The 2008 Library Assessment Conference: Building Effective, Sustainable, Practical Assessment took place from August 4-7, 2008, on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle. Interest in library assessment continues to grow and we were immensely gratified to see an increase in the number of registrants from 220 at the 2006 Conference in Charlottesville to 380 in Seattle! Indeed, participants were a part of the largest library assessment conference ever held—coming from 43 US states and Puerto Rico, 6 Canadian provinces, and 4 continents outside North America.
The exhilarating program included four days of presentations, workshops, engaging speakers, poster sessions, and many opportunities for informal discussion. Of course, the conference would not be possible without the contributions of our speakers, presenters and workshop leaders.
Among the conference highlights were:
-- an opening keynote session featuring three University Librarians who are known for their forward looking and challenging perspectives: Betsy Wilson (U. of Washington), Rick Luce (Emory), Susan Gibbons (Rochester);
-- a plenary session on evaluating quality with Paul Gregutt, noted Northwest wine author and columnist;
-- the conference reception set in the stunning Olympic Sculpture Park against the backdrop of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains;
-- and career recognition awards to three pioneers in library assessment: Amos Lakos, Shelley Phipps, and Duane Webster.
We view participants’ commitment to library assessment as critical to the process of demonstrating the impact and connection of the library to the research, teaching, and learning process. One of our primary goals has been to nurture and grow a library assessment community that serves as a catalyst and supports libraries in evaluating and measuring their contributions to the broader organization. This volume is testimony to the growth of that community and the diverse approaches used effectively in library assessment.
Print or CD-ROM copies of the 2008 Library Assessment Conference Proceedings are available for purchase from ARL Publications for $150. Or download a PDF of the published 2008 proceedings (NOTE: due to the large file size, 26MB PDF, it may take a few minutes to properly download).
See below for selected PowerPoint presentations, posters, and other materials available online.
Finally, we express our deep appreciation to the sponsoring organizations—Association of Research Libraries, University of Virginia Library, and the University of Washington Libraries—for their unstinting commitment to and support of assessment and this conference.
We look forward to seeing the community gather together again in 2010.
Best regards,
Steve Hiller, University of Washington, Conference Co-Chair
Martha Kyrillidou, Association of Research Libraries, Conference Co-Chair
Jim Self, University of Virginia, Conference Co-Chair
And the rest of the 2008 Conference Planning Committee:
Colleen Cook, Texas A&M University
Francine DeFranco, University of Connecticut
Margaret Martin Gardiner, University of Western Ontario
Debra Gilchrist, Pierce College
Irene Hoffman, OCLC Eastern
Kristina Justh, Association of Research Libraries
Megan Oakleaf, Syracuse University
Joan Stein, Carnegie Mellon University
Stephen Town, University of York
Stephanie Wright, University of Washington
Printable materials:
Full conference program
Detailed schedule listing
Program at a Glance
Poster abstracts
Poster presentations
Monday |
August 4 |
|
9–9:15am |
Welcome & Opening |
|
9:15–10:30am |
Plenary Session I: The Most Important Challenge for Library Assessment |
|
11am–12pm |
Keynote Follow-up Discussion |
|
1–2:30pm |
Parallel Session #1 E-Metrics (West Ballroom) Measuring the Impact of Networked Electronic Services (MINES for Libraries®): Developing an Assessment Infrastructure for Libraries, State, and Other Types of Consortia Building Frameworks of Organizational Intelligence: An Analysis of Present and Future Data Farm Strategies at the Penn Libraries Place (Room 310) LibQUAL+® and the Evolution of “Library as Place” at Radford University, 2001-2007 Using Evidence for Space Planning Wayfinding Revisited: Improved Techniques for Solving Usability Problems in Physical Spaces (11MB) Methods (Room 200) Under New Management—Developing a Library Assessment Program at a Small Public University In Our Visitors’ Footsteps: Using a “Visitor Experience” Project to Assess Services and Facilities at the Library of Virginia (44MB) Standardized Survey Tools for Assessment in Archives and Special Collections |
|
3–4pm |
Parallel Session #2 Information Literacy I (West Ballroom) Assessing Information Competence of Students Using iSkills&trade: A Commercially-available, Standardized Instrument Measuring Student Information Literacy Learning Outcomes: Using the Program Review Process to Gather Evidence of Learning Assessment in LIS Ed (Room 310) Covering Assessment in LIS Education Collections (Room 200) Use and Non-use of Choice-reviewed Titles: A Comparison between Undergraduate and Research Libraries Strategy and Leadership in the Transition Away from Print |
|
4–5pm |
Plenary Session II: Evaluating Quality |
|
5–5:30pm |
Wine Reception & Book Signing |
|
5:30–7pm |
Poster Reception
East Ballroom |
|
Tuesday |
August 5 |
|
9–10:30am |
