Collaborating with Nonlibrary Faculty for Assessment and Improved Instruction

ABSTRACT

Collaboration with other entities and individuals has long been a standard practice of libraries. Typically, these collaborations seek to reduce redundancies, save money, and support educational and research efforts. However, a new model of collaboration exists that both assists discipline-specific research practices and informs library procedures. This article reviews two collaborations between an assessment librarian and a sociology class. The collaborations are unique because the library is the focus of the collaboration, with sociology students being able to apply classroom learning in a real-world setting. Several suggestions are provided for best practices when endeavoring to use this type of collaboration to inform library practice and engage students in hands-on learning.

KEYWORDS:

• collaboration
• assessment
• wayfinding
• long-term analysis
• qualitative analysis
• interdisciplinary collaboration
• real-world evaluation
• library practice