RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
This information can be obtained from the monitoring information and user
questionnaires and discussion.
7. What does it cost users to obtain information?
How much time do users spend learning to use systems such as the
classification scheme, catalogue or database? How easy is it for them to use
these once they have learned how? How do the advisory services and
information skills training provided by staff help users to find information in
the resource centre?
This information can be obtained by providing advisory services (see Section
7.4), and through user discussions and questionnaires.
8. How skilled are staff?
Can staff provide information as well as process materials? Are staff friendly
and helpful? Are they involved in planning new developments and
knowledgeable about what is going on? Do they need more training?
This information can be obtained from user discussions and questionnaires,
and discussions with the resource centre advisory committee and resource
centre staff about staff’s capabilities and training needs.
9. How well is the resource centre networking?
Are enquiries received from other organisations or individuals, such as public
libraries, research organisations, community groups or individual experts? Are
enquiries from users referred to other resource centres? Have efforts been
made to eliminate duplication by sharing responsibilities, such as collection,
processing and storage, with other groups? Is there a file of people or
organisations who can provide information and share their expertise? Staff
should not simply add names of useful contacts as they hear about them, but
they should go out and ask people if they will collaborate with the resource
centre.
This information can be obtained from staff records, minutes of resource
centre advisory committee meetings and discussions with staff.
10. How useful are the resource centre’s publications?
Are publications such as current awareness bulletins, information packs,
newsletters, articles, or resource lists produced? Are they accurate, legible,
appropriate to users and efficiently distributed? Do users find them useful and
timely? Are they a worthwhile activity in terms of the time and resources
available to the resource centre?
This information can be obtained from staff records for preparation and
distribution, users’ discussions and questionnaires, and staff comments about
the time and effort taken to prepare publications.
SECTION 9: MONITORING AND EVALUATION
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