RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
9.2 Monitoring
It is useful to monitor key aspects of the resource centre and its services, to
provide information that can be used to evaluate these activities. Before
deciding what to monitor, it is important to know what is to be evaluated, and
how the information collected through monitoring will be used for evaluation.
Monitoring can be a regular activity, such as keeping monthly records of the
number of enquiries received, or a periodic activity, such as keeping records for
a three-month period, or for three separate months over the course of a year.
If monitoring is being carried out regularly, it is better to collate the records
(add up the figures) each month, when it will not take long, than to leave it
until the end of a quarter or a year, when it will take much longer.
TIP: Collating records
To collate records easily, take an unused monitoring form (see sample
in Section 9.2.2) and write the relevant monthly or yearly totals in or
next to the relevant boxes.
The same form can be used for both visitors and enquiries. However,
it is useful to collate the records separately, as visitors and enquirers
may have different information needs.
9.2.1 What to monitor
It can be useful to keep records of:
• availability of the service
• visits
• acquisition of materials
• materials used
• services used
• enquiries
• website ‘hits’ (use of your website)
• publications
• promotion
• networking.
The following are suggestions for information to collect in each of these areas.
More or less detail could be collected in each area, depending how the
information is to be used.
SECTION 9: MONITORING AND EVALUATION
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