Program-Draft

2015 Conference Program

Monday, November 16

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

10:10 AM - 11:00 AM

11:10 AM - 12:00 PM

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

1:30 PM - 2:20 PM

2:30 PM - 3:20 PM

3:20 PM - 4:00 PM

4:00 pm - 4:50 PM

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.

Tuesday, November 17

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

9:00 AM - 9:50 AM

10:00 AM - 10:50 AM

11:00 AM - 11:50 AM

12:00 PM - 12:50 PM

1:00 PM - 1:50 PM

2:00 PM - 2:50 PM

Piedmont Foyer

Session 6A - Piedmont Ballroom

Finding the Missing Piece: Communicating Library Value to Complete the Assessment Puzzle

Amanda B. Albert, Kennesaw State University

Library assessment is like putting together a puzzle with many pieces, and some of these pieces can be forgotten or even lost. This presentation provides attendees with the missing puzzle piece they need to begin using their assessment data to actively engage stakeholders through library value conversations. The presenter will establish the importance of communicating assessment findings and library impact to stakeholders, and arm attendees with effective communication tools and strategies for communicating library value at their institution.

Session 7A - Piedmont Ballroom

Assessment Data: Building Blocks for Strong Libraries AND Successful Accreditation Reports

Kathryn Crowe, University of North Carolina, Greensboro

Crystal Baird, SACS Commission on Colleges

Want to learn how to leverage your assessment program for accreditation and develop effective compliance reports for your library? Join this interactive session from a librarian and institutional effectiveness professional from an accrediting agency and an assessment librarian who authored a library’s accreditation documents.

Session 8A - Piedmont Ballroom

Seeing is Believing: Conducting Observational Studies to Evaluate Space and Service Design

Joyce Chapman, Duke University Libraries

This talk discusses how Duke Libraries staff have integrated observational data assessment into space and service design over the past year using the open-source, mobile, assessment tool Suma to collect and analyze a variety of data sources.

Piedmont Foyer and Piedmont Ballroom

Session 9A - Piedmont Ballroom

Re-zoning Your Library Through Data-driven Space Allocations

Robert Fox, University of Louisville

Bruce Keisling, University of Louisville

How can you use assessment data to "re-zone" your library's spaces to meet the shifting needs for collections, users, library personnel, campus partners, and institutional priorities? Learn how one library built an assessment program that has informed past and ongoing space reallocations while also seeking to optimize the human and financial resources that are needed to successfully complete and maintain the projects.

Session 10A - Piedmont Ballroom

Statistics, Standards, and Strategies: Leveraging Assessment in Library Strategic Planning

Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Strategic planning is a common undertaking in libraries, intended to identify programmatic areas of intentional growth and pursuit and then the alignment of resources and organizational structure with those initiatives. Assessment data can inform all stages of the strategic planning process. The session will present principles for integrating assessment data into planning processes as well as options for incorporating professional association standards. Attendees will be provided with a framework of practical strategies and be invited to share their own experiences as well.

Registration and Breakfast (provided)

Session 6B - Meeting Room IV

Community Efforts to Develop Best Practices in Digital Library Assessment: One Year of Progress

Joyce Chapman, Duke University Libraries

In 2014 the Digital Library Federation (DLF) Assessment Interest Group developed a Digital Library Assessment Framework and began engaging the community in the development of best practices and guidelines around digital library assessment. This presentation will address the progress of the interest group in its first year. We will provide background information on the DLF Assessment Interest Group, outline the collaborative methods used to document common practices and to develop best practices, and solicit audience feedback on the group’s methodology and results to date.

Session 7B - Meeting Room IV

Baking a Cake with No Recipe: Mixing Methods for Discovery Layer Assessment

Ebony Magnus, Michigan State University

Hui Hua Chua, Michigan State University

In August 2014, Michigan State University Libraries implemented Summon and a team of librarians from various units was assembled to assess the usage and usability of the discovery layer. Bringing unique perspectives and experiences, the team employed a range of methodologies including text analysis, quantitative analysis, usability testing, and web analytics. This presentation will: review the methodologies and tools that were used; consider the importance of examining the results of each method in concert; and also share findings from the first year of data collection and analysis.

Session 8B - Meeting Room IV

Getting to Culture: Strategies for Creating a Culture of Assessment

Maurini Strub, University of Louisville

Samantha McClellan, University of Louisville

Crucial to gathering data that supports desired organizational changes is ensuring stakeholder buy-in and the creation of meaningful spaces for feedback. This presentation will focus on mapping strategies used in the corporate world in feedback spaces to create a culture of assessment.

Lunch provided by Gold Sponsor ATLAS.ti

Session 9B - Meeting Room IV

Looking Back While Looking Forward: 20 Years of Formal Collection Assessment at a Medium Sized Academic Library

John -Bauer Graham, Jacksonville State University

The existence of a formalized and consistent collection assessment policy and practice within an academic library is as crucial a policy and practice as defining circulating privileges. However, it is often undervalued or overlooked. Starting with the WLN Collection Assessment Service’s guidelines as a frame some 20 years ago, the Houston Cole Library (HCL) at Jacksonville State University (a comprehensive, traditionally master’s level university in the foothills of Alabama’s Appalachian Mountains) has developed a robust and effective collection assessment model. This presentation describes the evolution of the HCL’s collection assessment efforts, the current policies and procedures and discusses ways in which collection assessment/development practices might change for the future.

Session 10B - Meeting Room IV

Emerging from the Project! Emory’s Library Use System from Project to Product

Susan Bailey, Emory University

Megan Slemons, Emory University

Beginning in 2014, Emory University’s Robert W. Woodruff Library initiated a project to connect entry card swipe data to demographic data within a locally created system . The system provides data visualizations as well as file export functionality. This project has involved developing a process for collecting and analyzing the data and presenting the results it in a way that can enable data-driven decision making.