Comments on: Let’s Not (Just) Do the Numbers http://acrlog.org/2010/07/26/lets-not-just-do-the-numbers/ Blogging by and for academic and research librarians Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:32:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mark K. http://acrlog.org/2010/07/26/lets-not-just-do-the-numbers/comment-page-1/#comment-166464 Mark K. Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:41:20 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=3194#comment-166464 Yes...Sharing the credit is an inherently good-person and truthful thing to do. It's also politically wise for libraries, since we seem to spend a lot of time worrying about our relevance. Nothing works for relevance better than establishing that "web of influences" as a shared institutional narrative. Yes…Sharing the credit is an inherently good-person and truthful thing to do. It’s also politically wise for libraries, since we seem to spend a lot of time worrying about our relevance. Nothing works for relevance better than establishing that “web of influences” as a shared institutional narrative.

]]> By: Barbara Fister http://acrlog.org/2010/07/26/lets-not-just-do-the-numbers/comment-page-1/#comment-166326 Barbara Fister Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:29:06 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=3194#comment-166326 I agree - plus it's more fun. Another issue is that we can't just settle for evaluating the library's impact without being willing to share the credit with others. If we're trying to isolate library impact from everything else that leads to student learning, we'll miss the most important learning. And then what we discover isn't just validating the library, it's validating the library as part of a web of influences on student learning. Which works for me. I agree – plus it’s more fun. Another issue is that we can’t just settle for evaluating the library’s impact without being willing to share the credit with others. If we’re trying to isolate library impact from everything else that leads to student learning, we’ll miss the most important learning. And then what we discover isn’t just validating the library, it’s validating the library as part of a web of influences on student learning. Which works for me.

]]> By: Mark K. http://acrlog.org/2010/07/26/lets-not-just-do-the-numbers/comment-page-1/#comment-166311 Mark K. Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:30:59 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=3194#comment-166311 This is exactly why I am increasingly convinced that academic library assessment is meaningless unless it is integrated with assessment of student learning outcomes and evaluation of instructors' performances. (Which are tricky enough, especially at an institution that has lifelong learning as an expected outcome for its students.) "The really interesting data is usually the hardest to gather"--yes, and I want to be part of a profession that considers that to make for interesting challenges. This is exactly why I am increasingly convinced that academic library assessment is meaningless unless it is integrated with assessment of student learning outcomes and evaluation of instructors’ performances. (Which are tricky enough, especially at an institution that has lifelong learning as an expected outcome for its students.)

“The really interesting data is usually the hardest to gather”–yes, and I want to be part of a profession that considers that to make for interesting challenges.

]]> By: StevenB http://acrlog.org/2010/07/26/lets-not-just-do-the-numbers/comment-page-1/#comment-166207 StevenB Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:11:27 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=3194#comment-166207 The type of evaluation you have in mind is quite difficult and time consuming. It is much easier to gather input/output data and then use it to compare ourselves to each other - which is what our parent institutions do as well. My colleagues and I wanted to know if the time we invest in creating course specific libguides helps improve student research. We've been working on it for two years - a year to get the methodology in order and a year to execute the study - now we are looking at another year to analyze the data and write it up. Just imagine us trying to figure out the ways in which a library contributes to the institution's graduation rate - how long would that take. I'm not saying we shouldn't, but we need to figure out ways to do this sort of assessment that are manageable. That's what I'm thinking about. The type of evaluation you have in mind is quite difficult and time consuming. It is much easier to gather input/output data and then use it to compare ourselves to each other – which is what our parent institutions do as well. My colleagues and I wanted to know if the time we invest in creating course specific libguides helps improve student research. We’ve been working on it for two years – a year to get the methodology in order and a year to execute the study – now we are looking at another year to analyze the data and write it up. Just imagine us trying to figure out the ways in which a library contributes to the institution’s graduation rate – how long would that take. I’m not saying we shouldn’t, but we need to figure out ways to do this sort of assessment that are manageable. That’s what I’m thinking about.

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