Assessing a Statewide Professional Development Effort

State library associations across the country spend a considerable amount of time and effort providing professional development events and activities for library staffs within their realm of influence. Most of the activities are assessed as to attendee satisfaction, venue attributes or speaker(s) effectiveness. Assessment activities related to these types of outcomes are typically aimed at providing satisfaction of effort for a very diverse set of employees with a wide range of interests. Making programming decisions based on these assessments is critical to receiving ongoing support for future and potential events and activities. This chapter covers techniques for assessing a range of professional development activities on a statewide level in order to plan effectively for future development opportunities and needs.