#blogjune Day 22: As libraries are increasingly called upon to demonstrate their value and impact, and contribution to their parent organisation’s strategic direction and objectives, evidence-based practice can’t then be left up to the handful of individual of LIS professionals. A whole-of-organisation approach is needed.
In this video, I explain the organisational model I published in 2018 that conceptualises what a evidence-based practice might look like at this level.
Transcript
G’day and welcome to this video series about evidence based library & information practice.
Libraries are increasingly called upon to demonstrate their value and impact to their clients and community, and their parent organisation’s strategic goals and directions. Evidence-based practice then can’t be left to the handful of library and information science professionals who are inclined or have the capability to practice this way. A whole of organisation approach is then needed. A model or a way that the library can be evidence-based as a way of being or make it part of its culture.
A couple of years ago I published this diagram as a way to conceptualise the evidence-based library and see at a big-picture level, where my role fits and its purpose.
An organisational lens or model of being evidence-based
Firstly we know in practice that the EBLIP process can be messy and it’s hardly linear. That’s why I have arrows going in both directions at each step. Now from a university library perspective, as a library it’s constantly interpreting its context and environment. That means taking into account and being up-to-date with the higher education climate, what might be impacting on the university. What’s happening in our profession and the general direction of the way libraries are going, the institution itself and also our clients. Interpret all of this to arrive at strategy and goal.
Then these are taken through to shape and apply to the services and offerings that are delivered to clients and the community, working strategy and goals into everyday decisions, workflows etc. Outcomes and impact are measured, analysed, interpreted. This is where evaluation happens and the evidence is prepared for this final step of communication.
Communication is what happens with our stakeholders. And we’re communicating the stories, performance, the contribution that the library brings and its value to its community or institution. Evidence of course is part of every step.
My ‘Coordinator’ role in the organisational model
My role, at least my understanding is to act as the interpreter and translator between the library leadership and the teams, taking the strategy and goals through the teams so we have an increased understanding of our clients and also to enable the services and offerings that are more aligned with the strategic direction. And then of course creating the evidence base from which the library can draw upon to communicate with the stakeholders.
Till next time, take care.
References
Howlett, A. (2018). Time to Move EBLIP Forward with an Organisational Lens. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 13(3), 74-80.
Questions?
If you have any questions at all about EBLIP, do get in touch. I’ll try to address them in this video series (or a future blog post).
You can also view Day 22 (EBLIP Organisational model explained) video here.
Catch up on all the videos here.
