Morecroft, R., Third, A., Blanchard, M., Tracas, G., Sherman, J., Richards, H. & Kearney, E., 2017

This report prepared for The Alannah & Madeline Foundation, brings together the two waves of findings of the eSmart Libraries evaluation, undertaken between May 2014 and May 2017 by the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre (Young and Well CRC) and Western Sydney University. The evaluation engaged over 1000 library managers, staff, users and industry representatives, across 15 library services in surveys, interviews and focus groups. Findings highlighted the excellent progress the eSmart Libraries initiative is making in supporting library services to enhance the digital literacy and online safety of staff, users and the broader community. The eSmart Libraries initiative was found to support participating library services to better respond to and develop library users’ digital literacy and cybersafety needs. This was achieved through building management and staff confidence, introducing or improving internet access policy and procedures, delivering training and support to library users, and engaging more broadly in the community.