Action Plan for Outcomes Assessment in Your Library - Softcover

Hernon, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0838908136 ISBN 13: 9780838908136

Publisher: ALA Editions, 2001

Synopsis

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. This comprehensive plan, the first of its kind and specifically for librarians, provides data collection tools for measuring both learning and research outcomes that link outcomes to user satisfaction. After all, it is the users who will benefit from learning, and so their experiences are integral to the way libraries measure their services and performance. This practical, how-to manual, with detailed case studies from actual outcomes assessment programs, will prepare you to: Plan an outcomes assessment strategy for your library that is in line with accrediting guidelines; Execute your plan by identifying user needs, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting your findings; Measure the value of the services you are providing and identify areas for improvement; Armed with hands-on tools and real-life examples, you will be inspired to get a handle on how succ

About this title

About the Author

Peter Hernon is a professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science of Simmons College in Boston. He is the award-winning author of 37 books including Delivering Satisfaction and Service Quality and Assessing Service Quality, which received the Highsmith Library Literature Award in 1999. Hernon is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Academic Librarianship, coeditor of Library & Information Science Research, and founding editor of Government Information Quarterly. Robert E. Dugan is director of the Mildred F. Sawyer Library at Suffolk University in Boston. He has worked in libraries for more than 27 years serving as associate university librarian, state librarian, public library director, and reference librarian. Dugan is the author of more than 40 articles on information policy and the use of technology and has coauthored two books, including U.S. Government on the Web.

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, Inc.

Student outcomes are the focus of educational evaluation today. Taking those outcomes and using them for assessment is the task detailed in this volume. Written for the academic library, it offers a challenge to the public library to consider it as a tool for accountability and direction of service. The text leads the reader from theory and the policies of accreditation agencies to preparation, information gathering, and reporting of results. Guidelines and examples are provided for employing the research process during information gathering. Properly formulated, the assessments should translate into quality service and better integration with the library's community. The appendixes add examples of criteria, assessments, and components carried out in selected academic libraries. The variety of lucid steps and models is the strength of this book. Any library that is required or plans to conduct an outcome assessment would do well to look at this action plan. Marilyn Long
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: ALA Editions
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0838908136
• ISBN 13: 9780838908136
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208