Library assessment

In order to determine what is important to library users and how satisfied they are with services, resources and physical space, library assessment utilizes a variety of research methods such as:Hernon, P. & Calvert, P. J. (1996). Methods for measuring service quality in university libraries in New Zealand. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 22(5), 387-391.Nitecki, D. A. (2001). Quality assessment measures in libraries, Advances in Librarianship, 25, 133-162. website usability testing, observation, 'In-Library Use' surveys,[http://www.lib.washington.edu/assessment/surveys/ilu University of Washington, 'In-Library Use' surveys] focus groups, interviews, wayfinding, balanced scorecard, furniture usability, photo and mapping surveys, organizational climate, statistics and satisfaction surveys. The most widely used library satisfaction survey is LibQUAL+,Heath, F. (2011). Library assessment: The way we have grown. Library Quarterly, 81(1), 7-25. a service quality evaluation survey developed by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) based on ServQUAL. Other satisfaction surveys are: the SCONUL Satisfaction Survey,[http://www.sconul.ac.uk/page/sconul-statisfaction-survey/ SCONUL Satisfaction Survey (UK)] Insync Surveys (formerly Rodski),[http://insync.com.au/industries/education-libraries/ Insync Satisfaction Survey (Australia)] and Counting Opinions LibSat survey.[http://www.countingopinions.com/ Counting Opinions LibSat survey (USA)]

File:Cornell Mann Library Interior 3.jpg Mann Library]] Although library assessment has become almost ubiquitous in United States, Australia, UK and some European countries such as Italy and Denmark since 2000,Martensen, A. & Gronholdt, L.. (2003). Improving library users perceived quality, satisfaction and loyalty: an integrated measurement and management system. The Journal of Academic Librarianship. 29(3), 140-147.Wright, S. P. & Association of Research Libraries. (2007) Library Assessment: SPEC Kit 303, Washington, D.C., Association of Research Libraries. it is still relatively uncommon elsewhere. Below are a selection of library assessment sites that show the multitude of activities undertaken by assessment teams: University of Washington, USA;[http://www.lib.washington.edu/assessment/ University of Washington, Library Assessment site] University of Virginia, USA;[http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/mis/ University of Virginia, Library Assessment site] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219010415/http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/mis/ |date=2012-02-19 }} University of York, England,[http://www.library.yorku.ca/cms/library-departments/libraryassessment/ University of York, Library Assessment site] Council of Australian University Libraries (CAUL).{{cite web |url=http://www.caul.edu.au/caul-programs/best-practice/ |title=Best Practice |website=Council of Australian University Libraries (CAUL) |access-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006133332/http://www.caul.edu.au/caul-programs/best-practice/ |archive-date=October 6, 2010}}

One notable exception is Israel whose University of Haifa Younes and Soraya Nazarian Library began a systematic process of library assessment in 2007, and has been conducting a Hebrew version of the University of Washington's 'In-Library Use' survey{{cite web |url=https://lib.haifa.ac.il/index.php/en/library-assessment#reports |title=Library Assessment |website=Younes & Soraya Nazarian Library - University of Haifa |access-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621135338/https://lib.haifa.ac.il/index.php/en/library-assessment |archive-date=June 21, 2021}} since 2008, and LibQUAL+ Lite (also in Hebrew)Falk, E. & Gorenstein, L. (2010). The academic library as seen by researchers: An evaluation of the satisfaction of faculty members and PhD students with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's library services Meidat, 6, 31-45. (in Hebrew){{cite web |url=http://lib.haifa.ac.il/libinfo/assessment/images/pdf/presentation/lq%20exchange.pdf |title=LibQUAL+ Lite in Hebrew |publisher=8th Northumbria International Conference on Performance Measurement in Libraries and Information Services |last=Porat |first=Lynne |date=August 17, 2009 |access-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231335/http://lib.haifa.ac.il/libinfo/assessment/images/pdf/presentation/lq%20exchange.pdf |archive-date=March 3, 2016}} since 2009 in three-yearly cycles.

File:Finkler4.jpg, Library Assessment Team receiving the Finkler Prize for Information, 2012]]

The library assessment community holds two biennial conferences: the Library Assessment Conference (LAC)[http://libraryassessment.org/ Library Assessment Conference (LAC)] in USA and the [https://libraryperformance.org/ Library Performance Measurement Conference] (LibPMC),{{Cite web|title=LibPMC|url=https://libraryperformance.org/|access-date=2020-07-22|website=LibPMC|language=en}} formerly the Northumbria Performance Measurement Conference[http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/information-directorate/events/performance-conference-2011/ Northumbria Performance Measurement Conference] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510152005/http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/information-directorate/events/performance-conference-2011/ |date=2012-05-10 }} which is generally held in Europe. Also relevant are the annual Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries Conference (QQML)[http://www.isast.org/ Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries (QQML)] and the annual Evidence Based Library and Information Practice Conference (EBLIP).[http://eblip7.library.usask.ca/#homepage/ Evidence Based Library and Information Practice Conference (EBLIP)]

Although courses on library assessment are not commonplace on the curricula of library schools, in the past few years several schools have opened courses, such as: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science[http://www.ibiblio.org/pomerantz/wiki/index.php/INLS_890-121:_Library_Assessment University of North Carolina, Library Assessment course] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702225118/http://www.ibiblio.org/pomerantz/wiki/index.php/INLS_890-121%3A_Library_Assessment |date=2012-07-02 }} and the joint Digital Library Program of Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway, Tallinn University, Estonia, and the University of Parma, Italy.[http://dill.hioa.no/programme/semester-3/ University of Parma, Library Assessment course] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715034417/http://dill.hioa.no/programme/semester-3/ |date=2012-07-15 }}

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• Hernon, P. & Altman, E. (2010). Assessing Service Quality: Satisfying the Expectations of Library Customers. Chicago, American Library Association.
• Hiller, S. & Porat, L. (2009). [http://lib.haifa.ac.il/libinfo/assessment/images/pdf/presentation//pm8%20hiller-porat%2019.8.09.pdf Academic library as place: Users and uses]. 8th Northumbria International Conference on Performance Measurement in Libraries and Information Services, Florence, Italy.
• Kyrillidou, M. (2009). [https://hdl.handle.net/2142/14570 Item Sampling in Service Quality Assessment Surveys to Improve Response Rates and Reduce Respondent Burden: The 'LibQUAL+ Lite' Randomized Control Trial (RCT)]. Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA.
• Matthews, J. (2007). The Evaluation and Measurement of Library Services. Westport, CN., Libraries Unlimited.
• Poll, R. & Boekhorst, P. T. (Eds.). (2007) Measuring Quality: Performance Measurement in Libraries. 2nd rev. ed. Munich: K.G. Saur.
• Porat, L. (2010). [https://web.archive.org/web/20160308034411/http://libraryassessment.org/bm~doc/porat_lynne.pdf Marketing and assessment in academic libraries: A marriage of convenience or true love?] 3rd Library Assessment Conference, Baltimore, USA.

{{Wikibooks |Research Methods in Information Science}}

• [http://libraryassessment.info ARL library assessment blog]

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Category:Library management