The Minnesota Department of Transportation Library has produced a report which calculates its value to its parent organisation. The report is the result of a 7-month study conducted by Library staff. There is a website with a downloadable copy of the report and some associated material.

The following information comes from Sheila Hatchell, Director of MnDOT Library, via the TRANLIB network:

MnDOT Library staff were engaged in a 7-month study to determine our value to our parent organization, the Minnesota Department of Transportation.  The study was a follow-up to and implementation of Proving Your Library’s Value: a Toolkit for Transportation Librarians.   The toolkit was a 2013 product of the Transportation Library Connectivity and Development Pooled Fund Study.

Our study findings were published in an 8-page report.  In addition to the report, we created a website that includes a copy of the report and some supporting materials, including the definitions of the ROI measures that we used.  The webpage is available at: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/library/Library-ROI-Study.html

Our goal was to create an informative document that draws the reader in and presents mundane information (statistics) in an interesting and understandable way – and we feel we accomplished this goal.  Our findings were presented to upper managers who loved the report, found it easy to read (and read the whole thing),  and appreciated the analysis and great information it provided. 

In addition to library staffers Jim Byerly, Pam Gonzalez, Karen Neinstadt, Danae Ostroot, Qin Tang, and Marilee Tuite, I would like to acknowledge and thank Kathleen Bedor, President of Law Library Consultants – our consultant on the project, and Chris Foote – Modern Design Group – our creative consultant who developed our report.