Start at the End: Strategies for Actionable Assessment Results

The purpose of this chapter is to present a systematic and comprehensive review of the assessment and evaluation efforts of academic libraries in China. Generally, it is believed that theoretical research on academic library assessment and evaluation spurs corresponding practice. Holistic activities related to this include the integration of undergraduate teaching level evaluation and the promulgation of the System of Indicators of Academic Library Evaluation. These activities propel pertinent work in a general way, yet to some extent they lack operability. Specific standards and practice of assessment and evaluation of collections, service quality, and digital libraries, as well as the collection of assessment statistics, indicate that academic library evaluation focuses on the association/consortium, standardization, and the user. Problems in academic library assessment and evaluation in China at this stage include the absence of a standard evaluation system, an unrealistic assessor/evaluator structure, and an inappropriate preponderance of input indicators over output.

The purpose of this chapter is to present a systematic and comprehensive review of the assessment and evaluation efforts of academic libraries in China. Generally, it is believed that theoretical research on academic library assessment and evaluation spurs corresponding practice. Holistic activities related to this include the integration of undergraduate teaching level evaluation and the promulgation of the System of Indicators of Academic Library Evaluation. These activities propel pertinent work in a general way, yet to some extent they lack operability. Specific standards and practice of assessment and evaluation of collections, service quality, and digital libraries, as well as the collection of assessment statistics, indicate that academic library evaluation focuses on the association/consortium, standardization, and the user. Problems in academic library assessment and evaluation in China at this stage include the absence of a standard evaluation system, an unrealistic assessor/evaluator structure, and an inappropriate preponderance of input indicators over output.

Academic library assessment has grown as a field over the last 20 years. The pressures of increased competition over scarce resources and rapid technological changes have put pressures on academic libraries as they have on their parent institutions. In the midst of all the pressures and transformations lies a strong desire to be user-focused and responsive to the changing needs of faculty and students.

A Review of the Literature on Assessment in Academic and Research Libraries, 2005 to August 2011 Jon R. Hufford (bio) Introduction Assessment in United States higher education has become very important in recent years. Virtually all colleges and universities are now striving to prove through empirical evidence that they are committed to improving student learning. Created in late 2005, the US Department of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education was charged with the task of "developing a strategy for higher education to meet the needs of America's population and address the economic and workforce needs of the future."1 The Commission's final report, A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of United States Higher Education, makes several recommendations for reform and states in a summary that "improved accountability is vital to ensuring the success of all the other reforms we propose. Colleges and universities must become more transparent about cost, price, and student success outcomes, and must willingly share this information with students and families." Though the report was not an early wake-up call for assessment, since articles on the need and importance of assessment in higher education had been published in the literature before 2006,2 it was an important document on the topic from a political and administrative perspective and has had a significant impact on campuses across the nation. This is because, in response to the Commission's report, the regional accreditation organizations made changes in their standards, and these changes have been directly responsible for the trend toward assessment. As might be expected, some of the standards of several of these regional organizations relate to academic libraries and have changed the way they are assessed. This article reviews the literature on assessment in academic and research libraries that has been published since the Commission on the Future of Higher Education was created in 2005 and up until August 2011. Much has been written about assessment [End Page 5] over the years. The author felt that coverage of the literature of the most recent six years would include sources that would still be reasonably relevant for academic professionals in 2011. The author was also interested in providing an examination of the coverage since the Commission's report to disclose new developments, ideas, and directions in the assessment of academic and research libraries. Also, to offer a competent and manageable review of the literature, the article focuses on assessments concerned with the management or administration of libraries and their collections, public services, and issues or projects affecting more than one department within a library. Assessments in the acquisitions and technical services areas have been excluded. The author's goal was to treat the topic comprehensively. However, some sources were not considered significant enough to be included, and it is possible that other sources that perhaps should have been included were inadvertently left out. A representative selection of noteworthy older monographs and textbooks generally recognized for their contribution to academic and research library assessment has been included, along with a selection of publications on assessment in higher education that provides a more comprehensive perspective of the topic. Though the majority of the sources reviewed in this article were published in the United States and cover developments in the United States, some sources published in international or foreign publications that cover developments in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, or South Africa were included because they discuss developments similar to those taking place in American academic and research libraries and provide important insights into the topic. Assessment is often equated with evaluation. To education professionals, assessment occurs when a researcher wants to discover what a student knows or can do, while evaluation is used to determine the value of a course or program. Authors of books focused on academic and research libraries normally use evaluation when they discuss the measurement (or evaluation) of a library's operations and services. In The Measurement and Evaluation of Library Services, F.W. Lancaster explains in his definition of evaluation that it "consists of the comparison of performance with the objectives of the agency, in order to determine (a) whether there has been any change in performance for a...

