Identifying Community Needs for Public Library Management

About

Public libraries are becoming dynamic hubs for learning, civic engagement, and community.

This course will discuss strategies for gathering statistical and descriptive data about public library communities. Learners will identify local partners in education, social services, government agencies, and more.

While conducting real-world investigations, learners will gain deeper insight into the wants and needs of community organizations. This will empower learners to make better management decisions to address those needs, even in libraries with limited budgets.

What you will learn

● How to find demographic and persona data from online sources;

● To conduct environmental scans;

● How to lead focus groups and interviews;

● How to analyze data to find patterns, overlaps, and gaps in available community services;

● To synthesize your findings in a report.

Skills you learn

• Civic Engagement
• Library Management
• Research
• Investigation
• Social Work
• Management

Syllabus

Lesson 1: Why Study Community Needs?
Lesson 2: Environmental Scanning
Lesson 3: Found Data
Lesson 4: Surveys
Lesson 5: Reviewing Survey Data
Lesson 6: Interviews
Lesson 7: Synthesis

Auto Summary

Discover how to effectively identify and assess community needs for public library management through research, surveys, and data analysis. This foundation-level course, offered by edX, spans the Arts & Humanities domain and is perfect for professionals and beginners alike. Available under Professional and Starter subscriptions.