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Libraries Are Good for Business

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Libraries Are Good for Business Libraries are Good for Business FINAL REPORT MARCH 2005 Kerry Wilson & Briony Train The Centre for the Public Library and Information in Society (CPLIS), University of Sheffield, with SINTO on behalf of the Yorkshire Museums Libraries and Archives Council (YMLAC) Contents 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………..2 2. Research aims and objectives……………………………………………2 3. Methodology…………………………………………………………………3 4. The research context – review of the literature………………………..6 5. PLA survey findings………………………………………………………11 Summary of key PLA survey points & their implications…………………………..…........18 6. Case study research………………………………………………………19 Sheffield Central Library……………………………………………………………..…...…….20 Huddersfield Central Library………………………………………………….........................24 Business information service events……………………………………………………...…..27 Bradford Central Library………………………………………………………………...……...28 Scunthorpe Central Library……………………………………………………………...……..31 Business information service staff development & training……………….........................33 Leeds Central Library………………………………………………………………………...…34 Specialised electronic business information service………………………………...………38 User exit survey summary………………………………………………………………...……39 Summary of key case study findings..........................................................................…...42 7. Business information service: taxonomy……………………………..45 8. Methodological effectiveness & recommendations for future research………………………………………………………………………...47 References……………………………………………………………………..50 Appendix 1 – Participating PLA contacts………………………………..52 Appendix 2 – Business information service expenditure summary...54 Appendix 3 – PLA questionnaire…………………………………………..55 Appendix 4 – Observation checklist………………………………………58 Appendix 5 – User exit questionnaire…………………………………….59 Appendix 6 – Staff interview questions…………………………………..61 Appendix 7 – User guides (examples of)…………………………………62 1 1. Introduction The following paper presents findings relating to the ‘Libraries are Good for Business’ evaluation research project undertaken by the Centre for the Public Library and Information in Society (CPLIS) at the University of Sheffield, on behalf of the Yorkshire Museums Libraries and Archives Council (YMLAC). The research involved a pilot value and impact evaluation study of business information services provided by public libraries in the Yorkshire region. The report will initially be used by YMLAC as an internal document. It will be subsequently used to inform regional promotion of the services offered by public library authorities, and further evaluation of business information services offered by a range of library and information providers within the region. Further dissemination may be undertaken by CPLIS within academic journals and at professional conferences. 2. Research aims and objectives The aim of the project, as set out in the YMLAC Brief and Specification, is to deliver quantitative and qualitative evidence about the level and nature of provision of services to business within public library services in the Yorkshire region, which will inform advocacy work with regional opinion formers and decision makers. The main objectives of the research are: • To provide evidence on the level of investment in business information services within public libraries • To provide evidence of the nature, range and scale of services to business, and within this to provide an assessment of the number, origin and motivation of the users • To make recommendations on appropriate methodologies to evaluate the impact and ‘value’ of public library services to the business community The research has been commissioned to assess the contribution made by public libraries within the context of the economic life of the Yorkshire region and its Regional Economic Strategy, and to evaluate the impact and value of the services provided to the business community. The research will be treated as a pilot exercise to test and propose suitable methodologies for future value and impact research, and to inform a taxonomy of business information services within the region. 2 3. Methodology 3.1 PLA survey The first stage of research fieldwork involved a questionnaire-based survey of the fifteen public library authorities in the Yorkshire region. The survey method was chosen as it is considered to be most appropriate at the explorative stages of the social research process because of its relatively straight-forward approach to the study of attitudes, beliefs and values; its capacity to collect generalizable information from a human population; and ease of data standardization (Robson, 2002). Such elements of survey research have facilitated the effective collection of appropriate data within a relatively short period of time. A questionnaire was designed by the CPLIS team to investigate the range of business information services provided by public libraries; the relative scale of investment and expenditure; business information service priorities and objectives in accordance with research aims and objectives. The questionnaire was distributed electronically to all fifteen public library authorities (PLAs). For the questionnaire used in the PLA survey, please see appendix 3 (page 55). Individual respondents within each PLA were identified via contacts from the Society of Chief Librarians. The targeted sample includes the following authorities: • Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council • Bradford Metropolitan District Council • Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council • Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council • East Riding of Yorkshire Council • Hull City Council • Kirklees Metropolitan Council • Leeds City Council • North East Lincolnshire Council • North Lincolnshire Council • North Yorkshire County Council • Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council • Sheffield City Council • Wakefield Metropolitan District Council • York City Council Fourteen of the fifteen questionnaires have been returned (93.3% response rate), and the results reported in this paper relate to those responses only1. 3.2 Review of the literature 1 Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council has not been included in the evaluation due to a non- response from contacts within that authority. This should be taken in to account when considering findings about the Yorkshire region as a whole. 3 A review of the literature has been undertaken to establish context for the research, including the nature of public libraries as business information services; evaluation of business information services; business information and regional economic development. The review has included relevant books, academic journals, professional press and electronic documents. Strategic documents published by participating public library authorities have also been consulted. 3.3 Case study research Case study research involves the collection of evidence around a particular event, instance or situation, and is empirical in nature, based on experience and observation within pre-determined boundaries (Stake, 2000). The case study approach was considered to be particularly appropriate when seeking a narrative descriptive comparison of different information services. Following the PLA survey, qualitative case study research was undertaken with five PLA case studies, which included the following research methods: • Observation • User exit survey • Staff interviews The objectives of the qualitative research as a whole were to provide a narrative description of the range of business information services provided, including the number origin and motivation of users. A practical evaluation of the range of business information services, activities and partnerships within each library/case study was undertaken using the principles of participant observation. This allowed the researcher to record not only the range of services available, but also how they are presented to the library user in terms of accessibility, immediacy and transparency. The researcher was also able to observe user interaction with the information services. Robson (2002) describes the ‘directness’ of observation research as its main advantage; subjects are not asked about their feelings or attitudes, the researcher watches what they do and listens to what they say in a ‘real world’ context. Participant observation also increases the researcher’s awareness of what an organisation is about (Hall and Hall, 2004). Please see appendix 4 (page 58) for the note-taking ‘checklist’ used during observation fieldwork. Implications made regarding a taxonomy of business information services within PLA survey results were tested against user assumptions and values using the questionnaire-based user exit survey method (for the user exit questionnaire please see appendix 5, page 59). During the observation process, anonymous user exit surveys were undertaken with ‘on-site’ business information service users2. The exit surveys sought to 2 Please note, only users visiting the relevant case study libraries in person were surveyed during observation fieldwork: the sample does not include enquiries made by telephone/e-mail 4 establish the origin and motivation of users of such services in terms of the nature of their enquiries and whether or not their visit has been successful (i.e. whether or not there had been a successful outcome to their enquiry). The survey also included a pilot exercise designed to measure the value of public library business information services, inspired by the economic impact study commissioned by the British Library3 ‘Measuring our Value’. Questions
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