LU
California Library Association &
California Summer Meal Coalition
Program Evaluation

Output Data
 Participation
survey for library staff: number of meals
served, programming offered, etc.
 Help
to show the program’s breadth and reach
 Data that can be used to help others establish programs

Outcomes Data
 Surveys
for Families
 Demonstrate
Lunch at the Library
the program’s value and impact
February 2nd, 2017
Program Outcomes
1.
2.
Families know they can get help and essential
resources at the library.
Families feel healthy, happy, and safe.
 Public
library summer meal programs achieve their
potential when they connect families with library
resources and help them feel healthy, happy, and safe,
in addition to providing meals.
Lunch at the Library
February 2nd, 2017
Results: Output Data



2016: public libraries provided over 203,000
meals and over 60,000 snacks at 139 sites.
2013: public libraries provided over 21,000 meals
at 17 sites.
2016 and 2015: 19% of families surveyed
reported that they don’t get lunch anywhere else
but the library during the summer.
Lunch at the Library
February 2nd, 2017
Results: Outcomes Data 1 (2016)

Families know they can get help and essential
resources at the library:
 90%
know they can find books and things to borrow.
 75% know they can find access to computers
 71% know they can take part in summer reading
 66% know they can find people to help them.
 65% know they can find information
5,121 people in 73 libraries completed surveys in 2016.
Lunch at the Library
February 2nd, 2017
Results: Outcomes Data 2 (2016)

Families feel healthy, happy, and safe:
 79%
feel happy
 60% report they feel good about themselves
 60% feel safe
5,121 people in 73 libraries completed surveys in 2016.
Lunch at the Library
February 2nd, 2017
The Importance of Outcome-Based
Programs

We encourage all libraries to plan their summer
meal programs with outcomes in mind
 Easier
than it might sound
 Greater impact than programs designed with no
outcomes in mind
 Improve future programs
 Demonstrate the impact of your work
 Contribute to statewide data
 Set your own outcomes!
Lunch at the Library
February 2nd, 2017
Achieving Program Outcomes

Outcome evaluation is most effective when it is part
of a systematic planning process:
 Review
program outcomes with colleagues.
 Design your program with the outcomes in mind.
 If
you want to connect families with library resources and
ensure they feel healthy, happy, and safe, offer programs
that are intentionally designed to achieve those outcomes.
 Collect
and report your data.
 Use data to improve your program and demonstrate its
impact.
Lunch at the Library
February 2nd, 2017
Resources





Brief surveys for all ages – children, teens, and
adults.
Survey Monkey link for entering data captured on
print forms.
Personalized report of your library’s data.
Statewide data of the value and impact of
California’s public library summer meal programs.
lunchatthelibrary.org
Lunch at the Library
February 2nd, 2017
CONTACT
Natalie Cole
Library Programs Consultant, California State Library
[email protected]
Lunch at the Library is funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. It is a project
of the California Library Association and California Summer Meal Coalition, supported by
the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library
Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. The
Summer Food Service Program is a program of the United States Department of
Agriculture, administered in California by the California Department of Education.
Lunch at the Library
February 2nd, 2017