NATIONAL LIBRARY LEADERSHIP GRANT RECEIVED BY THE CARLSBAD CITY LIBRARYDecember 1, 2004 Carlsbad, CA: Dr. Cliff Lange, Director of the Carlsbad City Library, announced today that the library has received a Federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to cre4ate a Library Scorecard to communicate the value of the public library using outcome-based performance measures. Other libraries participating in the project are the Chula Vista Public Library, the Cerritos Public Library and the Newport Beach Public Library. Cliff Lange said, "We are obviously delighted to receive the grant. The funds will enable the participating libraries to develop their own balanced scorecards, which can be used as a vehicle to communicate the value of library services we bring to our communities. We will also be developing a workbook which then can be used by other public libraries to assist them in developing a scorecard." The project will assess the resources required for a library to create and implement a library scorecard, determine if there are unique problems that occur as the size of the library increases, assess the utility of the library scorecard for management as it seeks to communicate the value of the public library, and assess the utility of the library scorecard from the perspective of the library's stakeholders. Assisting the libraries with this project will be Joe Matthews, a consultant, who is based in Carlsbad, CA. A total of 44 National Library Leadership Grant proposals were received by IMLS and only ten awards were made. The Carlsbad City Library was the only public library to receive funds. Library National Leadership Grants for Research and Demonstration encourage strong proposals for research in library and information science and for demonstration projects to test potential solutions to problems in real-world situations. National Library Leadership Grants provide creative solutions to issues of national importance and provide leadership for other organizations to emulate. "National Library Leadership Grants of IMLS help museums and libraries excel as learning institutions that support the needs of a nation of learners," said Robert Martin, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. "The grants we make reflect an understanding of current issues in the library field and suggest creative solutions through the application of technology, creative collaboration, data collection, and projects seeking a better understanding of the informational needs of library users." For further information about the Institute of Museum and Library Services, visit their Web site at http://www.imls.gov. For further information about this project, contact the Project Manager, Joe Matthews - Joe@JoeMatthews.Org |