Assessment 101 for Librarians: A Guidebook

SUMMARY

Library assessment has found a new audience in librarians and library administrators seeking guides for steering libraries into the new century. Measurement, evaluation, assessment–these are all terms that describe taking stock of libraries, from services to collections, from small scale studies to mammoth surveys. The purpose of assessment is to answer questions about the library environment such as what does the library own, who are its users, are users satisfied, and if not, why not? Assessment is followed by analysis, deciding what the collected data mean and what decisions they support. Libraries must be willing to implement the outcomes suggested or determined through assessment. What skills or knowledge are needed to successfully perform library assessment? Where can you polish your skills or pick up assessment tips? What should you read, hear, and sign up for? It's all covered in this guide to library assessment.

KEYWORDS:

• Library assessment
• assessment program
• measurement
• evaluation
• data analysis