If Rumors Were Horses Assessment in Libraries
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c/o Katina Strauch Post Office Box 799 Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482 REFERENCE PUBLISHING ISSUE TM VOLUME 31, NUMBER 4 SEPTEMBER 2019 ISSN: 1043-2094 “Linking Publishers, Vendors and Librarians” Assessment in Libraries by Shannon L. Farrell (Natural Resources Librarian, University of Minnesota) <[email protected]> and Kristen L. Mastel (Outreach and Instruction Librarian, University of Minnesota) <[email protected]> his issue of Against the Grain focuses Over the past year, we worked with our Toolkit.3 In this Toolkit, there is helpful doc- on the various kinds of assessment colleagues Stephanie Graves and Sarah umentation to match outreach programming Tthat occur in libraries. Assessment LeMire from Texas A&M on the Associa- to institutional goals, assessment techniques, is incorporated across all aspects of library tion of Research Libraries (ARL) Spec and institutional reporting. Example programming and services, from instruction Kit 361.1 Through surveying a range “Because” statements highlight unique to outreach to space planning to collections to of ARL institutions, we gathered services and resources that libraries user experience. When we started soliciting information on the current landscape provide and can aid libraries in their articles, we did it with the intent of covering a of outreach staffing, responsibilities, promotional activities by providing wide variety of types of assessment in libraries. funding, and methods of assessment. simple, eye-catching designs for Our experience and expertise with as- One of the core findings was that ready distribution. The Toolkit is sessment has focused on our activities and there is no agreed upon definition of recruiting for additional content programs around outreach. Over the past few outreach; as a result, we suggest that and case studies, so please submit years, we have undertaken numerous projects each institution needs to define what out- relevant institutional examples that on the topic of outreach assessment. We reach encompasses for their community. you may have. became interested in this work as outreach This study also reinforced what we found As noted, libraries are conducting activities have traditionally not been formally in the literature,2 that outreach is often not all kinds of assessment around different assessed, or if they were, they focused on planned programmatically or incorporated programs and services. Many assess- into institutional assessment efforts. simple quantitative measures like head counts. continued on page 8 In our work, we hope to persuade librarians to A resource that we have recently worked learn more about various assessment measures on to assist in developing institutional outreach and to establish goals that are tied to assessment and engagement assessment for academic for every outreach activity that they engage in. libraries is the ACRL Libraries Transform What To Look For In This Issue: Epistemology — Power, Control, and If Rumors Were Horses the Quest for Open Infrastructure....36 Marketing Touchpoints — Putting Marketing Planning in its Place .......60 ave you met Courtney McAllister? braries, archives, and Courtney is Electronic Resources Li- museums, we need a Headwaters — The Subversion of brarian at Yale University, Associate flexible toolkit that Referees .............................................66 H ATG Food + Beverage Roundup ......70 Editor of The Serials Librarian, a columnist will help informa- for Against the Grain and a Director of the tion professionals Interviews Charleston Conference. I first metCourtney become change lead- when she was Electronic Resources Librarian ers, navigating the equally complex variables Karen Phillips & Kiren Shoman ......38 at the Citadel’s Daniel Library. Well, the associated with system specs and human ex- Henry Owino .....................................41 incredible Courtney has just finishedChange perience or perception. Change Management Jason Dewland & Yvonne Mery .......44 Management for Library Technologists: A LITA incorporates these concerns into a comprehen- Guide. It has been selected as the ATG Book sive framework.” Theodore Pappas ...............................46 of the Week! We all know that “technology Hot off the Press! Beth the incredible Ber- Profiles Encouraged has transformed how libraries, archives, and nhardt who loves us all but especially beer! People, Library and Company museums store and display their collections, Has accepted a job at Oxford University Press engage with their users, and serve their com- Profiles ...............................................83 as of September 16! Her title is Consortia Plus more .............................. See inside munities. The pressure to implement new tech- Account