Measuring Your Impact:
Using Evaluation for Library Advocacy

Susan Barnes, Assistant Director, Outreach Evaluation Research Center, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest Region

Maryanne Blake, Education/Communication Coordinator, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest Region

The ultimate goal of this class is to insure that library users and stakeholders will recognize and value the importance of their library's services and of the librarian to the organization. Participants will become familiar with an evaluation process and will use methods and tools for assessment, evaluation planning, creating logic models, data collection and reporting. The workshop will feature a case-based scenario that moves participants through the steps of an evaluation process. Class discussion, lecture, and exercises will help students take away the skills needed to show the value of their library’s services.

Sandy Hoar, Assistant Clinical Professor of Health Care Sciences and Global Health, George Washington University

Catherine Harris, Manager, Bloedorn Technology Center, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, George Washington University

Barbara McGowan, Director, Biomedical Communications, George Washington University

A presentation is a way to give information; to explain, to document, to demonstrate. Presentations can be formal or informal; written or oral. They can be presented in a wide variety of ways, from podcasts and Power Point, to bulletin boards and slides. They can be used to present information or to teach patrons and staff how to do a new task. This multimedia, interactive workshop will help participants become more familiar with giving different types of presentations. The instructors—experienced presenters all—will answer questions and share information ranging from the general question of how to organize a presentation to the specifics of choosing fonts and colors. A series of exercises and activities will highlight best practice for presentations. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Discuss at least 3 differences and similarities between different kinds of presentations
• Show how to prepare learning objectives and an abstract
• Demonstrate how to modify information for different presentation methods

Patient Safety Resource Seminar:
Librarians on the Front Line

This interactive seminar focuses on ways medical librarians can become more involved in the patient safety processes and activities within their institutions and organizations. Topics include understanding the issues of patient safety; locating where patient safety practices exist within the institution; and identifying patient safety resources for health professionals, for administration and staff, and for patients and families. Focused for hospital librarians, but accessible for all librarians, these four hours of lecture, discussion and brainstorming help librarians become effective agents for improving patient safety. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand definitions related to patient safety and be able to identify systems of potential error within their institutions
• Identify patient safety issues and points of contact specific to their institutions
• Be familiar with resources that are available for administrators, health professionals, and patients and families
• Take a patient safety incident and identify ways the library may effectively participate to improve hospital safety

Karen Vargas, Consumer Health Coordinator, National Network of Library Science, South Central Region.

This hands-on course focuses on the advanced search features of web search engines and the cutting edge of searching. Participants will use various search engines, compare the features and utility of each and develop search strategies that will increase the precision and scope of their searching. The students will have discussions, exercises and view short presentations as a part of the class. The class includes: discussions of web search engines, indexes and hybrids of the two, commercialism and how it influences searching, finding current events information with search engines, specialized databases for special needs and topics suggested by the participants. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to

• Perform searches using the advanced features of various Internet search engines to quickly identify useful web sites and information resources
• Communicate the differences between the various search engines and justify the choice of search engine for a given information need
• Evaluate web search sites
• Demonstrate familiarity with web resources covered in the course