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Books
Connect Project Evaluation Executive summary The Books Connect Project aimed to support the development of new creative partnerships between libraries, museums and the arts using books and reading as a launch pad to develop new audiences and new venues for reading inspired creativity. It also sought to foster activity by removing barriers that inhibited the various cultural sectors from working together. The Project comprised 13 individual cross-sector events or initiatives that took place in the nine local authority areas of the East Midlands in early 2002, as part of a broader 18 month programme of activity primarily funded by the Regional Arts Lottery Programme. These individual activities were very varied; involving different art forms, venues and partnerships, and featuring workshops, displays and performances. An important objective embodied in the Project entailed the exploration of novel methods of evaluating the impact of creative activity of this nature on target audiences and/or participants, as well as the way in which those involved in organisation and delivery were influenced. The approach chosen employed a specially created evaluation ‘toolkit’ that was to be applied generally throughout the Project. It comprised a set of audience questionnaires and interview schedules as well as templates to gather reviews from co-ordinators, and accounts of artists and partners’ experience of events and initiatives. In the event, a large amount of evaluative data - both quantitative and qualitative, have been collected during the course of the Project, and they have been comprehensively analysed, by the Library and Information Statistics Unit (LISU). The findings are very positive and the Project has proved a resounding success in terms of meeting its key aims, as well as making other significant achievements. The Project has demonstrated the value of the cross-sectoral approach in raising awareness of the cultural agencies in the community and in promoting access to culture and reading. The Project has clearly assisted in attracting new audiences to libraries, arts venues and museums across the region. Overall, almost half of the audience members and/or participants who gave feedback had not previously attended the venue in which an event was taking place. It is also most encouraging that the Project has, as it intended, involved a wide spectrum of age groups, from children to senior citizens. Some events were geared to specific community groups with notable success. The Project has nurtured learning and altered perceptions. The vast majority of respondents claimed either to have learnt something new at events and workshops, or that their experience at an event/workshop had stimulated them to contemplate issues in a new light. Around two thirds of those interviewed affirmed that attending an event had changed their attitude to reading. All of the participating agencies regarded the partnerships created during the Project as being successful and sustainable, and the majority plan to work together in the future. There are already three new projects in operation that have been founded on the cross-sectoral working model of the Books Connect Project. These include storytelling events, a music and poetry performance and drama workshops. A further aspect of sustainability is that audience feedback confirms that there is much enthusiasm for more events of this nature to be available in the future. The Project has also successfully piloted new ways of evaluating the impact of creative activity on audiences and participants. The ‘toolkit’ was found to be sufficiently flexible and robust to provide a useful way of evaluating what were sometimes very different projects involving different partners and different authorities, in a uniform way. Contents
The Books Connect Project comprises 13 individual cross-sector projects that took place in the nine local authority areas of the East Midlands in early 2002. The projects are part of a broader 18 month programme of activity primarily funded by the Regional Arts Lottery Programme. The projects were very varied; they followed unique themes and involved different art forms, venues and partnerships. The mode of delivery ranged widely and included workshops, displays and performances. For convenience, they are generally referred to as events in this report. The partnerships all involved different combinations of regional library services, museums, arts organisations and artists. Fundamental to the entire exercise was evaluation of the success of the Project from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Indeed, it was a requirement of the Project that the development of a methodology for the collection of qualitative information about the impact of the Project was explored. An evaluation ‘toolkit’ (Appendix 2) was developed by LISU in consultation with the project steering group, library co-ordinators, and with input from a day’s workshop. The ‘toolkit’ was designed to be applied consistently by the organisers to all the various activities and events comprising the Books Connect Project. Evidence derived from ‘toolkit’ generated data has been used in this comprehensive evaluation. The evaluation has operated on several levels. There has been a detailed assessment of how the individual initiatives performed, and the overall performance of the Project as a whole has also been addressed. An additional aspect of the evaluation has sought to assess the extent and duration of changes engendered by the individual projects. These aspects have been considered in relation to all of those involved – Co-ordinators, staff, artists, partners, viewers, readers and participants. A comprehensive range of performance indicators has been collected during the course of the Project, and the findings are presented in detail in the Project Analysis (p 6-21). In brief, the overall message that emerges is one of commendable success. A number of positive outcomes to the Project have been demonstrated. To summarise:
Details and key highlights of each of the local authority projects are given on the following pages. ConclusionsThe Books Connect project set out to support the development of new creative partnerships between libraries, museums and the arts using books and reading as a launch pad, to develop new audiences and new venues for reading inspired creativity and to break down barriers preventing cultural sectors from working together. Furthermore, the project aimed to
