html5-img
1 / 10

An Assessment Case Study ( in progress ): Ross Pendergraft Library

An Assessment Case Study ( in progress ): Ross Pendergraft Library. Bill Parton, Director of Library Arkansas Tech University March 2, 2009. Assessment in Libraries ( a little history ). Inputs (books, bricks & mortar) – Size Matters Scholarly collections & status symbols

hillary-salas
Download Presentation

An Assessment Case Study ( in progress ): Ross Pendergraft Library

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. An Assessment Case Study(in progress):Ross Pendergraft Library Bill Parton, Director of Library Arkansas Tech University March 2, 2009

  2. Assessment in Libraries (a little history) • Inputs (books, bricks & mortar) – Size Matters • Scholarly collections & status symbols • The printing press & a publishing revolution • The “edifice complex” • Outputs (services) – Usage Matters • Loans • Reference & information assistance • Group/individual presentations & instruction • Outcomes – Impact Matters (but it is much harder to measure)

  3. Assessment in Tomlinson & Pendergraft Libraries • Statistics (inputs & outputs) • Collection size & growth; staff; hours open • Circulation; reference; interlibrary loan • Surveys • User satisfaction (annual, more or less) • Other Student & Faculty Feedback • Suggestions • Library Committee; SGA; Faculty Senate • Assessment Plans & Accreditation (2002-2008) • Used existing data-gathering & feedback mechanisms

  4. The Enlightenment • Assessment in Library Literature and at Conferences • ARL Library Assessment Conference • 1st held in September 2006 at University of Virginia • Grant from University Assessment Committee to attend 2nd • Held at University of Washington • 375 participants (2 AR universities represented) • Attitude Surprise • Not because we have to • A tool for continuous, systematic, data-driven improvement • Each institution’s approach reflects its uniqueness

  5. Obsessing About Assessing • Assessment Begins with Mission • “Do, a deer…” – start from the beginning • Entire Library full-time staff involved • The old mission statement • What is it we really do? Why are we here? • The New Mission Statement • … and a Statement of Core Values • The “how” and the “why” that informs the “what”

  6. How Do We Measure It? • Plan must (or should) be … • Mission-based • Data-driven • Systematic (objective process) & systemic (integrate) • Quantitative & Qualitative Measures • Start from the mission • Inputs & outputs that affect outcomes • The worksheet

  7. One Gantt Step… • The Plan • Identify all assessment activities • Order them logically • Add the dimension of time (i.e. one year) • The Gantt Chart

  8. The Survey • LibQUAL+ • What is it? • Should we or shouldn’t we? • The Old Becomes New • Library user satisfaction survey (revised edition) • Focus more on the comments/suggestions • … and who made them (try to understand context) • Follow-Ups • Focus groups? • Interviews?

  9. Sharing … and Looking Ahead • COLLIB-L • I offered to share • They accepted (over 70 to date) • Some counter-offered work or suggestions of their own • Something Wiki This Way Comes • What Now? • What’s missing? • How do we define success? Objective criteria? • Take the “Conversation” to a Higher Level • A culture of assessment … or a culture of analysis? • A continuous dialogue with (and among) our “customers” … and ourselves?

  10. Q & A Questions? Answers? Thank you! Bill Parton, Pendergraft 104 (479) 968-0417 wparton@atu.edu

More Related