Practical Library Assessment Stephen Spohn

About me Academic libraries University of Maryland - George Mason University - Northern Essex Community College - Atlanta University Center - Harrisburg University of Science and Technology NELINET/LYRASIS 2008 – Assessment - Accreditation - Focus Groups - Information Literacy - Learning Technologies - Operations Review - Strategic Planning – Surveys

Assessment now Your strategic and operational goals Your concerns Your accomplishments Your accountability { HINT: Start small! }

What are the 10 to 25 metrics that you should monitor regularly to track your progress?

Your assessment priorities Stewardship of Resources Effectiveness of Programs and Services Efficiency of Processes User Satisfaction ?

Make it useful Actionable data Identify trends Long-term

The right mix? OutcomesOutputsInputs

1. YOUR STAKEHOLDERS

Who are your key stakeholders? and How do they define success?

Key stakeholders Sponsors Partners Customers, users Staff Reviewers

Key stakeholders Sponsors – Board, mayor, provost, CEO Partners – Internal departments, external organizations, faculty Customers, users – Parents, children, faculty, students, researchers, scientists Staff – Professionals, nonprofessionals, managers, workers, leadership Reviewers – Accreditors, grant agencies, auditors

How do they define success? Expectations? Needs? Desires? How have these changed in light of trends in society, technology, etc.?

Ask them!

Your constituency research Define: – Primary and secondary stakeholders List: – Research methods for each Explore: – Available methods and tools Identify: – Gaps in your knowledge

2. YOUR PRIORITIES

SMART planning What are your strategic priorities? What are your operational priorities? What are your success metrics?

For each goal and program area What information will help you to: – Allocate resources most effectively – Recognize opportunities – Recognize problems – Demonstrate stewardship and effectiveness – Advocate for resources

Begin with questions Reference Services – Are library reference services still needed? – What new modes of reference service should we employ? – How is use of reference services tied to other program areas (e.g. instruction and outreach)?

Select data Reference transaction by mode of request Time of day Staffing levels, per librarian …

3. CONCERNS AND NEW INITIATIVES

Accountability, concerns and new initiatives What metrics are most critical to your sponsors? What are your major concerns about operations or usage trends? Which new initiatives represent significant organizational change?

4. YOUR DASHBOARD Build it. Promote it. Share it.

Your assessment priorities Stewardship of Resources Effectiveness of Programs and Services Efficiency of Processes User Satisfaction ?

Build momentum Regularly review and discuss your metrics at leadership meetings. Post your dashboard on your intranetandstaff gathering areas. Ask staff members to support requests for resources with data. Use your assessment program to promote the library.

Putting assessment to work Advocate for funding, facilities staff Celebrate success and recognize staff accomplishments Evaluate collaborators Demonstrate responsiveness to customers Demonstrate transparency; engage community Monitor and evaluate resource allocations

Thank you Stephen