The Library Assessment Cookbook

Description

Assessment examines how library services and resources impact and are perceived by users, and guides strategic planning discussions and development of future acquisitions and services. Assessment is fundamental to positioning your library within your organization and effectively demonstrating how it furthers your institution's goals. And it can be more of an art than a science, using the qualitative and quantitative data available to you to show your library's alignment with the needs and mission of your organization. The Library Assessment Cookbook features 80 practical, easy-to-implement recipes divided into nine sections: Data Preparation for Assessments Traditional and Online Collections Assessments Instruction Programs Assessments Outreach and Programming Assessment Assessments Assessment Strategic Planning Assessment Service Points and Services Assessment Equipment, Building, and Space Assessment Website and Web Services Assessment This Cookbook will help librarians of all levels of experience measure and demonstrate their institutional value. Table of Contents Acknowledgements Preface Section 1. Data Preparation for Assessment Kitchen Prep: Getting Ready for Library Assessment Creating a Statistics Report Using Ingredients Already in the Library Using Student GPA to Show the “Nutritional Value” of a Library Service Boiling Down Qualitative Data to Build Personas that Inform Spaces, Services, and Technologies “Stocking the Larder”: Recruiting for Focus Groups and Other Small Group Assessments Making Project Management Planning and Assessment Planning a Piece of Cake Professional Development Assessment Paella Section 2. Traditional and Online Collections Assessment Creating a Framework for Comprehensive Collection Assessment Exploratory Collection Assessment: The Subject Snapshot Recipe for Collection Assessment: Mixing Together Key Ingredients to Make a Roux Potluck Surprise: Assessing Donated Materials Using Required Readings from Course Syllabi to Show Library Value and Assess the Collection MAPing Collection Use: Using Massive Analysis Projects for Collections Analysis Using Baskets and a Rubric to Assess Online Resources in the “Messy Middle” Annual Database (or General Resource) Evaluation Harvested IR Metadata Gumbo Fad Food or Family Tradition?: Assessing Digital Projects for Long-Term Value Rendering Repositories: Taking out the Fat and Getting to the Impact Flavoring Your E-Resources Collection: The Spice Rack Assessment Open Access Citation Analysis Tower Cakes for Ranking Subscription Resources Section 3. Instruction Programs Assessment Measuring the Ingredients of a Good Bibliography: A Recipe for Citation Analysis Open-Faced Formative Assessment Cooking with Information Resources in the Online Kitchen Lazy Susan: A Continuous Improvement Cycle of Learning and Assessment Information Literacy Assessment Entrée: Using a Reflective Essay to Assess Course Learning Outcomes PROTEIN (Peer Review of Teaching: Evaluative Instruction Networks) Supplements for Librarians The Library Rally Rubrics as a Method for Assessing & Improving Library Instruction Slow-Cooked Rubric: Designing and Using a Rubric to Assess Undergraduate Final Papers Cooking up Rubrics to Assess Student Learning How Much Do Good Cooking Methods Affect the Quality of the Meal? Library Tour Taste Test Word Soup: Using Word Clouds to Assess the One-Minute Paper Creating Connoisseurs: Assessing Students’ Ability to Evaluate Websites Assessment Layer Cake Section 4. Outreach and Programming Assessment Shopping for Kitchen Implements? How to Decide If a Library Program is Useful, Usable, and Desirable Assessing an Event: Mixin’ It Up with the Long Night Against Procrastination Measuring the Success of Library Outreach to First-Year Student Athletes Planning the Perfect Party: Data for Dessert! Section 5. Assessments Assessment Rubrics and Rutabagas: Only One is Useful for Assessing Staff During Evaluations Cooking Times May Vary: Assessing Student Workflows in the Stacks Stop Folding the Dough: Intervening to Decide Whether or Not to Assess Again Recipe for Success: Add a Personal SWOT Analysis to Any Assessment Project Section 6. Strategic Planning Assessment Two Birds with One Stone: Using a Survey to Get Employee Feedback and to Educate in the Strategic Planning Process Strategic Stress Test: Aligning Programs and Services with a Strategic Plan Chicken Soup for Digital Scholarship: Assessing Your Next Steps Section 7. Service Points and Services Assessment Service Desk Activity Burrito Who’s at Your Table? Planning for Success through Community Engagement Survey System for Measuring Library Outcomes Academic Libraries: The Breakfast of Student Champions If We Prepare It, Will They Come Back for More? Methods Mash Service Assessment with a Side of Secret Shoppers Healthy Chat Reference Assessment with a Side of Zesty Infographs Reference Referral Training Stew: The Perfect Assessment Mix Deconstructing Reference Statistics The Secret Ingredient: Mystery Shopping Your Service Points The Missing Piece: Assessing Implementation Fidelity Patron for a Day (PFAD): A Space Assessment An Assessment Rubric Inspired by The Four Seasons® Section 8. Equipment, Building, and Space Assessment Learning Space Ethnography Study: Observe Students in the Library to Inform Service and Resource Design Ethnography Study Recipe A: Seating Sweeps Ethnography Study Recipe B: Field Observations Ethnography Study Recipe C: Interviews Ethnography Study Recipe D: Computer-Use Reports Ethnography Study Recipe E: User Survey Ethnography Study Recipe F: Questions Addressed to Reference Desks Ethnography Study Recipe G: Google Analytics Interview to the Double: Uncovering Student Motivations in the Library Flipchart Surveys Space Invaders: Measuring Use and Satisfaction Through Mixed Methods Assessing Student Learning Behaviors in Informal Learning Spaces Culinary Snapshots: Assessing International Student Needs Through Photographs Don’t Just Count ‘em, Sweep ‘em! Library Space Cake Decorating the Library Cake: A Space Utilization Study Section 9. Website and Web Services Assessment Add WebAIM and Stir: Assessing Web Accessibility for Users with Disabilities Easy (No-Bake) Online Card Sorting But This is for the Library: Best Practices for Usability Testing and Library Website Design Hear the People Sing: Communicating Usability Results to a Large Library Audience Farm to Table: A Recipe for Website Usability Testing on a Budget Assessing Your Library Website with Usability Testing Order Takeout: Virtual Usability Testing to Meet Your Users Where They Are Lean Usability Testing for Healthy Website Assessment Simple Usability Stir Fry Standards Referenced