Chapter 11 - Assessment and Evaluation in Academic Learning Environments

In the climate of increasing calls for academic assessment, the authors undertook a study to ascertain book availability in an academic library. The study described here uses the methodology pioneered by Tefko Saracevic, W. M. Shaw, Jr., and Paul Kantor and is a follow-up of earlier research reported in College & Research Libraries in 1987. The authors designed the study to identify any improvements in availability after the implementation of recommendations following the first study. The study provided a quantitative measure of library performance based upon the outcomes of card catalog searches. The research serves as a model for ongoing assessment in the library

PurposeThe present paper's purpose is to review the literature related to quality assessment and performance evaluation in academic libraries, whether empirical or theoretical, and to extract key issues. It aims to explore which criteria exert a significant relationship with the academic libraries' performance quality; identify a set of criteria that appears to be useful for assessing the quality of academic libraries ITBS; and use these criteria to develop an instrument or evaluation checklist for evaluating the quality of academic libraries ITBS.Design/methodology/approachRelated keywords such as “academic libraries research”, “academic libraries evaluation”, “academic libraries assessment” were searched on the web as well as some leading databases. In addition, available library resources as well as online book databases were consulted. Key issues were identified, categorized and discussed to develop the evaluation checklist suggested by the paper.FindingsA number of indicators have been developed and tested in quality assessment studies debated in the paper. The literature reveals that evaluating ITBS in academic libraries should be considered to a greater extent and thus, more evaluation studies on the basis of validated tools are needed.Research limitations/implicationsThe review does not claim to be comprehensive.Originality/valueThe paper can serve as a research roadmap concerning quality assessment of ITBS in academic libraries for researchers, managers, academic authorities and users.

PurposeAs libraries are required to become more accountable and demonstrate that they are meeting performance metrics, an assessment website can be a means for providing data for evidence-based decision making and an important indicator of how a library interacts with its constituents. The purpose of this paper is to share the results of a review of websites of academic libraries from four countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia and the USA.Design/methodology/approachThe academic library websites included in the sample were selected from the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, Research Libraries of the United Kingdom, Council of Australian University Libraries, Historically Black College & Universities Library Alliance, Association of Research Libraries and American Indian Higher Education Consortium. The websites were evaluated according to the absence or presence of nine predetermined characteristics related to assessment.FindingsIt was discovered that “one size does not fit all” and found several innovative ways institutions are listening to their constituents and making improvements to help users succeed in their academic studies, research and creative endeavors.Research limitations/implicationsOnly a sample of academic libraries from each of the four countries were analyzed. Additionally, some of the academic libraries were using password protected intranets unavailable for public access. The influences of institutional history and country-specific practices also became compelling factors during the analysis.Originality/valueThis paper seeks to broaden the factors for what is thought of as academic library assessment with the addition of qualitative and contextual considerations.

