Research Institute for Public Libraries

September 30th to October 3rd, 2016 in Denver

Overview

100 participants will engage in three days of hands-on, intensive workshops about…

  • Evaluation design and implementation
  • Data collection and use for strategic planning
  • Measures for reporting library impact
  • Tips for aligning research efforts with national initiatives like Edge Benchmarks and the Impact Survey

Participants will walk away from RIPL with tools for evaluation, confidence in building research into their activities, and a network of colleagues for future learning and success.

Participants

RIPL participants work in public libraries and are …

interested in getting started using data for savvy and strategic planning.
looking for both inspiration and instruction in a hands-on, participatory environment.
seeking to learn about outcomes and how to measure library impact.
committed to leading their organizations in making data-based decisions.
eager to develop a peer network to support research and evaluation efforts.

Keynotes

Moe Hosseini-Ara

Director, Branch Operations and Customer Experience, Toronto Public Library

George Needham

Director, Delaware County (Ohio) District Library

Speakers

Tova Aragon

Collections Manager, Poudre River Public Library

Kellie Cannon

Librarian , Denver Public Library

Denise Davis

Deputy Library Director, Sacramento Public Library

Kristin Grabarek Roper

Librarian, Denver Public Library

Carol Gyger

IT Manager, Poudre River Public Library District

Dave Hodgins

Data Coordinator and Web Developer, Library Research Service

Linda Hofschire

Director, Library Research Service

Michelle Jeske

Denver City Librarian, Denver Public Library

Rebecca Jones

Director of Services, Brampton Library

Elizabeth Kelsen Huber

Assistant Director, Colorado Library Consortium

Keith Lance

Consultant, RSL Research Group

Jamie LaRue

Director, Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association

Zeth Lietzau

Director, Collections, Technology, and Strategy, Denver Public Library

Rochelle Logan

Consultant

Jane Martel

Customer Experience Coordinator, Arapahoe Library District

Sharon Morris

Director of Library Development, Colorado State Library

Joe Ryan

Research Visualization Engineer, University of Denver

Diana Plunkett

Manager of Strategic Initiatives, Brooklyn Public Library

Nicolle Steffen

Technical Services Librarian, Colorado Talking Book Library

Johanna Ulloa Girón

Manager of the Outreach Department, Poudre River Public Library

Nikki Van Thiel

Neighborhood Services Manager, Denver Public Library

Program

The 2016 event will take place September 30-October 3.
Day 1
30 Sep 2016
Day 2
01 Oct 2016
Day 3
02 Oct 2016
Day 4
03 Oct 2016

Dinner and Keynote: Because We’ve Always Done It This Way…

Why do we do what we do? Are we making the best use of our resources? Why do we keep doing it when it’s not achieving the outcomes we are...
Read More
Moe Hosseini-Ara

Orientation

Linda Hofschire
Sharon Morris

The Data Roadmap

Just like a good map, this session will provide a guide to RIPL content, as well as a 50,000-foot view of the process of data collection, analysis, and use. The...
Read More
Nicolle Steffen

Here’s the Plan: Developing a Deliberate Approach to Evaluation

This session will introduce a systematic framework for identifying, collecting, and reporting data to meet your organization’s evaluation, planning, and communication needs. After learning about the building blocks of a...
Read More
Nicolle Steffen
Keith Lance
Zeth Lietzau
Rochelle Logan

The Data Trifecta – A Winning Combination

How do you know what data to collect? This session is the first step in figuring out the answer to that question. You will gain a deeper understanding of the...
Read More
Nicolle Steffen
Linda Hofschire

Assessing Community Needs

Excellent library services are grounded in a deep understanding of community needs. In this session, we will introduce approaches for assessing community needs (as well as community assets, interests, and...
Read More
Diana Plunkett
Jamie LaRue
Rebecca Teasdale

Breakout: Logic Model: Evaluate and Do – There is no Try!

Libraries, like all public sector, academic and not-for-profit organizations, need three types of measures: operational statistics, satisfaction indicators and outcome measures. These performance measures are as much about operational effectiveness...
Read More
Moe Hosseini-Ara

Breakout: Know Your Community: Using Demographic Data to Inform Planning

National census data is important for understanding demographic trends at various levels (e.g., national, state, regional, town) for library planning. This session will review Census and ACS data, as well...
Read More
Denise Davis

Breakout: Asset Mapping: A Community Development Approach to Improving Library Services

In order to appropriately position the Denver Public Library (DPL) as a teen service provider, a team of DPL staff developed and implemented a project to identify and describe existing...
Read More
Kellie Cannon
Kristin Grabarek Roper
Michelle Jeske
Nikki Van Thiel