Manager and her new email is <Beth. nologies is constant, but technology that isn’t [email protected]>. truly useful to users, staff, and stakeholders can represent a huge investment of time and And did you know that Lynda Kellam has money that yields little reward. In order to left UNC-Greensboro for a new position at make meaningful technology changes in our li- continued on page 6 1043-2094(201909)31:4;1-2 AGAINST THE GRAIN Against the Grain (ISSN: 1043-2094) (USPS: 012-618), TABLE OF CONTENTS Copyright 2017 by the name Against the Grain, LLC is pub- lished six times a year in February, April, June, September, v.31 #4 September 2019 © Katina Strauch November, and December/January by Against the Grain, LLC. Business and Editorial Offices: PO Box 799, 1712 ISSUES, NEWS, & GOINGS ON Thompson Ave., Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482. Accounting and Circulation Offices: same. Call (843-509-2848) to Rumors ................................................. 1 Letters to the Editor ............................ 6 subscribe. Periodicals postage is paid at Charleston, SC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Against the From Your Editor ................................ 6 Deadlines .............................................. 6 Grain, LLC, PO Box 799, Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482. Editor: Katina Strauch (Retired, College of Charleston) FEATURES Associate Editors: Assessment in Libraries — Guest Editors: Shannon L. Farrell and Kristen L. Mastel Cris Ferguson (Murray State) Tom Gilson (Retired, College of Charleston) John Riley (Consultant) Assessment in Libraries ...................... 1 Assessing e-journal post-cancellation by Shannon L. Farrell and Kristen L. Mastel access .................................................. 28 Research Editors: Judy Luther (Informed Strategies) — Outreach activities have traditionally not by Sunshine Carter and Yumiko Toyo- Assistants to the Editor: been formally assessed, or if they were, they ta-Kindler — A post-cancellation access Ileana Strauch focused on simple quantitative measures like determination (PCAD) project uncovered Toni Nix (Just Right Group, LLC) head counts. This issue of ATG aims to examine various challenges unique to serial publi- Editor At Large: some of the major issues and also provide inci- cations. The authors share their experience Dennis Brunning (Retired, Arizona State Univ.) sive commentary from a range of contributors. with determining PCA at the University of Contributing Editors: Enhancing the Rigor of Common Minnesota and outline recommendations for Glenda Alvin (Tennessee State University) other PCA projects. Rick Anderson (University of Utah) Library Assessment Activities .......... 14 Sever Bordeianu (U. of New Mexico) by Craig E. Smith — Craig limits the scope Assessing the Success of Library Todd Carpenter (NISO) of this article to assessment involving human Published Journals ............................ 30 Eleanor Cook (East Carolina University) Anne Doherty (Choice) data, and to a small number of ways of increas- by Emma Molls — This paper will discuss Ruth Fischer (SCS / OCLC) ing rigor that are not overly burdensome. This UMN Libraries Publishing’s development of Michelle Flinchbaugh (U. of MD Baltimore County) is an observation of places where relatively journal-level goals to assess publication-level Joyce Dixon-Fyle (DePauw University) easy opportunities for improvement exist. success and, in turn, assess the success of a Laura Gasaway (Retired, UNC, Chapel Hill) library publishing program. Regina Gong (Lansing Community College) Outreach Assessment: A Two-Pronged Michael Gruenberg (Gruenberg Consulting, LLC) Approach ........................................... 17 Assessing Library Competencies for Chuck Hamaker (Retired, UNC, Charlotte) William M. Hannay (Schiff, Hardin & Waite) by John Jackson — The mother lode of out- the Future: The LibGOAL Toolkit for Mark Herring (Winthrop University) reach assessment will be found when someone Success ................................................ 33 Bob Holley (Retired, Wayne State University) develops a way to combine multiple data points by Steven Bell, Marta Brunner, Jennifer Donna Jacobs (MUSC) into a single indicator of success. Ferguson, Elliot Felix, Emily Kessler, Kelly Ramune Kubilius (Northwestern University) Myer Kutz (Myer Kutz Associates, Inc.) Asking the Right Questions: Bridging Sanford, and David Woodbury — This article Tom Leonhardt Gaps Between Information Literacy will detail the process by which a group of Rick Lugg (SCS / OCLC) Assessment Approaches .................... 20 thinkers and doers came together to identify Jack Montgomery (Western Kentucky University) essential competencies and develop a toolkit to Bob Nardini (ProQuest) by Alison J. Head, Alaina C. Bull and Margy help both new and seasoned academic library