Spokane Public Library Impact Score Tool
Spokane Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
The Impact Score tool is an evaluation tool for all library programs, events, and professional services that both ensures that programs are designed to our standards and gauges the impact of programs after they occur. The tool utilizes academic research and library values to create “baked-in” outcomes into the design process of programs. Programs must attain a minimum score in the design process to move forward. Attendance is then factored into the formula to create a final score for the program. A control chart is used to evaluate completed programs. The chart is a powerful tool that allows us to identify over and underperforming programs easily. We can adjust underperforming programs to increase their scores, emulate aspects of overperforming programs to increase overall scores, and cut underperforming programs to increase the overall impact of our programs in the community. This tool has allowed SPL to continually improve our already highly performing programming.
Challenge/Opportunity
Attendance has been one of the few measures of success for library programs and events. Using attendance alone undervalues small programs and one-on-one educational opportunities. Attendance is an output, not an outcome, but outcomes can be extremely difficult to collect as a library. I developed this tool to place less emphasis on attendance and more emphasis on the impact on individual customers and the design of the program itself. This tool allows us to improve the overall value of our programming by adjusting and experimenting with programs outside of the normal scoring range.
A major goal of the Impact Score is to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in SPL programming and events. As you can see in the calculator, several questions are focused on historically underrepresented communities.
Key Elements of Innovation
The Impact Score has 3 components. Programs are scored during the design process and must meet a minimum score. The Impact Score Calculator is a series of questions that help us “bake-in” outcomes. We know from academic studies that class size has an impact on learning outcomes, so more points are received for programs designed for smaller audiences.
While this tool is intended to take the emphasis off attendance as an evaluation tool, attendance is still important. We take the square root of the attendance plus the Impact Score to create the Adjusted Impact Score. Square root scaling allows us to factor attendance into the final score, but places less emphasis on it.
Adjusted Impact Scores are charted in a control chart. This is where the tool shines and allows us to make objective decisions. Events that fall below the lower control line are candidates for improvement. Ones that land above the upper control line have should be studied and potentially emulated.
Achieved Outcomes
The Impact Score Tool has allowed Spokane Public Library to make informed decisions about our overall program offerings. It gives us a way to design and evaluate programs in order to improve our impact on the community. The DEI aspects of the tool have been a catalyst for increasing our reach into marginalized communities of Spokane. Interestingly, even though the tool de-emphasizes attendance as the most important factor of a program’s success, we have not seen an increase in overall attendance, which goes to show that better-designed programs attract more people. This tool will continue to help keep Spokane Public Library on the bleeding edge of library program innovation.