Survey Design and Administration

Surveys are a fundamental tool in a library’s research and evaluation toolbox. In this session, we will explore the purpose of survey research and its strengths and limitations for library...
Read More
Johanna Ulloa Girón
Jane Martel
Rebecca Teasdale
Zeth Lietzau

Cabbage Toss Prep

Linda Hofschire

Breakout: Zen and the Art of Excel

Excel speaks to our innate need to arrange things in rows and columns. It is a tool that few people can say they’ve completely mastered. Whether you come to RIPL...
Read More
Denise Davis
Rochelle Logan

Breakout: Supercharge Your Website’s Analytics

Your website is one of the most valuable sources of data about your services and collections and, most importantly, how your users engage with them. Unfortunately, though, for many libraries...
Read More
Dave Hodgins

Breakout: Listening Deeper: Interview and Focus Group Strategies to Gain New Understanding

Interviews and focus groups provide high touch ways to move past awareness and get to understanding of your audience. After a brief discussion of when interviews or focus groups can...
Read More
Sharon Morris

Finding Your High Water Mark: Benchmarking to Set a Course for Your Library

Participants in this session will explore the following questions: What are benchmarks, how are they useful, and what is their value in strategic planning and assessment? How do I identify...
Read More
Denise Davis
Keith Lance
Rochelle Logan

Data Use for Strategic Planning, Management, and Communication with Stakeholders

Public libraries collect a lot of data: circulation numbers, program attendance, user satisfaction, etc. But what can you do with all these statistics? In this session, you will learn ways...
Read More
Rebecca Jones
Jane Martel
Diana Plunkett
Jamie LaRue
Denise Davis
Zeth Lietzau
Rochelle Logan

Data Visualization for the Rest of Us: A Beginner’s Guide

You don’t have to be a graphic designer to present your library statistics in a way that effectively communicates value. In this session, you’ll learn quick and easy tips for...
Read More
Linda Hofschire
Zeth Lietzau

Breakout: Using Data to Communicate with Stakeholders

At Brampton Library, we’ve been focusing on the two most important stakeholder groups: Staff and Board. Although these stakeholders have different ‘lenses’ through which they view and (hopefully) use data,...
Read More
Rebecca Jones

Breakout: I attended RIPL…now what?

After Carol, Johanna and Tova attended RIPL 2015, they knew that creating an evaluation team was the thing to do to help the Poudre River Public Library District use data...
Read More
Carol Gyger
Tova Aragon
Johanna Ulloa Girón

Breakout: Making Your Data Speak for You: Visualizing Your Data with Tableau

Libraries collect large volumes of data that are seldom shared with the public via their OPAC’s circulation and patron information systems. Learn how to transform these datasets into powerful tools...
Read More
Joe Ryan

Telling the Library Story

Brain research tells us that there are proven techniques to change people’s minds. It begins with story. This session focuses on three approaches to breaking through to people’s minds and...
Read More
Jamie LaRue

Closing Keynote: What’s Next?!

This closing session will help participants distill what they’ve learned at RIPL, share those learnings with their colleagues, and formulate a commitment to implement new behaviors when they return to...
Read More
George Needham

Where

The Inverness Hotel & Conference Center, Englewood, CO, located 15 miles south of downtown Denver. Need to extend your stay? The hotel is offering a special rate of $149/night for 3 days before and after the event, subject to availability. To book additional nights, call 800.832.9053 and indicate that you are part of the Research Institute for Public Libraries group.

Participants are responsible for making ground transportation arrangements. Please see this webpage for suggested options between Denver International Airport and the hotel.

When

September 30-October 3, 2016

  • September 30: travel to venue, evening event beginning at 5:30
  • October 1: full day of workshops
  • October 2: full day of workshops
  • October 3: morning and afternoon workshops, end at 3:30

How

The $1,465 registration fee covers 3 nights lodging (September 30, October 1, and October 2) and most meals.

The 2016 institute is sold out, and the waiting list is full. To receive information about future events, please subscribe for updates in the section below. Thank you for your interest! 

We will be offering a one-day preconference based on RIPL curriculum at the Association for Rural and Small Libraries Annual Conference in October 2016.

Subscribe for updates

Want to connect with others interested in public library data and evaluation? Sign up for PL-EVAL, a mailing list where you can ask questions, share ideas, and learn from experiences across the field.

 

Sponsorship

Interested in being a RIPL sponsor? Please contact Elizabeth Keslen Huber at EKelsenHuber@clicweb.org or 303.422.1150.

Here's what 2015 participants had to say about RIPL: