Evaluating teen services and programs

Flowers offers guidance for librarians in examining all aspects of teen programming and services to determine where improvement is needed. Readers will learn how to

Develop goals and objectives for evaluation Collect the data for a realistic picture of a library's strengths and weaknesses Use many different types of data with the help of practical examples included in the text Evaluate YA collections, summer reading programs, special events, and library staff

This guide comes with an explanation of the YALSA competencies, the YALSA teen services evaluation tool, and models for what excellent teen services programs should look like. Ready-to-use evaluation forms and checklists save time and resources by improving assessment methods in minutes.

Background and theory. Adolescent development ; Millennials ; Serving diverse teens ; Information-seeking behavior ; Developmental assets ; Youth participation ; The whole library experience -- Planning. Developing effective goals and objectives ; Outcome measures ; Collecting data : types and sources. User data ; Usage data ; Policies and procedures ; Program data ; Budget data ; Facilities data ; Function data ; Staffing data ; Finding data -- Implementation. Raw data : what does it mean? Statistical data ; Evaluating policies and procedures ; Competencies ; Using data to make changes. Changing priorities ; Using data to support your case ; Using data to plan for the future -- Evaluation. Evaluation as a decision-making and communication tool ; Outcome-based evaluation ; Evaluating YA collections ; Evaluating teen summer reading programs ; Evaluating teen programs and special events. Informal evaluations ; Formal evaluations ; Focus groups ; Evaluating staff -- Best practices. What an excellent teen services program looks like ; Using the YALSA competencies ; Using the YALSA teen services evaluation tool. How library administrators can use the evaluation tool ; How trustees and governing bodies can use the evaluation tool ; How library patrons and community members can use the evaluation tool ; How library and information science faculty can use the evaluation tool ; How teen services librarians can use the evaluation tool -- References and resource guide. Links and books ; Sample forms. Needs assessments ; Summer reading programs ; Program evaluation ; Staff evaluation ; Checklists ; YALSA's competencies and evaluation tool. YALSA's competencies for librarians serving youth : young adults deserve the best ; YALSA teen services evaluation tool.