Action Plan for Outcomes Assessment in Your Library

by Peter Hernon

Overview

This book will help you to not only answer this question, but also prove your findings. Walking you through the process of assessing if and how well students and library users are learning from educational resources, two expert academic library experts team up to provide An Action Plan for Outcomes Assessment in Your Library.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780838908136
Publisher:	American Library Association
Publication date:	11/01/2001
Series:	Service Quality Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Peter Hernon is a professor emeritus at Simmons College, Boston, and was the principal (and founding) faculty member for the doctoral program, Managerial Leadership in the Information Professions. He received his PhD degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, and was the 2008 recipient of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ award for Academic/Research Librarian of the Year, the founding editor of Government Information Quarterly, and past editor-in- chief of The Journal of Academic Librarianship. He is the coeditor of Library & Information Science Research and has taught, conducted workshops, and delivered addresses in eleven countries outside the United States. He is the author or co-author of 57 books, including the award-winning Federal Information Policies in the 1980s (1985) and Viewing Library Metrics from Different Perspectives (2009).

Robert E. Dugan is the dean of libraries at the University of West Florida (Pensacola, FL). Prior to assuming this position, he had been at Suffolk University, Boston; Wesley College, Dover, DE; and Georgetown University, Washington, DC. He has also worked in state and public libraries during his nearly 40-year career. He is the coauthor of eleven books, including Viewing Library Metrics from Different Perspectives.

Table of Contents

	Figures	vii
	Preface	ix
	Acknowledgments	xi
1	A New Day Is Here	1
	Accountability	1
	Terminology	2
	Regional Accrediting Agencies and Assessment Requirements	4
	Regional Accrediting Agency's Standards Applied to Academic Libraries	11
2	Assessment Plans, Reports, and Guides in Institutions of Higher Education	18
	Guides Developed by Institutions to Assist in Assessment Planning	18
	Assessment Plans and Reports	21
	Academic Libraries and University Assessment Planning	24
3	Developing an Assessment Plan for Measuring Student Learning Outcomes	29
	Recognizing the Need for an Assessment Plan for Student Learning Outcomes	29
	Identifying the Processes and Components of an Assessment Plan for Student Learning Outcomes	33
	Creating the First Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan for the Sawyer Library	35
	Creating the First Faculty Support Outcomes Assessment Plan for the Sawyer Library	38
4	Information Literacy Assessment Efforts of Some Academic Libraries	43
	Some Libraries Accepting the Call for Assessment	44
	Examples of Assessment Plans for University Libraries	48
5	Moving Public Libraries toward Outcomes Assessment	56
	Accountability	56
	Performance Measures and Standards	58
	Outputs to Outcomes: What Will Be Different for the User?	60
6	Outcomes as a Type of Assessment	64
	Outcomes Defined	66
	Not Limiting Outcomes to Students	68
	The Balanced Scorecard	68
	Measures	69
	Phrasing Outcomes	71
	Distinguishing between Objectives and Outcomes	72
	Some Ways to Explore Outcomes	73
	Public Library Outcomes	74
	Best Practices	77
	Assessment Plan	77
7	The Research Process	80
Stage 1	Reflective Inquiry	81
Stage 2	Procedures	86
Stage 3	Data Collection, Analysis, and Interpretation	98
Stage 4	Presentation of Findings and Use of the Data Collected	99
8	Evidence Demonstrating the Achievement of Outcomes	101
	Often-Used Measures (but Not outcomes)	102
	Easy-to-Gather Indicators	102
	Higher Order and Lower Order Outcomes	103
	Data Collection	104
	Illustrations of the Choice of Methods	111
	Preparing to Use the Data Collected	115
9	Service Quality and Satisfaction	119
	Service Quality	121
	Satisfaction	128
	Conducting a Service Quality or Satisfaction Study	128
10	Making a Commitment to Accountability and Learning Outcomes Assessment	133
	Learning Assessment--an Imperfect Science	135
	What Will Be Good Enough?	135
	The Need to Clarify Terminology	136
	Setting Priorities	137
	A Taxonomy of Faculty and Library Relationships	137
	Public Libraries and Assessment	138
	A Challenge	139
	Appendixes
A.	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, 1998 Criteria for Accreditation, Section V: Educational Support Services	141
B.	Mildred F. Sawyer Library Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan for Information Literacy	143
C.	Mildred F. Sawyer Library Faculty Support Outcomes Assessment Plan	147
D.	Information Literacy	149
E.	1999-2000 Freshmen Pre/Posttest from the Daniel Library, The Citadel	151
F.	2000-2001 Freshmen Pre/Posttest from the Daniel Library, The Citadel	153
G.	History 203, Student Research Survey from the Daniel Library, The Citadel	155
H.	Information Literacy Standards, Performance Indicators, and Outcomes	157
I.	Example of Research Components	161
J.	Enhancing Skills through Technology: A Project for Advanced Accounting Students	170
	Some Recommended Resources	183
	Index	189

Editorial Reviews

Anyone planning to write grant proposals must understand outcome-assessment strategies. The authors feel that much of the literature on learning, research, and operational outcomes assessment is "outside the realm of library and information science." Data-collection methods, adaptable to local needs, are included. There are some splendid questions raised by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation standards. "How does the institution ensure that its members develop the critical information literacy skills needed to locate, evaluate, and responsibly use information? How does it utilize the special skills of information professionals to support teaching, learning, and information technology planning?" The chapter on "Service Quality and Satisfaction" begins with a quotation from Danuta A. Nitecki from the Journal of Academic Librarianship: "A measure of library quality based solely on collections has become obsolete." This reinforces a core value of the Information Power philosophy. Appendixes include criteria for accreditation from Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Student Learning Outcomes, Information Literacy definitions, and other research components. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

With an emphasis on user satisfaction, this guide for research and college librarians describes data collection methods for measuring both learning and research outcomes. The text is based largely upon case studies of outcomes assessment programs. Coverage extends to the policies of major accrediting bodies for higher education, guidelines developed by the Association for Research and College Libraries, and the application of these assessment methods to public libraries. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews