Needs Assessment of Oregon Public Libraries

Medford Public Library. Image: https://flic.kr/p/4HCimEThe

Oregon Community Foundation is soliciting proposals for a statewide needs and opportunities assessment of Oregon’s public libraries. The purpose of the research project is to answer the following questions:

1. What are the roles that Oregon’s libraries currently play in their communities (education and  literacy, civic and community engagement; economic and workforce development)?
2. How can Oregon’s libraries contribute to creating resilient communities?
3. What role do libraries play in Oregon’s early childhood system (early childhood education, early childhood health and well-being, parental education, etc.)?
4. What promising practices, programs and strategies are Oregon’s libraries using to fulfill these  roles?How can these practices be encouraged?
5. What are the challenges to fulfilling the roles Oregon’s libraries should play in their  communities?
6. What are promising practices, programs, and strategies being implemented outside of Oregon?Could these approaches work for Oregon libraries?
7. How can we best measure the impacts and success of different programs?

The research will begin in January 2015 and will be complete by July. The Oregon Community Foundation hopes that this research will identify clear needs and promising practices that can be replicated across Oregon communities. Once the research is complete, it may lead will help inform OCF and its various donors on potential for grants to  Oregon’s libraries. may request that OCF develop and manage a discrete grant-making opportunity to which they will contribute approximately $200,000 each year for 5 years.

Please contact  (kkilchenstein@oregoncf.org) at OCF for more information.