PurposeUsing the Association of Research Libraries' SPEC KIT 303 library assessment framework, this study examines and evaluates academic libraries' efforts toward establishing a culture of assessment.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative questionnaire is employed to collect data. The sample comprises 70 library staff working in eight academic libraries in public and private universities in Kuwait.FindingsThe findings document a readiness to create a culture of assessment in Kuwaiti academic libraries, though this was greater in private universities. Resources to develop this culture, such as assessment and analysis methods and the requisite skills and knowledge, are available, but commitment from academic leaders and plans for a shift toward culture of assessment were not evident. Overall, participating academic library staff acknowledged the value of developing a culture of assessment, but this seems not to be an institutional priorityPractical implicationsThe methodology and findings address gaps in library and information science education and library management on creating a culture of assessment and suggest future research avenues.Originality/valueLibrary assessment is a core function of libraries, but guaranteeing the continuity and consistency of related activities requires an organizational culture that facilitates and supports such assessment. While many articles have focused on the requisites for building a culture of assessment in higher education, few, if any, have assessed academic libraries in the cultural context of the Middle East.

Two studies sponsored by the Digital Library Federation (DLF) aimed to discover the assessment practices, priorities, and concerns of academic libraries, and to propose next steps for addressing significant unresolved issues. One study surveyed and convened selected library directors to discern their priority assessment needs and design research to meet the most critical unmet need. The outcome of this study was a survey of how students and faculty perceive and use the entire information landscape. The second study examined the assessment practices and concerns of leading digital libraries. The problems identified indicate that current assessment efforts are often inefficient and ineffective because of inadequate skills, poor planning, cumbersome governance, and a fundamental frame of reference ill‐suited to assessment. Libraries urgently need to synthesize and disseminate what they have learned from experience, organize assessment as a core activity, and audit and modify the beliefs, behaviours, and assumptions operating within their organization.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advocate for change in academic library space assessment and use philosophy in favor of a more user-centered approach emphasizing space designed for and by users themselves. This goal is achieved by analyzing the implementation of a recent space assessment project at the University of Northern Colorado Libraries to investigate specific patterns of library space utilization. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a case study for which data were collected through a multi-method approach, including flip chart and whiteboard questions, brief semi-structured “tabling” interviews, and more in-depth “roving” interviews. Findings The current library literature on space assessment does not encompass broader, more holistic approaches to how library space is used by students, faculty, staff and community users. The findings from this study highlight the diversity of ways patrons may use an academic library, many of which are related to academic work. However, visitors also come to the library for other purposes, such as socializing or attending an event. It is imperative that the space be adequately equipped to meet varied visitor needs and to create a welcoming environment for all patrons. Originality/value The paper has several implications for planning and managing the operations of medium-sized academic libraries. It contributes to the larger conversation in higher education about the importance of user research for enhancing visitor experience through data-informed decision-making. Furthermore, the project it details is not an isolated assessment effort but part of the library’s ongoing space assessment work.

In the busy world of academic research library assessment work, can simple and easy-to-use outcome-based assessment tools contribute in meaningful and actionable ways to library decision-making? This was the question at the center of a project conducted by staff in the Iowa State University (ISU) Library’s Assessment and Planning unit as part of the library’s participation in the ARL Research Library Impact Framework initiative. The ISU project was done in support of the ARL research question, “How do library spaces facilitate innovative research, creative thinking, and problem-solving?” The ISU research project was based on the use of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Project Outcome for Academic Libraries survey tool. In the ISU project, data was collected and analyzed using the Project Outcome spaces survey, once every semester, from the fall of 2018 through the fall of 2021. The ISU project was designed to identify benefits of the Project Outcome survey through the hands-on use of the Project Outcome tool kit and to share those findings. This practice brief also provides information on how to use Project Outcome. A goal of the project was to support and encourage other ARL libraries in their own use of the Project Outcome resources.

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Academic libraries must demonstrate empirically that library usage does contribute positively to student academic performance and, thereby, to the university’s effectiveness. While customary academic library assessment practices may not be sufficient for this purpose, the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) Library undertook an experimental project, which intended to establish a mathematical correlation between student library material usage and their cumulative grade point average (GPA). Taking 2007 to 2009 graduates as samples, with 8,701 pairs of data, the HKBU Library was able to demonstrate its impact on student learning outcomes.

Academic research library assessment activities, with a focus on the nature of library self-evaluations and reports