Integral to the entire exercise was the evaluation of the project, in both qualitative and quantitative terms. To this end, a ‘toolkit’ (Appendix 2) was developed by LISU in collaboration with the organisers, to be used flexibly and as appropriate by project Co-ordinators to evaluate project activities and the partnership experience. This appeared to work well. This report has summarised the findings and assessed the effectiveness of the initiative, which has proved a resounding success in terms of meeting the aims of the Project. A great deal has been achieved in a short time, with limited funding. Positive audience feedback has not only irrefutably demonstrated the success of the Project at a local level, it has provided those involved with encouragement and assurance that future work in this area would be beneficial and appreciated. Furthermore, the number of requests to repeat events, coupled with the number of attendees who said that they would consider attending similar events in the future bodes very well for the potential success of future events to stem from the Project. The partnerships formed as a result of this project seem sustainable and many Co‑ordinators are keen to continue with similar work. The Project has seen a number of original, exciting projects developed at local authority level. For many people attending events, the idea of something innovative, creative and new had much appeal. In the main, audiences seemed to like the combination of arts with libraries and on occasion museum exhibits and displays, which many claimed to have influenced their attitude to reading and the arts more generally. People said that they would read more widely and perhaps have more confidence to try different genres. For some people, events ‘demystified’ the arts, and made them feel more mainstream and open to them. It would seem that this sense of ‘ownership’ of the Project that was helped by events being held in well-known community venues and the participatory, informal nature of many events, had widespread appeal. In interviews, several people commented positively on the social aspect of events, asserting that they had enjoyed meeting new people and exchanging ideas. Undoubtedly, the Project has prompted some good publicity, notably for libraries, but also for other venues, particularly museums, which featured strongly in the Project. There is a sense that barriers have been broken down and audience members and viewers have seen these venues as more than just buildings. This feeling is aptly portrayed in poetry inspired by one of the Books Connect events, for example in several poems entitled ‘Library Myth’, one of which refers to ‘the librarian an angel with a harp, not a computer’! Issues of social inclusion are often a challenge to address, and similarly have been difficult to assess. However, it is positive to see that the projects have attracted minority groups, and in some cases have been directly targeted at such groups. Notable examples include a workshop with the recovering mentally ill in Leicestershire and organised transport for those not able to get to the library. Particularly encouraging is the number of over 65’s who attended events and performances. Although this age group tends to use libraries frequently, they can be a marginalised group in society. Several of the events in this Project attracted, and more importantly, proved popular with a wide range of ages, which demonstrated that projects of this nature can challenge traditional stereotypes of what appeals to certain age and socio-economic groups. However, it is felt that there is scope for targeting wider audiences, beyond mainly middle-aged women. It is important to consider the timing of events in future. For example, evening events will enable working people to attend, and perhaps more men. Greater publicity may also help to attract wider and larger audiences. The benefits of the Project go beyond members of the public who attended events and exhibitions, as it is clear that staff and artists involved found the role they played in the Project fulfilling and inspiring, and some also acquired new skills. ‘Soft’ outcomes such as this are difficult to quantify, but are nonetheless extremely valuable. People working in the different sectors gained a new understanding of each other’s capacity and willingness to contribute and collaborate. Those working in libraries, museums and arts venues gained a new insight into what was possible. That is to say, the Project has shown how the whole could become greater then the sum of the parts. Although the projects proved largely successful, several key constructive comments emerged from the project evaluation. These are detailed throughout the report, but are summarised here: Marketing – proved to be important in attracting audiences and was proposed as an area for improvement by several Co-ordinators. Audience feedback would suggest that publicity at partner venues could be stepped up, as the majority of people heard about events through the library. However, it was found in one case that widespread promotion of an event does not necessarily guarantee a large audience. It is suggested that the project could have perhaps made more use of web advertising, such as features on Council event pages and home pages. This is something that could be considered for future events. Funding - Many of the projects were successful in attracting additional funding from a variety of sources, as well as considerable benefits in kind. However, a concern was raised that funding is an issue affecting the likelihood of continuing projects, and that lack of funding perhaps limited the size and scope of some projects. Timescale – the timescale for the project was relatively tight, particularly in view of the cross-sector liaison that was required. Several Co-ordinators commented that they would have benefited from more time for planning the project(s) and one went on to comment that they would plan further in advance for future projects. However, it must be said, in terms of future initiatives, much of the groundwork has now been undertaken and partnerships forged, so in theory, at least, planning might be less involved in the future! Communication – In a limited number of cases, communication between partners could perhaps have been better, and staff involved seem keen to resolve this. The importance of a group meeting at the start of any project was identified, to address joint aims and to prevent miscommunication. It was also felt that more meetings between partners would be useful, although this was very much time dependent. Staff consultation – LISU expected that Co-ordinators and Partners would gather comments from staff involved in the projects, and in view of this the evaluation ‘toolkit’ (Appendix 2) did not include a comments form for such staff. However, it is felt by those involved in completing the evaluation that this would have proved useful in collecting more detailed comments from staff. It is envisaged that such a form could be similar in content to the Artist and Partner’s feedback forms. However, in general, the evaluation ‘toolkit’ (Appendix 2) has proved to be robust and effective in enabling comparable performance assessment data to be acquired. It is hoped that it will remain a valuable tool to be applied in future projects. The importance of evaluation in achieving excellence must not be overlooked. In conclusion, this report has demonstrated that the Books Connect initiative has proved to be effective in reaching the community and stimulating greater interest in the arts and reading, as well as rewarding for all those involved. The availability of appropriate talent, ideas and organisation to develop projects has been amply demonstrated and latent interest within the community is evident. Adequate resourcing to sustain such work will complete the equation. As a new venture, it seems likely that the Project will pave the way for further projects, both in the East Midlands and beyond. With the valuable experience that has been gained from this exercise, future projects are destined to excel.
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(58 pages, 468KB) 