Competency N
"Evaluate programs and services on specified criteria."
Introduction
For libraries to remain relevant, they must seek to understand the communities they serve. Because change in communities is constant, evaluating library services and program need also be a recurring process. The results of a well-planned evaluation, whether through surveys, focus groups, interviews, usage statistics, or some other method of assessment, can help provide library managers and professionals with insight into what aspects of the library environment work well for their users and what improvements could be made to a service or program to make it more beneficial.
A number of library associations have established sets of critera for specific library areas that can be used in the evaluation of programs and services in those respective areas. For example, instructional librarians at colleges and universities can look to the Association of College & Research Libraries' (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education (2000) in designing their courses or when observing other instructional librarians. The American Association for School Librarians (AASL) provides school librarians with the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner (2007) as best practices for teaching K-12 students information literacy skills. The Reference and User Services Association provides the Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers (2004) which can be used as a guide to conduct reference service or evaluate reference service. Librarians pursuing interests in other areas can look to applicable library associations for other guidelines.
Librarians also can look to published studies in the professional literature for establishing criteria or replicating an evaluative study. Researchers often provide a description of the methodology or design of their study that can be adapted by other libraries pursuing similar activities. This is especially helpful when a library is looking to either begin or evaluate a new program or service, particularly those that may involve newer technologies, such as social networking practices or the application of mobile technology.
Without constant evaluation and insight from library users (and even non-users), libraries will quickly become outdated and irrelevant to their communties. Libraries are facing both tough economic conditions and competition from like-minded or similar for- and non-profit organizations, and if libraries cannot show that they are trying to match user needs to their programs and services, libraries may find themselves with cuts in library hours and cuts in funds for materials. For public libraries that exist through tax-payer support, a lack of relevancy may lead to closures, disenfranchising those who depend on free information services.
Evidence
As evidence for meeting competency N, I am submitting assignments I completed in LIBR 285 Research Methods in Library and Information Science, with an emphasis on evaluation of programs and services, LIBR 249 Advanced Cataloging and Organization of Information, LIBR 210 Reference and Information Services, and LIBR 287 Seminar in Library Science, which focused on information literacy.
LIBR 285: Proposal to Evaluate an E-reader Pilot Program in an Academic Library
The focus of LIBR 285 Research Methods was on the evaluation of library programs and services. The final project of the course was to write a research proposal for the evaluation of a library program or service. In LIBR 200 Information and Society, I had become interested in the use of e-readers and e-books in universities as many university libraries had begun e-reader pilot programs to test the utility of a variety of these devices for student research purposes as well as their feasibility for circulation. In May 2010, my alma mater, CSU Stanislaus, also started its own pilot program with Amazon's Kindle, Barnes and Noble's Nook, and Sony's Daily Edition. Using the research on the topic I had found for the previous paper in LIBR 200, I focused my research efforts to find more evaluative studies of other university libraries' programs in order to develop a proposal for evaluating CSU Stanislaus' pilot program. Using the information gleaned from these studies, my proposal opts that CSU Stanislaus focus on collecting and analyzing both usage statistics and user preferences through a survey that could be modeled on those used by other universities, such as the survey questions used in Shelburne's (2009) study. The study I have proposed focuses on determining students' experiences using the devices, their preferences, and needs in an effort to build upon the literature of e-reader use in academic work. The results of such a study could also help the university library decide if it should continue or discontinue this service, especially in light of an economic climate where funds are limited.
LIBR 249: Evaluating a Cataloging Department: Loyola Marymount University
In LIBR 249 Advanced Cataloging, one of the assignments was to evaluate a cataloging department of our choosing using the criteria and format established by Sanchez's (2007) study, "Emerging Issues in Academic Library Cataloging & Technical Services." The assignment was designed to teach us more about how cataloging work is achieved in a real-life library. My teammates and I chose to evaluate Loyola Marymount University's William H. Hannon Library's cataloging department as one of the team members was working at Loyola Marymount's law library at the time. After conducting an interview based on questions and trends posed in Sanchez's study, we divided the different sections of the report to write about our findings regarding "productivity, quality, use of technology, and future planning" in Loyola Marymount's cataloging department (Ellett, 2011, p. 3). Although the report was very successful as a class assignment, some of the sections lack incorporation of other research studies on the topic. The recommendation was that if we considered publishing our study, we would need to expand on a review of the literature.
