American Library Association (American Library Association, Public Programs Office)

The American Library Association will address a field-wide lack of data on library programming effects that is needed to describe effective library practices. The ALA will document characteristics, audiences, outcomes, and perceived value of public library programs across the nation to provide a typology of program types and characteristics. The project implements the first research recommendation of a multi-phase strategy developed through a planning grant funded by IMLS and resulting in a broadly disseminated white paper. The team brings together a network of researchers, practitioner-researchers, and advisors to lay groundwork that will serve the emerging needs of library workers. The research will provide a foundation for the development of metrics on a national scale to help the field assess how programming is impacting library services and users, and it will help establish the training needs of library workers.