Created by: Martha Hale, Patti Butcher & Cindi Hickey
Web site design by
Cindi Hickey.

This site is owned by the the Northeast Kansas Library System.

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Last revised: 03/12/2008

Profiling Your Community
Introduction & Index

Introduction:



The worksheets included in this module of New Pathways are based on The Community Analysis Process developed by Roger Greer and Martha Hale. The premise of this article is that effective library planning can be enhanced through an analysis of the community and the library. In the article, Greer and Hale outline the theory behind community analysis as well as methods useful in conducting a community analysis. Tools for analyzing the library are also discussed. To get a sense of the full process and its impact on library planning, we recommend that you read this entire article before you begin working on your community's profile. Because the article spans several pages, you may want to print it.

According to Greer and Hale, "Community analysis is a systematic process of collecting, organizing and analyzing data about the library and its environment" or community. The analysis of the data you collect during this process will allow you to make inferences about your community's interests and needs. You will then be able to design customized services and select appropriate materials targeted to those inferred interests and needs.

The activities included in this module will help you gather, organize and analyze data about your community and its residents. The instructions provided for each set of worksheets will help you use them effectively. The instructions will also point you to the appropriate sections of "The Community Analysis Process" article.

Each worksheet can be printed out and copied to share with your planning team. If you have questions about any of the activities or worksheets, please contact: Cindi Hickey.

Enjoy this opportunity to rediscover your community!

Index:
The index below refers to two separate elements: instructions and worksheets. You may want to print out a full set of both the instructions and worksheets to share with your planning team. Please note: Links to the instructions and worksheets appear as black text.

What do you already know about your community? Instructions
Worksheet 1A
(Individual Activity)		 Draw a Picture of Your Community
Worksheet 1B
(Individual Activity)		 Write a Paragraph about your Community
Working with demographic data about your community. Instructions
Worksheet 2A
(Individual Activity)		 Census & Demographics Worksheet (Part 1)
Working with population figures.
Worksheet 2B
(Individual Activity)		 Census & Demographics Worksheet (Part 2)
Discovering the details in the Census data.
Worksheet 2C
(Group Activity)		 Your Own Notes/Thoughts about the Community
Facts & Figures An alternative worksheet.
Gathering impressions about your community. Instructions
Worksheet 3A
(Individuals or Pairs Activity)		 Walkabout
Worksheet 3B
(Group Activity)		 Your Own Notes/Thoughts about the Community
Working with data about the businesses in your community. Instructions
Worksheet 4A
(Individual Activity)		 The Business of Discovery
Gathering the details of your community's businesses.
Worksheet 4B
(Group/Team Activity)		 A business inventory using the Yellow Pages
and local newspapers..
Worksheet 4C
(Individual/Group Activity)		 Your Own Notes/Thoughts about the Community
The Telephone Book Study An alternative worksheet.
Printed Materials An alternative worksheet.
Working with Data about Groups in Your Community An expanded data collection guide.
Gathering information from the people in your community. Instructions
Worksheet 5A
(Group Activity)		 Focused Conversations Planning Sheet
Worksheet 5B
(Pairs Activity)		 Focused Conversations - Checklist
Worksheet 5C
(Pairs/Group Activity)		 Your Own Notes/Thoughts about the Community
Guide to Interviewing An expanded data collection guide.


Bibliography:

Assess Community Needs and Resources (http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/chapter_1003.htm)
A guide to community assessment including a detailed outline of questions to explore. This web page is one component of the Community Toolbox (http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/), University of Kansas.

Community analysis guides based on the Public Library Association's community scan recommendations from The New Planning for Results: A Streamlined Approach.

Community Engagement: Brief Overview of Data Collection Methods. Fact sheets regarding various data collection methods from the Minnesota Department of Health. [http://www.health.state.mn.us/communityeng/needs/needs.html]

"Community Analysis Methods and Evaluative Options: The CAMEO Handbook"
An alternate plan for analyzing your library community including worksheets and instructions for using them. [http://skyways.lib.ks.us/pathway/cameo/index.htm] This web site is being hosted by New Pathways in partnership with the Library of Virginia.

Evans, G. Edward. (2000). Information needs assessment. Developing Library and Information Center Collections. 4th Ed. Greenwood, CO: Libraries Unlimited. 31-68.

Finding trustees of the future: Library boards should mirror needs of the community. (1994, Spring). Texas Libraries. 55: 27.

Greer, Roger C. and Hale, Martha L. (1980). "Models Related to Community Analysis."

Guerera, S. (1990). Community analysis and needs assessment. Latino Librarianship: A Handbook for Professionals. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.

Hale, Martha L. (1991, November). "Suggestions for Data Collection for Community Analysis".

Keller, Shelly. (1996). The secret power of community connections. The Reference Librarian. 54:29-44.

Krasny, Michael (interviewer). "What is community?" Various "celebrities" offer their definitions of community. [http://www.motherjones.com/mother_jones/MJ94/krasny.html]

McCook, Kathleen de la Pena. (2000). A Place at the Table: Participating in Community Building. Chicago: American Library Association.

Pettigrew, Karen E.and Wilkinson, Margaret A. (1996, Oct.). Control of community information: An analysis of roles. The Library Quarterly. 66: 373-407.

Sarling, Jo Haight and Van Tassel, Debra S. (1999). Community analysis: Research that matters to a North-Central Denver community. Library and Information Research. 21(1): 7-29. (See also -- Community Analysis For Libraries and Librarians for a thorough overview and history of community analysis.) [http://skyways.lib.ks.us/pathway/ca_homepage.html]

Vavrek, B. (1995, January). Rural libraries and community development. Wilson Library Bulletin, 42-44.

Vital Communities.  Resources for Community Revitalization & Reinvention.  A project of the Davenport (IA) Public Library.  [http://www.vitalcommunities.com]

Witkin, B. R. and Alltschuld, J. W. (1995). Planning and Conducting Needs Assessments: A Practical Guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Zweizig, Douglas L. (1992). Community Analysis. In Keeping the Books: Public Library Financial Practices. Jane B. Robbins and Douglas L. Zweizig (Eds.) Fort Atkinson, WI: Highsmith Press. pp. 225-238.

Zweizig, D., Johnson, Wilcox, D. Wilcox, and Robbins, J. (1996). The TELL IT! Manual: The Complete Program for Evaluating Library Performance. Chicago: American Library Association.

Example: