Assessing library performance with GIS and building evaluation methods

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to report on the methodological approach taken in a project which was to create a Facilities Master Plan for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County in the United States. Libraries are changing drastically: they function as community centers, where programs and classes are held; they provide access to the internet to socio-economically weaker groups; and they accommodate the needs of different age groups, such as children, teens, adults and seniors.Design methodology approach - Innovative in the approach to the project is the combination of geographic information system (GIS) and building performance evaluation (BPE) methods. This project assigned comprehensive scores for each of the libraries and grouped them into groups of high, medium and low performing libraries. The rankings are based on composite scores made up of eight weighted performance indicators: staff survey, facility evaluation, service area, usage, building, site, staffing output, and capacity. Project data are benchmarked and compared with those of library systems around the USA in similarly sized cities.Findings - The outcomes of the project are recommendations, as well as medium- to long-term projections, with primary emphasis on branch libraries. Specific recommendations for each branch focused on: needed improvements; closure and or consolidation with other branch libraries; and the creation of new full-service "hub" libraries.Practical implications - Practical implications of this project include a rational decision making tool for library facility master planning in the future.Originality value - The data gathering and analysis approach applied in this project shows promise as an innovative way of combining quantitative and qualitative methods in evaluation research measuring library performance.