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Chapter 3. Assessing Community Needs and Resources >
Section 4. Collecting Information About the Problem >
Collecting Information About the Problem |
Tools & Checklists | Contributed by Janette Nagy |
Tools
Tool #1
Determining the places to find information
In the first column of the table below, list all of the possible sources of information that you have brainstormed. In the next column, decide which you think is the best source of information, and put a one (1) beside it. Assign the second best a two (2), and so on, until you have ranked all of your sources. Do the same in the column labeled Number from easiest to most difficult, with one (1) being the source that will be easiest for you to find and use. Finally, in the last column, add up the numbers you have listed in each row. The source which has the lowest final value (lowest rank order) is the source you should start with, the source with the second lowest value should come second, and so on.
The first three rows give you an example of how to do this for an organization trying to preserve area wetlands. In this instance, the Environmental Protection Agency has the lowest value, so members might start there, and then move on to the local Greenpeace affiliate, and their reference librarian.
List Sources
| Best to Worst (1 = best) | | Easiest to Difficult (1 = easiest) | | Final Value |
| Reference Librarian | 3 | + | 2 | = | 5 |
| Environmental Protection Agency Web Page | 2 | + | 1 | = | 3 |
| Area Chapter of Greenpeace | 1 | + | 3 | = | 4 |
| | | + | | = | |
Checklist
Here, you'll find a checklist summarizing the major points contained in the text.
You understand why it is important to collect information about the problem:
__ To know the facts.
__ To be seen as a credible, effective organization.
__ Because awareness leads to change.
How do you collect this information?
__ Agree on the value and purpose of the information that you will collect.
__ Determine when you want to use this data.
__ Determine exactly what you want to know.
__ Determine who will find the information.
__ Identify possible sources of information.
__ Set limits as to how much data you want to collect.
__ Collect the data.
__ Identify gaps in your knowledge.
__ Redo the process to try to fill those gaps, or collect your own data.
__ Compare data for your community with that of others, or with national data.
Collecting new information:
__ Follow the steps above.
__ Identify the method that is best suited to your purposes.
__ Decide if you want to inform the public of what you are doing.
__ Train the people who will be collecting the data.
__ Report and use your findings.
Understand the limitations of the information:
__Obtain your data from enough people to make your results worthwhile.
__ Be sure your information is in context.