Abstract
Improvement of academic library services as an outcome of continuous assessment is an aim of libraries of higher education institutions. Academic libraries are realizing the need to document evidence of their value to the institutions and the patrons they serve. Publications that include assessment research are reaching library decision makers, who seek to apply evidence to improve services or implement best practices that benefit all stakeholders. Following two previous studies that reported longitudinally on front-line library services, this paper investigates current five-year trending of three prestigious academic library journals in the publication of assessment studies. Data for this study were drawn through a content analysis process, in which the investigators selected studies for inclusion using a set of criteria developed in a pilot exercise. After individually examining 649 research articles, published between 2012 and 2016, 126 met the study’s selection criteria and were categorized according to the type of service they studied. Papers on information literacy instruction dominated, while reference services, technology, and general assessment studies saw less representation in the three journals. This finding reflects the priority placed upon information literacy instruction and describes how three American library journals are responding to current trends across academic libraries.
Highlights
Academic libraries within institutions of higher education can offer an impressive array of front-line services, inclusive of reference, instruction, and computer technology, but they are moving toward futuristic, leading-edge services and offerings, such as big data curation, digitalization, makerspaces, and scholarly communications services, to name a few
Hernon and Dugan describe the rationale for studying service quality and patron satisfaction: Either service quality or satisfaction can be an end in itself; each is worthy of examination as a framework for evaluating library services from a customer’s or user’s perspective
The finalized criteria for examination were comprised of the following components: publication dates 2012–2016; empirical studies; satisfaction assessment studies of academic libraries; and studies specific to information literacy instruction, reference, and technologies used in academic libraries
Summary
Academic libraries within institutions of higher education can offer an impressive array of front-line services, inclusive of reference, instruction, and computer technology, but they are moving toward futuristic, leading-edge services and offerings, such as big data curation, digitalization, makerspaces, and scholarly communications services, to name a few. How library patrons use the services and resources of their home institution, and patrons’ satisfaction with them, have been a documented concern for library decision-makers. Service and resource assessments provide library decision-makers evidence as they strive to make improvements, and when assessment studies are published, the knowledge base for them is expanded. Hernon and Dugan describe the rationale for studying service quality and patron satisfaction: Either service quality or satisfaction can be an end in itself; each is worthy of examination as a framework for evaluating library services from a customer’s or user’s perspective.
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