Demonstrating value with

evidence

Denise Koufogiannakis

University of Alberta

October 15, 2015

Canadian Library Assessment Workshop

Library assessment

“…any activities that seek to measure the

library’s impact on teaching, learning, and

research, as well as initiatives that seek to

identify user needs or gauge user perceptions

or satisfaction. The overall goal is data‐ based

and user‐centered continuous improvement of

library collections and services.”

(M. Kyrillidou & P. Ryan, 2006)

“The Network is the

center rather than

any physical place.”

(L. Dempsey)

ACRL Top Trends in Academic Libraries (2014)

• data

• device neutral digital services

• evolving openness in higher education

• student success initiatives

• competency-based learning

• altmetrics

• digital humanities

http://crln.acrl.org/content/75/6/294.full

“I see assessment as having two

(not mutually exclusive) goals: one,

to inform decision-making for

quality improvement to anticipate

and meet users’ needs, and two, to

demonstrate impact or value.”

(L. Kloda, Brain-Work blog post, 2015)

Contributions of library and information services

1. selecting appropriate organizational goals that are meaningful in a

specific setting

2. linking LIS contributions to organizational goals

3. obtaining data from users on the correspondence between LIS

contributions and LIS services

4. selecting measures for LIS services

5. collecting and analyzing data for the selected measures

6. planning and sustaining communication with administrators about LIS

contributions

7. evaluating findings and revising selected goals, contribution, and

services as necessary

(Abels, Cogdill, & Zach, 2004)

Evidence based library and

information practice

EBLIP process

“Wisdom means acting with

knowledge while doubting

what you know.”

Jeffrey Pfeffer & Robert I. Sutton

Thank you!

References

Abels, E.G., Cogdill, K.W., & Zach, L. (2004). Identifying and communicating the contributions of library and information

services in hospitals and academic health sciences centres. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 92(1): 46-55.

ACRL top trends in academic libraries (2014). ttp://crln.acrl.org/content/75/6/294.full

Assessment in Action http://www.ala.org/acrl/AiA

Dempsey, L. (2009). In: Journal of Library Administration, 49: 245-260.

Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., and Freeman, A. (2015). NMC Horizon Report: 2015 Higher Education Edition.

Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., and Freeman, A. (2015). NMC Horizon Report: 2015 Library Edition. Austin,

Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Kloda, L. (2015). Assessment and evidence based library and information practice. Brain-Work blog.

http://words.usask.ca/ceblipblog/2015/06/16/assessment-and-evidence-based-library-and-information-practice/

Kyrillidou, M. & Ryan, P. (2006). http://libraryassessment.info/?page_id=7

Library Value Calculator http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/advocacyuniversity/toolkit/makingthecase/library_calculator

Ryan, P. (2006). EBL and library assessment: Two solitudes? Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 1(4): 77-80.