Today’s academic libraries face competition from alternative, cost-effective information providers. In light of this reality, it is imperative for libraries to seek means to ensure that their services meet and preferably exceed user expectations. A continuing program of assessment is essential to the development of a meaningful approach to meeting service goals. In addition, libraries are being held accountable by their parent institutions and accrediting bodies alike for their contribution to student learning, a contribution for which the traditional quantitative measurement of library collections is no longer appropriate, nor applicable, as a means of assessment.
The Service Quality Evaluation Academy addresses this community-wide need for new strategies and methods of library assessment by pursuing the following goals:
The 2009 academy, now accepting nominations, is an intensive five-day program that focuses on both qualitative and quantitative methods for collecting and analyzing library service quality data. Although some of the training will be presented in the context of the ARL/Texas A&M LibQUAL+® project, the program will emphasize basic concepts and skills in measurement and data analysis that will be applicable to service quality evaluations in general. There will be some time spent on relevant software skills, including the use of ATLAS.ti to analyze the content of interviews or responses to open-ended surveys and the use of SPSS for quantitative data analysis.
Academy Instructors |
Colleen Cook, Dean and Director of the Texas A&M University Libraries. Colleen oversaw the administration of the SERVQUAL protocol to the University library community in 1995, 1997, and 1999, which led to her role in developing LibQUAL+®. She has published journal articles and book chapters and made numerous presentations in the fields of library science, history, and research methodology. She specializes in qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Colleen currently chairs the ARL Statistics & Assessment Committee and is a member of the IFLA Statistics and Evaluation Section Committee. |
Bruce Thompson is Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology and College Distinguished Research Fellow, and Distinguished Professor of Library Science, Texas A&M University, and Adjunct Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine (Houston). Bruce is a prolific author in statistics and measurement, having published roughly 200 articles, and has conducted numerous training sessions at national professional meetings. Two of his most recent books are Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Foundations of Behavioral Statistics. He has edited four journals, and is currently a Co-editor of the American Educational Research Journal: Teaching, Learning, and Human Development (AERJ:TLHD). He is a Past-President of the Association for Assessment in Counseling and of the Southwest Educational Research Association, and has served an elected member of the Council of the American Educational Research Association. |
Dawn Thistle, Director of Library Services at Assumption College. Dawn has served as Director of Library Services at Assumption College for the last nine years, and previously worked at the College of the Holy Cross as Head of Reader Services and Music Librarian. Her doctoral research focused on professors’ use of library resources from within course management software. Currently she is studying ways that smaller, non-ARL libraries can use various assessment data, such as LibQUAL+®, to improve services and programs. Dawn now serves as Member-at-Large of the College Libraries Section of ACRL. In recognition of her service to Assumption College and “for [developing] the library as both a learning and gathering space for intellectual and social growth,” Dawn was awarded the President’s Medal in 2006. |
The academy is designed for librarians across library types and organizational structures, with a strong commitment to service quality assessment efforts. It is most appropriate for those who have direct responsibility for their library assessment efforts and show high potential for developing new and innovative assessment tools.
Academy classes are to be held from March 16-20, 2009, at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Library directors are invited to nominate candidates for the 2009 academy class. Directors can nominate an organizational team, but must rank order individual team members when doing so. To maximize training impact and ensure the geographic diversity of the participants, first-ranked nominees will be admitted before second-ranked nominees. Library directors and deans can be nominated by their provost or president.
Each nomination should include the following materials from the nominees to complete their application package:
The application deadline is October 27, 2008.
Members of the Selection Committee, composed of ARL and ACRL library directors, will review candidate nominations and the selection of participants will be based on the following selection criteria:
The participation fee for this five-day event is $1,500 per participant. This covers the cost of tuition, all program and instructional materials, and daily refreshments (lunch and dinner are on your own). Participants must bring their own laptop computer to the academy, with the Atlas.ti and SPSS software programs already installed.
Send all nomination packets and inquiries to:
Participant CancellationsKristina Justh
Customer Relations Coordinator
Association of Research Libraries
Statistics and Measurement Program
21 Dupont Circle NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
kristina@arl.org