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Press Release |
Researchers at the University of Michigan
and the University of Washington
Will Evaluate Digital Community Information
Services in Public Libraries
Ann Arbor, Michigan — A $317,800 grant to the University of Michigan School of Information will help libraries nationwide evaluate and improve community information-based services for the public.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington, D.C. awarded the two-year National Leadership Grant. The School of Information, in conjunction with the University of Washington in Seattle, will design Web-based, interactive evaluation tools that public librarians can use to measure the effectiveness of their digital community information. Librarians want to know how online community information—such as details about government, social services, and nonprofit organizations—actually benefits people who are tackling real-life problems. This study will involve extensive field research that will assure the creation of relevant tools.
Professor Joan Durrance of the University of Michigan and Assistant Professor Karen Pettigrew of the University of Washington will head the project. This is the second grant awarded to SI by the IMLS since 1998.
"Our previous project looked at the powerful ways in which libraries use electronic community information to assist their patrons," Durrance said. "In the process, we discovered that a majority of librarians are unsatisfied and frustrated with their current approaches to service evaluation. Through this new study, we will develop context-based tools that take into account how citizens and communities benefit from public library digital community services, and how these services build community."
Dean John L. King of SI noted that the community outreach aspect of the grant is in keeping with the mission of the graduate-degree program. "At the School of Information we are very much interested in the role that technology can play in a variety of contexts, including at the community level," he said. "Toward that end, our program encourages the use of techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of technological initiatives. The study is well-aligned with our School's core beliefs."
The School of Information is one of 10 recipients selected from 32 applicants for the IMLS National Leadership Grant awards. IMLS is a federal grantmaking agency that supports leadership, innovation, and lifetime learning in museums and libraries. National Leadership Grants mark a new opportunity for libraries to address pressing needs in education, research, and preservation, and for libraries and museums to work together to address community needs, expand audiences, and implement the use of the most efficient and appropriate technologies.