LIBR 210: Evaluation of Virtual and Face-to-Face Reference Service
In LIBR 210 Reference and Information Services, I observed three academic librarians perform reference service for an evaluative assignment. At UC Merced, I observed two librarians perform virtual reference services, while at CSU Stanislaus, I observed a librarian help students face-to-face. For this assignment, students were required to evaluate the reference service provided in light of our readings and class discussions and on established criteria. I elected to use the Reference and User Services Association's (RUSA) Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers (2004) in my analyses. What is particularly appealing about these guidelines is that the focus is on how to communicate with library users in order to help them fill their information need, not simply delivering the resources or providing answers, in both virtual and live environments. The introduction to the guidelines stipulates that effective reference service has much to do with “[l]ibrarian courtesy, interest, and helpfulness” (RUSA, 2004). In my observations, I also found that rapport had much to do with the success or failure of interactions. Observing and reflecting on the practices of librarians in both virtual and live reference environments is helpful in preparation for professional reference work. This assignment taught me that it is important to be self-reflective and consider feedback received in order to improve the service I provide in the future.
LIBR 287: Portfolios as Method of Evaluation Discussion Post
The section of LIBR 287 I took focused on information literacy. One of the units focused on evaluative methods to gauge the effectiveness of instructional librarians and student--or library user--learning. One of the discussion questions students could respond to for this lesson was, "What ideas do you have for conducting meaningful, doable, and sustainable evaluation/assessment of information literacy programs?" In response to the question, I discussed the idea of using research portfolios to evaluate whether students in univeristy-level information literacy courses or programs were applying the ideas discussed in class. Writing portfolios are often used as a means to assess university students in remedial writing classes, and other universities have also instituted portfolios for information literacy coursework.
References
AASL. (2007). Standards for the 21st-century learner. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf
ACRL. (2000). Information literacy standards for higher education. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm
Ellett, R. (2011). LIBR 249 course roadmap: Spring 2011 [lecture notes].
RUSA. (2004). Guidelines for Behavioral performance of reference and information service providers. Retrieved
from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidelinesbehavioral.cfm
Shelburne, W.A. (2009). E-book usage in an academic library: User attitudes and behaviors. Library
Collections, Acquisitions,& Technical Services, 33, 59-72.
For libraries to remain relevant, they must seek to understand the communities they serve. Because change in communities is constant, evaluating library services and program need also be a recurring process. The results of a well-planned evaluation, whether through surveys, focus groups, interviews, usage statistics, or some other method of assessment, can help provide library managers and professionals with insight into what aspects of the library environment work well for their users and what improvements could be made to a service or program to make it more beneficial.
A number of library associations have established sets of critera for specific library areas that can be used in the evaluation of programs and services in those respective areas. For example, instructional librarians at colleges and universities can look to the Association of College & Research Libraries' (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education (2000) in designing their courses or when observing other instructional librarians. The American Association for School Librarians (AASL) provides school librarians with the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner (2007) as best practices for teaching K-12 students information literacy skills. The Reference and User Services Association provides the Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers (2004) which can be used as a guide to conduct reference service or evaluate reference service. Librarians pursuing interests in other areas can look to applicable library associations for other guidelines.
Librarians also can look to published studies in the professional literature for establishing criteria or replicating an evaluative study. Researchers often provide a description of the methodology or design of their study that can be adapted by other libraries pursuing similar activities. This is especially helpful when a library is looking to either begin or evaluate a new program or service, particularly those that may involve newer technologies, such as social networking practices or the application of mobile technology.
Without constant evaluation and insight from library users (and even non-users), libraries will quickly become outdated and irrelevant to their communties. Libraries are facing both tough economic conditions and competition from like-minded or similar for- and non-profit organizations, and if libraries cannot show that they are trying to match user needs to their programs and services, libraries may find themselves with cuts in library hours and cuts in funds for materials. For public libraries that exist through tax-payer support, a lack of relevancy may lead to closures, disenfranchising those who depend on free information services.
Evidence
As evidence for meeting competency N, I am submitting assignments I completed in LIBR 285 Research Methods in Library and Information Science, with an emphasis on evaluation of programs and services, LIBR 249 Advanced Cataloging and Organization of Information, LIBR 210 Reference and Information Services, and LIBR 287 Seminar in Library Science, which focused on information literacy.
