Asking Questions: 5 Practical Tips for Crafting Effective Evaluation Questions

This brief lightning talk was presented at the Medical Library Association's 2026 Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Evaluation is the systematic collection and analysis of information about the characteristics and outcomes of programs/projects. These analyses are then used as a basis for strategic decision-making, process improvement, current and future programming, etc. Evaluation happens in all areas of work. Librarians, whether consciously or not, are naturally inclined and likely to engage in evaluation activities in their day-to-day work. The purpose of this lightning talk is to guide attendees through practical recommendations on how to best craft evaluation questions that will help them get the information they need, in the most efficient way, in the context of their own work. Given the nature of the lightning talk, this presentation offers actionable tips for attendees to develop their own mental template on the key issues to focus on during the initial stages of their next evaluation process. This resource is supported by the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U24LM013751. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.