Assessment in a Day: IACRL Preconference

Web Analytics for Digital Collections: Appraising Collections and Assessing Impact
Presented by Paul Go, Illinois Institute of Technology; Margaret Heller, Loloya University Chicago; and Adam Strohm, The Newberry Library, on behalf of the CARLI Created Content Committee.

This session will address web analytics as an assessment tool for current digital collections/resources, as well as a way to inform the appraisal or promotion of future digital projects. Since the statistics reporting capabilities of many software platforms only provides broad hit and download numbers, we'll be exploring how Google Analytics and other tools can allow an institution to generate far more detailed statistics about who is visiting their site, what they're looking at, and how they got there. Assessment via web analytics can also help an institution determine what content is in demand in order to appraise items for a new digital resource, or show what unexpected promotional tools might have the potential to bring a whole new audience to a new or upcoming digital collection. Since the same data can be used to tell any number of stories, the presenters will talk about how to ask the right questions when generating and interpreting reports, and how to use these statistics effectively.

Assessment in Technical Services
Presented by Elizabeth Cribbs, Northern Illinois University; Jim Edstrom, William Rainey Harper College; Lynn Fields, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; Sally Gibson, Illinois State University; and Deborah Morris, Roosevelt University, on behalf of the CARLI Technical Services Committee.

This session will focus upon placing technical services assessment in the context of its purpose, audience, timeframe, and achieving the proper balance between the quality of technical services (such as cataloging) with the usability of its products (such as an OPAC).

TRACK ONE: COLLECTIONS

Measuring the Maelstrom: Assessment of E-Resources
Presented by Susie Bossenga, Northeastern Illinois University; Thomas Goetz, William Rainey Harper College; and Stephen McMinn, University of Illinois at Springfield, on behalf of the CARLI Commercial Products Committee

Representatives of the Commercial Products Committee will discuss strategies for the assessment of electronic collections. Speakers will address the ways that usage statistics can have an impact on the library’s decisions and activities.

Assessing Copyright Clearance Center’s Get It Now Service
Presented by Todd Spires, Bradley University, CARLI Collection Management Committee

In 2012, Bradley University Library was forced to make a significant cut in its serials budget. As a substitute they added Copyright Clearance Center's Get It Now service to allow library users to obtain articles on the fly from a variety of major academic publishers. This presentation will show how Get It Now has been used and how this service has changed the way of thinking about serials subscriptions in general.

PDA/DDA: looking back at demand driven services and how they mesh, compliment and help inform existing collection strategies at UIUC
Presented by Lynn Wiley, Head of Acquisitions, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, CARLI Collection Management Committee

How do the Purchase on Demand print titles’ circulation rates compare to titles selected by bibliographers for core academic books? What about cost, subject matter and categories of readership? This presentation will share results of a multi-year comparison at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Libraries.

Using I-Share Shared SQL & Access Reporting to Assess Your Collection: What’s There, Is It Being Used, & What You Don’t Have
Presented by Jen Masciadrelli, Library Systems Coordinator, CARLI

TRACK TWO: Instruction & Public Services

Evidence-Based Library Instruction as an Assessment Tool
Led by members of the Instruction Committee, this session will begin with a brief introduction, breakout into small group discussions, and reconvene to share outcomes of the discussions.

This session will focus on identifying evidence gathered during the course of library instruction that can be used to assess and improve teaching.  What is good evidence?  How do we use this evidence to assess our effectiveness in the library instruction classroom in a manner that will facilitate student learning?  The Instruction Committee will explore the answers to these questions and more as we examine our instruction more closely in order to build a culture of evidence-based instruction.  

How do we capture and utilize evidence for Public Services?
This interactive discussion led by members of the CARLI Public Services Committee will focus on the following areas:

• Web Site elements
• IT Support - Shared Ref Desk & Tech Support
  • Part 1: Shared Public Library, IT Help Desk
  • Part 2: Staff Technology Support, IT support services for library staff operations
• Reference: Physical and Virtual Service Points
• Circulation/Access Services

The Public Services Committee has developed a webpage with more information about the topics discussed during their afternoon breakout session.