Engagement

Libraries play a critical role in developing both individuals and communities. Improving engagement with the community delivers double benefits – a library with good engagement strategies stays well connected to its customers and improves its relevancy and, from a community perspective, a well-engaged library service delivers more to a larger range of people in its community.

Customer / Stakeholder Engagement

Improving a library's engagement with the community can be achieved by developing a customised framework, using the IAP2 participation spectrum.

Stakeholder engagement audits can be targeted to assess distinct areas or achieve specific goals. For example:

• focus on staff using research and feedback to understand employee motivation, responsiveness and support
• focus on user and non-user research and feedback to understand how the library is (or is not!) meeting its community's needs
• focus on stakeholder engagement to inform planning, for example engaging with staff and the organisation’s community to seek their feedback, better understand their needs and demands, and to inform strategic and marketing planning

Stakeholder engagement contributes to informed planning. For example, engaging with staff and the organisation’s community to seek their feedback and understand their needs and demands will better inform strategic and marketing planning.

The process includes working with the client to scope engagement, methodology and communication planning.

Surveys

RHCS consultants are experienced in and have the expertise and tools available to design, build and implement balanced, objective, useful surveys for customer and community research. Examples of types of surveys useful in auditing library engagement include:

• Rating of performance and satisfaction
• Collection assessment
• Organisational review surveys (360 degree)
• Staff surveys (climate, SWOT etc.)