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The Possibilities are Measurable: Evaluating Innovation, Learning, and Strategic Thinking within Library Technology Units Public Deposited

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Abstract
  • Presentation was for the 7th International Evidence Based Library and Information Practice conference held at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon July 15-18th, 2013.
  • Objective: An essential contributor to library value is found within library systems, web services, and emerging technologies departments. Often these areas of library services are overlooked by traditional assessment measures. Assessing the impact of units engaged in library instruction, reference, and circulation are relatively well established. However, library technology departments, who provide the backbone upon which these other units rest, are significantly more difficult to gather appropriate evidence, metrics and measures of importance. Library technology departments provide essential services and expertise that certainly influence student learning, researcher productivity, and library innovation but documenting this impact remains a challenge. In order to provide a more complete picture of library impact and value, new and robust methods of assessing library technology departments must be developed and employed. Methods: This paper/presentation will explore how Oregon State University Libraries & Press has begun to incorporate more meaningful assessment measures and strategic thinking within its library technology department. In the Fall of 2012, the Emerging Technologies & Services department engaged in a one-week qualitative assessment activity designed to gather evidence of the impact the department have on other units within the library. Results: This starting point allowed the researchers to draw inferences about this department’s role in student learning and success. Each member of the technology team provided detailed reports on their activities during the week, outlining the type of activities performed, the library project to which it was attached, and the department impacted by their efforts. This data was further enhanced by interviews with team members that provided greater detail, leading to the discovery of under-realized connections between library technology departments and its stakeholders. Conclusions: The outcomes of this research project included developing a set of assessment measures that gathered better evidence concerning the value and impact library technology departments have on learning, library innovation, and strategic alignment of resources. While this is the first year of the assessment project, there are plans to map out correlations between enhanced IT infrastructure and student learning opportunities within the library.
  • Keywords: library assessment, library emerging technology, evidence based librarianship
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  • University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
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  • The presentation submissions were peer-reviewed by two reviewers for the 2013 Evidence Based Library and Information Practice conference.

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