Program-Draft

Piedmont Foyer

Piedmont Ballroom

Session 1A - Piedmont Ballroom

Metrics with Meaning: How Can We Effect Change to Library Assessment Metrics Used by Non-Library Organizations

Lisa Horowitz, MIT Libraries

Kirsten Kinsley, Florida State University Libraries

Zsuzsa Koltay, Cornell University Library

Zoltán Szentkirályi, Southern Methodist University

Many library metrics and statistics that are gathered regularly by accreditation agencies, publishers, and other entities to inform stakeholders have stagnated and are no longer effective in illustrating library value. In this talk, we will highlight measures collected by accreditation agencies and publishers that are not effective, and then describe potential ways to have short-term and long-term impact on changing these national metrics so that they better represent libraries of the 21st century.

Session 2A - Piedmont Ballroom

Battling Survey Fatigue

Meg Scharf, University of Central Florida Libraries

Escape survey fatigue by using alternative ways to collect user information: mystery shopper, guided interviews, focus groups, suggestion boxes, whiteboards for user commentary, advisory boards and more. Or use these methods with surveys to make your surveys more effective. and more palatable to your users.

Piedmont Foyer and Piedmont Ballroom

Session 3A - Piedmont Ballroom

Design Thinking: An unexpected path to innovation and problem solving

Christine Quirion, MIT Libraries

Cassandra Silvia, MIT Libraries

During our recent renovation planning process, the MIT Libraries was offered the opportunity to act as client for an MIT Sloan School of Management student seminar. The library provided a problem statement, and within two and a half days, five student teams learned and applied a business approach to design thinking to develop solutions for the library, presenting results to faculty and library administrators at the end. These results were contrasted with data gathered from traditional assessment tools, indicating areas for further study or exploration and key principles to fold into the schematic design process.

Participatory User Experience at the Michigan State University Libraries

Ebony Magnus, Michigan State University

Participatory design is an excellent way to engage the user, increase sense of ownership, and complete projects that might not otherwise fit into a busy librarian’s schedule. In spring 2015, the User Experience team at Michigan State University Libraries had the good fortune of partnering with undergraduates to work on two space-related projects. This presentation will consider the benefits of engaging student stakeholders as design consultants, and presenters will share the impressive results of the two student-led user experience projects.

Session 4A - Piedmont Ballroom

Wrangling the Megalith: Mapping the Data Ecosystem of the Harvard Library

Mark Shelton, Harvard University

Understanding how to map a library's data ecosystem is critical to helping manage the variety of data sources that describe the library and its work. Mapping the kinds of data, its source, and the people involved is only the beginning, yet the challenges faced can offer opportunities when it comes to supporting strategic planning.

Piedmont Foyer

Session 5A - Piedmont Ballroom

Correlation Between Library Instruction and Student Retention

Mary O'Kelly, Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley State University Libraries has found a statistically significant positive correlation between librarian-led instruction and student retention. The libraries’ Head of Instructional Services and the university's Institutional Analysis department worked together to connect library instruction with student-level data and then analyze that data over several academic years. This presentation will outline the data collection process, analysis methods, limitations, and outcomes of a longitudinal study.

Registration and Breakfast (provided)

Welcome and Keynote Address

Session 1B - Meeting Room IV

Space Assessment: How They Use It, What They Want

Sara DeWaay, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Getting student input on the library space can be a multi-layered effort. Come hear about the methods used to get an understanding of use patterns, as well as the students' desires for a small branch library, as we work to transition towards a flexible space.

Session 2B - Meeting Room IV

Give e-resources a chance: a collaborative approach to collection assessment

Amanda Binder, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Liz Siler, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Learn how subject librarians can work together with electronic resource librarians and department faculty to assess the use and value of subject-specific electronic resources to promote resource awareness, prevent the cancellation of valuable resources, and make room for other important resources.

Lunch (provided)

Session 3B - Meeting Room IV

Developing (Good) Practices: A Survey of the Library Assessment Programs in ARL Libraries

Regina Mays, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Michelle Brannen, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Sojourna Cunningham, University of Richmond

Explore the results of a recent survey of ARL Library assessment practitioners about the structure and procedures of their individual assessment programs. Join in a spirited discussion of suggested “good” practices for the future of this growing field.

Session 4B - Meeting Room IV

Assessing the Assessment: evaluating progress made toward achieving a culture of assessment

Adriana Gonzalez, Kansas State University

The time has come to assess the assessment. Evaluating progress made is a must in order to stay on track to achieving a culture of assessment and for creating an assessment plan. A review of how assessment projects have contributed to achieving these goals will be conducted through interviews of librarians who conducted assessment.

Afternoon Break

Session 5B - Meeting Room IV

Defendable, Persuasive, and Insightful Budget Analysis Methods

Brian W. Keith, University of Florida

As universities adopt budgeting models and concepts borrowed from business, libraries are pressured to assess and justify their budgets using the most persuasive and defendable methods possible. Attendees will learn innovative assessment techniques which allow for a rationale examination of library funding across institutions. The numerous approaches, including linear regression (with results with high correlation coefficients), can be readily replicated and allow libraries to assess the resources of their system in comparison to demand indicators for their university.