LIBR 285: Proposal to Evaluate an E-reader Pilot Program in an Academic Library
The focus of LIBR 285 Research Methods was on the evaluation of library programs and services. The final project of the course was to write a research proposal for the evaluation of a library program or service. In LIBR 200 Information and Society, I had become interested in the use of e-readers and e-books in universities as many university libraries had begun e-reader pilot programs to test the utility of a variety of these devices for student research purposes as well as their feasibility for circulation. In May 2010, my alma mater, CSU Stanislaus, also started its own pilot program with Amazon's Kindle, Barnes and Noble's Nook, and Sony's Daily Edition. Using the research on the topic I had found for the previous paper in LIBR 200, I focused my research efforts to find more evaluative studies of other university libraries' programs in order to develop a proposal for evaluating CSU Stanislaus' pilot program. Using the information gleaned from these studies, my proposal opts that CSU Stanislaus focus on collecting and analyzing both usage statistics and user preferences through a survey that could be modeled on those used by other universities, such as the survey questions used in Shelburne's (2009) study. The study I have proposed focuses on determining students' experiences using the devices, their preferences, and needs in an effort to build upon the literature of e-reader use in academic work. The results of such a study could also help the university library decide if it should continue or discontinue this service, especially in light of an economic climate where funds are limited.
LIBR 249: Evaluating a Cataloging Department: Loyola Marymount University
In LIBR 249 Advanced Cataloging, one of the assignments was to evaluate a cataloging department of our choosing using the criteria and format established by Sanchez's (2007) study, "Emerging Issues in Academic Library Cataloging & Technical Services." The assignment was designed to teach us more about how cataloging work is achieved in a real-life library. My teammates and I chose to evaluate Loyola Marymount University's William H. Hannon Library's cataloging department as one of the team members was working at Loyola Marymount's law library at the time. After conducting an interview based on questions and trends posed in Sanchez's study, we divided the different sections of the report to write about our findings regarding "productivity, quality, use of technology, and future planning" in Loyola Marymount's cataloging department (Ellett, 2011, p. 3). Although the report was very successful as a class assignment, some of the sections lack incorporation of other research studies on the topic. The recommendation was that if we considered publishing our study, we would need to expand on a review of the literature.
LIBR 210: Evaluation of Virtual and Face-to-Face Reference Service
In LIBR 210 Reference and Information Services, I observed three academic librarians perform reference service for an evaluative assignment. At UC Merced, I observed two librarians perform virtual reference services, while at CSU Stanislaus, I observed a librarian help students face-to-face. For this assignment, students were required to evaluate the reference service provided in light of our readings and class discussions and on established criteria. I elected to use the Reference and User Services Association's (RUSA) Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers (2004) in my analyses. What is particularly appealing about these guidelines is that the focus is on how to communicate with library users in order to help them fill their information need, not simply delivering the resources or providing answers, in both virtual and live environments. The introduction to the guidelines stipulates that effective reference service has much to do with “[l]ibrarian courtesy, interest, and helpfulness” (RUSA, 2004). In my observations, I also found that rapport had much to do with the success or failure of interactions. Observing and reflecting on the practices of librarians in both virtual and live reference environments is helpful in preparation for professional reference work. This assignment taught me that it is important to be self-reflective and consider feedback received in order to improve the service I provide in the future.
LIBR 287: Portfolios as Method of Evaluation Discussion Post
The section of LIBR 287 I took focused on information literacy. One of the units focused on evaluative methods to gauge the effectiveness of instructional librarians and student--or library user--learning. One of the discussion questions students could respond to for this lesson was, "What ideas do you have for conducting meaningful, doable, and sustainable evaluation/assessment of information literacy programs?" In response to the question, I discussed the idea of using research portfolios to evaluate whether students in univeristy-level information literacy courses or programs were applying the ideas discussed in class. Writing portfolios are often used as a means to assess university students in remedial writing classes, and other universities have also instituted portfolios for information literacy coursework.
References
AASL. (2007). Standards for the 21st-century learner. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf
ACRL. (2000). Information literacy standards for higher education. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm
Ellett, R. (2011). LIBR 249 course roadmap: Spring 2011 [lecture notes].
RUSA. (2004). Guidelines for Behavioral performance of reference and information service providers. Retrieved
from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidelinesbehavioral.cfm
Shelburne, W.A. (2009). E-book usage in an academic library: User attitudes and behaviors. Library
Collections, Acquisitions,& Technical Services, 33, 59-72.
Files
Below are the files to my pieces of evidence.
LIBR_285_e-reader_evaluation_proposal.pdf | |
File Size: | 1974 kb |
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LIBR_249_evaluating_a_cataloging_department.pdf | |
File Size: | 291 kb |
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LIBR_210_reference_observation.pdf | |
File Size: | 316 kb |
File Type: |
LIBR_287_portfolios.pdf | |
File Size: | 476 kb |
File Type: |