I am not sure if the notes from this session have been posted yet—so I created a separate page under discussions.

Since Library Camp Wednesday I have been thinking about the concept that Chris presented about collecting data from various libraries about book displays. I love the idea of collecting data from around the state to develop collective knowledge with the goal of evidence-based decision making. There are many areas where libraries can work together to inform our practices. With the current strained environment basing our decisions on solid evidence can help us best serve our communities.
There is a tension between the urge for simplification and producing informative results relevant to the complex environment of libraries. For the project to be successful it must not become too involved for public libraries to reasonably implement. However, with oversimplification we risk methodology design flaws that could invalidate the results.

Specifically, I have been struggling with how we could determine if there is a net increase in circulation with a certain book display or a trade off? Is the patron choosing the book on the display instead of one off the shelf or in addition to what they planned? I think this is important in interpreting the results: is a specific type of book display (i.e.: with 5 books) a way to promote a certain collection or a way to increase circulation?

Other thoughts??? Or topics where we could come together with other experiments to build evidence for our decision making? I think this is an intriguing topic. I am curious about what others have to say?

 out of  found this valuable. Do you find this valuable?