Data Matters for User Service: Acquiring & Assessing the Impact of NYPL’s Money Matters Grant-Funded Initiative

Data Matters for User
Service: Acquiring & Assessing the
Impact of NYPL’s Money Matters
Grant-Funded Initiative
Marie L. Radford

Chair, Department of Library & Information Science
& Associate Professor
Rutgers University, NJ

Kristin McDonough 
Director, Science, Industry, and Business Library,
The New York Public Library
Library Research Round Table
American Library Association Conference
Chicago, Illinois
June 27th-July 2nd, 2013


The New Normal


Agencies Mandated to
Develop Consumer
Education Programs


Pre-Training Survey
of Branch Staf
Why
How

What We Found


Grants: Acquisition &
Execution
 Not about the money…  Define scope
but the meaning

 Opportunity lookout
 Chat before
submission

 Pitch & pivot

 Manage RFP
process

 Negotiate and
collaborate with
contractor

 Engage internal
stakeholders


Evaluating Money Matters
 Goal: To create a corps of frontline staf
equipped with the skills & confidence to meet
the growing need among their patrons to access
timely, accurate & trustworthy information

about personal finance.

 Evaluation
 IMLS requirement
 RFP by NYPL to recruit outside evaluator
 Measure MM’s success in meeting goals for:
Individual workshops (content & format)
Instructors
Overall program


Money Matters Pro Program
Staf Training Portal
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Evaluation Design
 Mixed-Methods
 Quantitative & Qualitative
 Instruments designed with NYPL input

 Surveys
 Pre-Training Survey
 Immediate Post-Training Survey
 Final Post-Training Survey

 Observation
 Focus Groups
 Website Analytics

Surveys
 Mix of paper & online (Survey Monkey)
 Staf cooperation vital
 Understand need & purpose
 Paper successful for individual session evals
(100% return rates)
 Online useful for Pre & Post surveys
 Incentive for Final Survey (gift card raffle)


Money Matters
Workshops
Workshop Titles (3 core, 8
electives,
…..10 eLearning
Modules)
Banking (core)
Retirement Planning (core)
Credit & Debt 1 (core)
Credit & Debt 2
Identity Theft
Investing 1
Investing 2
Paying for College
Income Tax
Insurance


Immediate Post-Training
Survey Results

Completed at end of each training workshop
Nearly 100% return rate (administered onground)

Uniformly excellent results (means 5.0 to
4.0)
Quality of instruction
Content/scope
Activities/scenarios
Resources/handouts
Likert scale = Strongly Agree (5) to Strongly Disagree (1)


Immediate Post-Training
Survey Results
“Before this workshop, how prepared were
you to answer patron questions?
3.0 to 2.3 (mean, on several PF topics)
“After completing this workshop how well
prepared are you to answer patron
questions?”
5.0 to 4.0 (mean, on same PF topics)
Reported all workshops practical, relevant,
enjoyable, excellent instructors, & useful in daily
interactions with NYPL patrons.


90, 69%)
vs. Final Post-Training (n= 95,
73%)
Confidence in knowledge & understanding

Personal Finance
2.6 (Pre-Training mean) rose to 3.9 (PostTraining mean)
Adequate training in locating quality PF resources
2.7 (Pre) rose to 4.2 (Post)
Adequate training in evaluating PF resources
2.7 (Pre) rose to 4.1 (Post)
Would welcome PF questions
2.8 (Pre) rose to 3.8 (Post)


Staf Voices on
Money Matters Program
 “Suggested to a single mom that starting to

save now for her child's college education is
beneficial because of the time value of money.”

 “Helped a patron who was a grandfather find

information on how to pay his granddaughter's
college costs and how to ask financial
questions.”

 “Helping immigrants at the adult learning

center set up bank accounts and helping them
to improve their financial knowledge.”

 “I understand investment company information
and reports better since I'm more comfortable

with financial terms.”


Conclusion
Critical factors in successful MM
program
Clear vision of need & goals
Talented/qualified instructors
NYPL involvement in content & design
Staf cooperation in evaluation
Feedback & adjustments
Early observation
Mid-point Focus Groups
Interim reports


Acknowledgements &
Contact
 This is one of the outcomes from the project
Money Matters Financial Education Program

 Funded by the Institute for Museum and
Library Services (IMLS) and NYPL

 Special thanks to: Marzena Ermler, T.J.

Woods, Gretchen Smith, Brandy McNeil,
Barbara O’Neill, & Carole Glade

 Staf training portal Money Matters Pro

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 Money Matters Web Site:

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