Programs and Services Evaluation Specialist

Overview

Position Overview:

Under the direction of the President’s Office and in coordination primarily with the Director of Library Services or designee and the Chief Technology Officer, advises and assists in the development and analysis of performance metrics for programs, services, collections, projects, and initiatives of the Boston Public Library, including the Library for the Commonwealth and Metro-Boston Library Network programs. Works collaboratively systemwide with a variety of staff roles to help acquire, organize, validate, interpret, report on, and obtain actionable insights from large data sets; works with the IT and Digital Services teams on developing, documenting, disseminating, analyzing, and maintaining statistical reports and dashboards.

 

Reports to:

Clerk of the Board.

Responsibilities

Scope of Responsibility:

• Coordinate all aspects of business intelligence and data analytics to enhance data-driven decision-making and execution of strategic initiatives.
• Identify, gather, and analyze data related to the library’s collections, services, programs, facilities, and operations, as well as data related to the community. Reports on this data to library leadership, management team, staff, and the library board, and makes recommendations based on the analysis to support the library’s strategic goals and objectives.
• Identify, analyze, and interpret trends or patterns in complex data sets and provide them to appropriate library staff.
• Track, analyze, and provide feedback on data trends to inform data-driven decision-making and resource allocation.
• Advise and assist in the development of performance metrics for new and existing projects and initiatives.
• Participate and assist in the evaluation of program attendance/satisfaction/outcomes, service satisfaction/outcomes, collection/e-book/streaming/database usage, demographic profiling of neighborhoods, library card usage, and other measures.
• Work with staff to develop outcome measurement efforts and look for ways to expand and enhance these efforts.
• Work with various relevant departments to:
  • Develop and evaluate  ongoing and one-time survey instruments for internal and external stakeholders.
  • Create visually appealing and understandable reports for relevant data sources using data visualization tools.
  • Develop relevant and accurate aggregate data feeds into the data warehouse.
• Gather, analyze, and relate data from the Census Bureau, regional planning organizations, and other sources to create system-wide and location-specific demographic profiles and forecasts and to ensure appropriate library response to community needs.
• Inventory existing data collection efforts and tools and make recommendations for additional areas to explore as well as possibilities for streamlining and increasing the efficiency and usefulness of data collection.
• Work with the technology department to organize available data so that it can be accessed and used effectively by staff. Create visually appealing and understandable reports from relevant data sources using data visualization tools.
• Work with the technology department and web services team to develop relevant and accurate aggregate data feeds into the data warehouse.
• Develop, customize, automate, and maintain business intelligence software and dashboards to collect and analyze metrics related to the library’s strategic initiatives.
• Assists in the compilation of data needed for city, state, and other surveys and reports.
• Assists in the production of monthly and annual statistical dashboards and other regular and ad hoc reports as needed.
• Work with the Training Coordinator to train staff on data tools (Excel, Tableau, etc.) and evaluate and recommend new tools as needed.
• Advance a data-driven culture within the organization.
• Work closely with all relevant teams, departments, and branches to ascertain their needs and determine ways to help them quantify their goals.
• Collaborate in the development of project management, evaluation, and monitoring.
• Maintain an awareness of products, services, technology, and trends by reading industry literature, attending seminars, workshops, and professional meetings.
• Perform related duties as required.

Minimum Entrance Qualifications

Qualifications:

Education

•  A bachelor's degree from a recognized college or university and a master's degree in library and information science from an ALA-accredited library school or related field or in Business Administration, Computer Science, or Data Analytics are required. A bachelor's degree in a quantitative field (Business Administration