"Demonstrating Impact" is always a hot topic for library staff. Are you strategic about figuring out your library's funding plan? How do you make the case for funding to local officials or to organizations offering grant opportunities? Use this section to learn more about demonstrating the library's impact on your community and how funding the library is a great investment. You'll find examples of libraries telling their story, using statistics to support their requests.
You can also join our funding discussions or contribute your own content resources on demonstrating impact.
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Effectively Collaborating with Other Libraries and Partners
From Planning for Success Cookbook section on Communication and Partnerships.
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Fundraising and philanthropy during an economic crisis
The Foundation Center is a nonprofit library and training center that educates the public about private foundations and their grants. In response to the economic downturn, we've pulled together resources to inform nonprofits about trends in giving.
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WebJunction's Focus on Demonstrating Impact
Looking for ways to show your community--and your funders--the difference your library makes? Take a look at this collection of materials.
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Websites and Internet Resources on Funding Strategies
A list of external links
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WebJunction's Focus on Demonstrating Impact 2006: Building Partnerships
In January of 2006 WebJunction focuses on how building community partnerships can be the key to demonstrating your library's impact and "getting a seat at the table."
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WebJunction's Focus on Demonstrating Impact 2004
Looking for ways to show your community--and your funders--the difference your library makes? Take a look at this collection of materials.
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WebJunction's Focus on Demonstrating Impact 2005
In January of 2005 WebJunction focuses on the ways libraries can demonstrate the effect they have on their communities.
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Demonstrating Impact Road Map
A framework to help you strategize, quantify, and demonstrate your library's impact on your community.
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Getting on Your Community's Leadership Team
This excerpt from "The Library Board Strategic Guide: Going to the Next Level" explains why a library should be part of its community's leadership and planning team -- and how to get started in that direction.
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A Grand Tour of Alternative Funding
Libraries are looking beyond tax dollars for their support...here's a compendium of creative funding solutions.
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Advocacy for Trustees
This excerpt from The Successful Library Trustee Handbook describes the types of advocacy Library Board members can provide and offers suggestions for effective advocacy.
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Cost Benefit Analysis Manual for Medium Sized and Smaller Public Libraries
This manual provides detailed instructions and tools that small to mid-sized libraries can use to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of their services. The work was funded by an Institute for Museum and Library Studies (IMLS) grant to the St. Louis Public Library.
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Telling Your Library's Story
Karen Burns of the Southwest Iowa Library Service Area spins a tale about the ways storytelling can help libraries prove their worth.
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New Year's Resolution: Eat More Doughnuts (January 2006)
George has all the latest on the hot new doughnut diet for libraries.
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Demonstrating Impact: Making Your Case
Marshal your arguments, spruce up your presentation, and let your audience (funders or patrons) know what a difference you make.
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Demonstrating Impact: Quantifying
Techniques for translating intangible benefits into hard numbers your funders will understand.
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Demonstrating Impact: Strategizing
Up-front planning will help you put together a potent message about what your library offers your community.
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Building Partnerships Success Stories
WebJunction members and their libraries engage in a wide range of successful partnerships. Here are some of the success stories from the field.
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Be There, Be Visible, Be in the Know
The first step to building community partnerships that will get your library a place at the table is to make sure your library has a presence on community boards and organizations.
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Join the Team, Be a Player
Belonging to community boards and organizations is an essential first step to getting a place at the table for your library. But becoming an active member, or even leader can really pay off.
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Getting a Seat at the Table
How do you make sure that your library is well represented and an active participant in the process when resources are allocated for community services? WebJunction members share their experiences and advice.
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Questions to Consider Before Collecting New Library Data
This excerpt from "Collecting and Using Public Library Statistics" discusses the connection between planning and data collection.
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Focusing on the Bottom Line
A for-profit book store is focused on its singular goal of being profitable. This excerpt from The Customer Driven Library examines why the multiple goals of libraries make it difficult for them to measure their success and advocates defining one easily measurable success indicator to serve as a bottom line.
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The HLLH Model: A Detailed Overview
This excerpt from How Libraries and Librarians Can Help provides a detailed descriptions of the components of the HLLH outcomes model and provides examples from best-practice libraries.
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Sustainability for Rural and Small Libraries Workshop Materials
Before you attend the archived WJ workshop 'Sustainability for Small and Rural Libraries,' be sure to download this document so that you're ready to consider your library's barriers, solutions, and action plans.
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Barbarians at the Gates of the Library
This excerpt is part of a fascinating study of the role of the library in the context of American commercial society. The full text is available at www.blackcrow.us.
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Sharing the Message
This excerpt from a book by Sally Gardner Reed of Friends of Libraries USA emphasizes the importance of getting others--and yourself--involved in telling your library's story.
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Celebrating Access at the Toronto Public Library
This PDF file describes how a large and busy public library (Toronto's is the second busiest in the world) defines and quantifies its impact on its community.
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Dear Mayor: A Demonstrating Impact Letter
Library Director Bob Watson's letter to his mayor and trustees makes the case for his library in practical terms.
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Demonstrating a Local Library's Global Impact
The Wayne County (PA) Public Library has a simple and effective way of demonstrating its impact: putting its patrons on the map.
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Library Politics
Blogger Michael McGrorty reflects on 'capital-L library lovers,' the hard questions asked by pragmatists, and the 'era of unquestioned support.'
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Talking to Power
These notes from a presentation to the California Library Assocation provide a concise checklist of things to keep in mind as you prepare for and make your case to your community's leaders.
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Value and Vision
What does it mean to assign 'value' to public libraries? This article (originally published in American Libraries) is an invaluable starting point for thinking about your library's value in real-world terms.
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What If You Ran Your Library Like NPR?
Public radio has responded to its funding crises by turning to sponsorships and memberships, without cutting into its tax base. Is this a model public libraries should consider? Steve Coffman of Library Systems and Services investigates.
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What We're Worth: Slides
Slides from Steve Coffman's live WebJunction event on alternative funding for libraries.
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What We're Worth: Notes
Notes from Steve Coffman's live WebJunction event on alternative funding for libraries.
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Models of Demonstrating Impact: Petersburg, AK
A simple, visually effective annual report makes a great tool for showing your community how valuable your library is.
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Models of Demonstrating Impact: Independence, IA (download)
The handout Independence, IA, is using to show how much its accomplished--and with how little.
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Models of Demonstrating Impact: Independence, IA (description)
How Independence, IA, is using a potent visual presentation of data to make its case.
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Models of Demonstrating Impact: Guthrie Center, IA
An effective PowerPoint presentation comes to the rescue for a library that serves a town of 1700.
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Models of Demonstrating Impact: Castle Rock, CO
How a new library became the 'anchor store' that revitalized a moribund shopping district. James LaRue, Director of Colorado's Douglas County Libraries, tells the story.
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Models of Demonstrating Impact: Broward County, FL
This example of a program description (After School @ Your Library) from the Broward County Library succinctly articulates objectives and benefits.
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