and learning)

Data collection

Data collection methods may include:

• Interviews
• Research/environmental scan
• Collating existing research and data
• Self-assessment
• Projects/group work/practical exercises during the workshops
• Workshop evaluation
• Interviews post workshop – to create success stories and case studies
• Visits and observation