The Policy Guide Book
Client: Government of Nova Scotia

During my time as a Policy Analyst at the Government of Nova Scotia, I supported three Ministers by writing reports, briefing notes, and presentations that were read in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly and in front of the Finance and Treasury Board. These materials presented requests for amendments to legislation or regulations, or justified budget proposals.

Each of my reports passed through the House and Executive Council commented on the clarity, the quality of evidence, and the organization of submitted materials. Based on this success, the Executive Director asked me to write a Policy Guide Book that focused on writing techniques. It was used as the standardized submission guide for all Policy Analysts working in the department.

To supplement The Policy Guide Book, I also held a workshop to introduce Policy Analysts to writing techniques and templates for submissions to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.

To view The Policy Guide Book, please click on the image in the center column.

To view a PowerPoint presentation from my workshop, please click on the image in the far right column.

A Guide for Budget Assessment Strategies
Client: Columbia University

I was hired by Columbia University Libraries, a decentralized system of 22 individual library branches at Columbia University in the City of New York, to complete an ambition two-year study entitled The E-Book Program Development Study. The object was to identify how e-books were used by the campus community for research, teaching, and learning purposes. The results guided the standardization of collection development management practices, budgets, and assessment methods across the entire library system.

Within two years, I developed a new budget assessment framework the was used by publishing companies to develop e-book sales models. I also served as a team lead to 50 subject specialists, guiding them through a cost analysis project that resulted in a $250,000 savings in annual subscription prices. The savings were reinvested in the library collection to purchase new research materials.

Based on the success of the project, the American Library Association asked me to write a guide book that demonstrated how to make evidence-based budget decisions, identify usage trends, and calculate cost per use. The methods discussed use readily available data sources that promote sustainable assessment programs in all information management environments.

I also collaborated with the publishing company Elsevier to develop e-book subscription models inspired by the E-Book Program Development Study. In 2018, they asked me to speak at an international webinar focused on budget assessment strategies. The presentation, entitled Empower Collection Assessment Programs with Value on Investment Strategies, is available on the far right.