Assessment: Research in Context

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Assessment Research in Context

• Allison Sivak
• University of Alberta Libraries
• June 13, 2008

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Why Assessment?

• Value of user-centred service
• Gap between library staff perceptions and users
  perceptions
• Library language
• Assumptions of what users need or want
• Need for evidence-based decision making
• Resource allocation
• Justification to funders / parent institutions
• Tracking trends for planning purposes

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Starting Definitions

• Assessment is
• A critical tool for understanding library
  customers and offering services, spaces,
  collections, and tools that best meet their
  needs. Without good assessment, libraries could
  lose touch with users desires and needs and even
  become irrelevant. Nardini, 2001
• A Culture of Assessment is
• ..an environment where decisions are based on
  facts, research and analysis, and services are
  planned and delivered in order to maximize
  positive outcomes and impacts for the library
  clients. Culture of assessment is an integral
  part of the process of change and the creation of
  a customer-centred culture. Lakos, 1998

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Assessment Challenges

• Gathering meaningful data
• Acquiring methodological skills
• Managing assessment data
• Organizing assessment as a core activity
• Interpreting data within the context of user
  behaviors and constraints
• Troll Covey, 2002

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Elements of a Culture of Assessment

• Administration and Planning
• The Librarys mission, planning, and policies are
  focused externally on supporting the customers
  need for access to information
• How Library performance will be measured is
  included in organizational planning documents
• Administration commits to and supports assessment
  activities and organizational responsibility for
  assessment is explicit
• Ryan, 2006

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Elements of a Culture of Assessment

• Service Evaluation and Development
• Services, programs and products are evaluated for
  their quality and impact (outcome)
• Continuous communication with customers is
  maintained through needs assessment, quality
  outcome and satisfaction measurements.
• Relevant data and user feedback is routinely
  collected, analyzed, and used to set priorities,
  allocate resources and make decisions
• Units within the Library have defined their
  critical processes and established measures of
  success from the customer point of view
• Ryan, 2006

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Elements of a Culture of Assessment

• Staff Engagement (EBP)
• Staff recognize the value of assessment and
  engage in assessment as part of their regular
  assignments and is formalized in job descriptions
• On-going staff development in how to do effective
  assessment and measurement of results is provided
  and supported
• Staff are supported to continuously improve their
  capability to serve customers and are rewarded
  for this
• Ryan, 2006

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Major Trends

• Appetite for electronic access constantly
  increasing
• Access and content are the same thing
• Expectation that electronic access searching is
  easy and reliable
• I need it, now is when I want it, as easy and as
  quickly as possible, by myself, from wherever I
  am
• Library space solution a challenge of conflicting
  expectations not yet solved
• ILL service a problem with GSs, declining issue
  with UGs (specificity vs. satisficing?)
• Inconsistencies in customer service noticed and
  noted

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How Weve Responded

• Strong focus on improving electronic access
• Proxy server replaced with seamless remote access
• Link resolver
• Aggressive e-collection development
• Hours
• Study space zoning
• Space planning and renovation
• Customer Service Standards
• Notifications / request services
• User-initiated online holds, recalls, renewal
• Retrieve and send material to library of choice
• Single Service Model
• Follow-up studies web experience testing,
  collections data, e-books survey, faculty
  /partnership investigation, resource guides
• Ryan, 2006

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What LibQUAL Has Done for Us

• Tool that provides broad view of users
  perceptions in 3 major areas
• Catalyst for user-centred change and progress to
  a culture of assessment
• Focus on users via actionable data systematically
  collected from our users
• High profile in capturing user feedback and
  viewed as responsive to user needs
• Library staff know that changes will be made
  based on our users needs and preferences
• Help us focus other assessment efforts based on
  areas of greatest concern to our users
• Ryan, 2006

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Questions?

• allison.sivak_at_ualberta.ca
• 492.7324