Parallel Session #3 Management Information (West Ballroom) Assessment-based Strategies for Building Connections with Academic Departments Expenditures-Focused Index (EFI) Based on the ARL Statistics: Why Is It Important? Evidence-based Management: Assess to Plan to Budget to Action Information Literacy II (East Ballroom) Assessment Cycle or Circular File: Do Academic Librarians Use Information Literacy Assessment Data? Voices of Authentic Assessment: Stakeholder Experiences Implementing Authentic Information Literacy Assessments Qualitative Methods (Room 200) Personas and a User-centered Visioning Process Patterns of Culture: Re-aligning Library Culture to Meet User Needs Mixing Methods, Bridging Gaps: An Ethnographic Approach to Understanding Students |
|
11–12:30pm |
Parallel Session #4 Organizational Culture I (West Ballroom) Employees as Customers Judging Quality: Enhancing Employee Assessment Toward Transformation: Using Staff Reflections on Organizational Goals, Culture and Leadership for Organizational Assessment and Development Keeping a Finger on the Organisational Pulse: Surveying Staff Satisfaction in Times of Change Data into Outcomes (East Ballroom) Assessment for Impact: Turning Data into Tangible Results What If We Don’t Provide the Computers?: Assessment for Reduction Turning Results into Action: Using Assessment Information to Improve Library Performance Statistical Data (Room 200) Adding Context to Academic Library Assessment: Using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System for Institutional and Comparative Statistics Asian Library Statistics: A Pilot Project Making Incremental Improvements to Public Library Comparative Statistical Practices |
|
1:30–3pm |
Parallel Session #5 Impact/Evaluation (West Ballroom) A Meta-assessment of Statewide Program Evaluations: Matching Evaluation Methods to Program Goals Library Assessment: Changing Roles for the Academic Library in Support of Academic Research Evaluation Student Research Behavior: Quantitative and Qualitative Research Findings Presented with Visualizations LibQUAL+® (East Ballroom) LibQUAL+® Lite: A New Model for Conducting Service Quality Assessments That Both Minimizes Demands on Users and Maximizes Response Rates Does Size Matter? The Effect of Resource Base Size on Faculty Service Quality Perceptions in Academic Libraries Bench-marking on a National Scale: The 2007 LibQUAL+® Canada Experience Organizational Culture II (Room 200) Keeping Assessment Results on the Radar: Responsibility for Action Collaborative Design and Assessment: Learning ‘With and For’ Users Creating a Culture of Assessment: Cascadia Community College Student and Faculty Focus Groups |
|
3:30–4:30pm |
Plenary Session III: Reflections on Library Assessment: A Conversation with Duane Webster, Amos Lakos, and Shelley Phipps | |
6:15–9pm |
Conference Reception, Olympic Sculpture Park |
|
Wednesday |
August 6 |
|
9am–10:30am |
Parallel Session #6 Reference (West Ballroom) Using the READ Scale (Reference Effort Assessment Data): Qualitative Statistics for Meaningful Reference Assessment (separate slides below) Systematic Quantitative and Qualitative Reference Transaction Assessment: An Approach for Service Improvements Evaluation Metrics (East Ballroom) Conceptual Context for Expanding the Discussion of Evaluation Metrics for Libraries Building a Resource for Practical Assessment: Adding Value to Value and Impact Planning to Action (Room 200) From Data to Action: Setting Goals to Respond to Customer Wants and Needs Integrating Assessment and Planning: A Path to Improved Library Effectiveness Making a Difference: From Strategic Plan to Business Plan |
|
11am–12:30pm |
Parallel Session #7 LibQUAL+® Comments (West Ballroom) Analyzing LibQUAL+® Comments Using Excel: An Accessible Tool for Engaging Discussion and Action Are They Really That Different?: Identifying Needs and Priorities Across User Groups and Disciplines at the University of Notre Dame through LibQUAL+® Comments Examining the Overlooked: Comments from Incomplete 2007 LibQUAL+® Survey Responses Getting Started: Applying Atlas.ti and NESSTAR to the LibQUAL+® Results at UBC Library Usability (East Ballroom) Outsourcing Functional Web Usability: A Practical Approach to Effective Web Enhancements Improving User Experience If They Build It, Will They Come?: A Qualitative Study Using Participatory Design Feedback for Inclusion in a New Library Home Page Measuring the Effectiveness of Facets in the Next Generation OPAC Information Literacy III (Room 200) Information Competence Assessment Using First Year and Upper Division Writing Samples Library Instruction Assessment Made Easy: Practical Tips to Get You Started with Little Training, Money, or Time |
|
2–3pm |
Parallel Session #8 Digital Library (West Ballroom) Proposition: Digital Collections Are Easier to Find and Use through DLF Aquifer's American Social History Online Cross-Institutional Repository Assessment: A Standardized Model for Institutional Research Assessment Assessment Plans (East Ballroom) Creating Assessment Plans: Four Case Studies Information Literacy IV (Room 200) The New ACRL Institute for Information Literacy Immersion Institute Track: Assessment in Action Assessment Tool or Edutainment Toy It's Just a Click Away: Instruction Assessment That Works |
|
3:15–4:15pm |
Plenary IV: Conference Perspectives: A Look Back and a View Forward |
|
4:15–4:30pm |
Conference close and adjournment |
|
Thursday |
August 7 |
|
8:30am–12pm |
Morning Post-Conference Workshops Beyond the Pie Chart: Techniques for Structuring and Visualizing Quantitative Information Getting Started with Learning Outcomes Assessment PowerPoint Jumpstarting the Assessment of Library Learning Spaces Handouts Turning Data into Information Handout |
|
1–4:30pm |
Afternoon Post-Conference Workshops Successfully Implementing the Balanced Scorecard Handouts Usability Testing Handouts |