Contributed by Mary Hirsh, Project Manager, Public Library Association

For the past year, PLA has participated in a roundtable tasked with developing a system of public access technology benchmarks. Called Edge, this program is a set of benchmarks libraries can use to assess their public access technology and related support materials and advocacy tools. We had the opportunity to assess our work so far at two midwinter meetings.

On Saturday, during the ALA Midwinter Meeting, a public forum was held to update the status of the project and review the current benchmarks draft. I had the privilege, along with TechSoup’s Sarah Washburn, of leading three state librarians, a few independent consultants, and an IMLS representative in a small group discussion of the Engaging Community and Decision Makers benchmarks. These three benchmarks broadly deal with raising awareness and building a positive perception of the library as a community resource and were well received by the participants. One attendee said the current version was so much more than she expected. They also felt that with a little tweaking here and there, these benchmarks could be used in libraries as both an assessment of current activities and a planning tool. They did feel that the benchmark regarding partnership needed some work. It was too soft, especially in relation to the others, and not applicable to some libraries depending on their governance structure. We also had a more general conversation about the support materials. Everyone felt it would be necessary to get a thorough explanation of your score, along with some recommendations for next steps. This meeting was a great opportunity for us to hear from people who will actually use the benchmarks and gave us all confidence that, while we are not done yet, we are getting closer.

The entire roundtable met Monday. It was an intense day as we addressed a few major issues that need to be solved prior to a beta benchmarks release. When it was all said and done, we determined we need more input from you about the benchmarks and what tools would be most helpful in supporting their use. To that end, we will be opening up several feedback channels in the coming weeks. Please watch the PLA blog and enews for more information. If you and your library would like to be involved in the revision and review process at a deeper level, please let me () know.