Strategic assessment for the library is more than improving gate count and circulation numbers. Numbers can tell our story, but they are only part of our story. Assessment helps us improve. Strategic assessment moves us forward, with confidence, to meet the expectations of future patrons with emerging technologies. Blending the ALA’s Standards for Libraries in Higher Education and the HLC’s AQIP Categories can provide us a framework for strategic assessment. This presentation will engage you to think differently and to plan for growth and improvement. Strategic assessment improves quality and strengthens our libraries for whatever tomorrow may bring.

1. Strategic Assessment,
Academic Libraries, and You:
Linking Assessment to
Results to Planning
ILF 2013 Annual Conference
Tuesday, October 22, 2013: 3:00 pm – 3:50 pm
David M. Peter, Dean of Learning Resources and
Technology
Vincennes University

2. Strategic Assessment, Academic
Libraries, and You
Strategic assessment for the library is more than
improving gate count and circulation numbers. Numbers
can tell our story, but they are only part of our story.
Assessment helps us improve. Strategic assessment
moves us forward, with confidence, to meet the
expectations of future patrons with emerging
technologies. Blending the ALA’s Standards for Libraries
in Higher Education and the HLC’s AQIP Categories can
provide us a framework for strategic assessment. This
presentation will engage you to think differently and to
plan for growth and improvement. Strategic assessment
improves quality and strengthens our libraries for
whatever tomorrow may bring

3. Who could benefit?
• Public librarians
• Academic librarians
• Library directors
• Marketing
• Communications
• Library trustees

4. Necessary background
Guiding questions, common terms, the “mission” of the
library

5. Guiding questions
• What can assessment really do for us and our libraries?
• What impact does technology have on strategic
assessment?
• What is the role of library administration in strategic
assessment?
• How can EFFECTIVE assessment improve the value of
the library?
• Does assessment impact technological innovations?
• How does assessment improve or change quality?

6. Common terms
• Assessment
• Evaluation
• Improvement
• Continuous Quality Improvement
• Culture of assessment
• Innovation

7. “Mission” of the
library/librarians
• Changes in technology
• Digital assets
• Makerspaces
• Community space
• Focus on information literacy and digital literacy
• Focus on digital citizenship

8. The Standards
Understanding

9. And now, the “standards”
• Association of College & Research Libraries. (2011).
Standards for libraries in higher education. Chicago, IL:
Association of College & Research Libraries.
• Academic Quality Improvement Program, Higher Learning
Commission. (2010). Principles and categories for improving
academic quality: 2008 revision. Chicago, IL: Higher Learning
Commission.
• Higher Learning Commission. (2013). Criteria for
accreditation CRRT.B.10.010. Chicago, IL: Higher Learning
Commission.

10. Standards for libraries in higher
education (2011)
• Principle 3: EDUCATIONAL ROLE; Libraries partner in the educational
mission of the institution to develop and support information-literate
learners who can discover, access, and use information effectively for
academic success, research, and lifelong learning [AQIP 1, HLC 3D4]
MISSION OF THE LIBRARY
• Principle 4: DISCOVERY; Libraries enable users to discover information
in all formats through effective use of technology and organization of
knowledge [AQIP 1, HLC 3D4] KEY FOCUS
• Principle 5: COLLECTIONS; Libraries provide access to collections
sufficient in quality, depth, diversity, format, and currency to support
the research and teaching missions of the institutions [AQIP 1, HLC 3D4]
KEY FOCUS
• Principle 6: SPACE; Libraries are the intellectual commons where users
interact with ideas in both physical and virtual environments to expand
learning and facilitate the creation of new knowledge [AQIP 1, HLC 3D4]
KEY FOCUS. The focus of the “NEW” library.

11. Principles and categories for
improving academic quality (2010)
• AQIP CATEGORY ONE: HELPING STUDENTS LEARN
focuses on the design, deployment, and effectiveness
of teaching-learning processes that underlie the
institution’s credit and non-credit programs and
courses and on the processes required to support them
[SLHE 3, SLHE 4, and SLHE 5, and SLHE 6; HLC 3D4]
• Processes (P): 1P15, How do you determine and
address the learning support needs (tutoring, advising,
placement, library, laboratories, etc.) of your students
and faculty in your student learning, development, and
assessment processes? [1P9] [HLC Criteria 3.D.4]
• Results [R] 1R5, What are your performance results for
learning support processes (advising, library and
laboratory use, etc.)? [1R3] [HLC Criteria 3.D.4]

12. Criteria for accreditation (2013)
• Criteria Three, TEACHING AND LEARNING: QUALITY,
RESOURCES, AND SUPPORT; 3D The institution provides
support for student learning and effective teaching
• 3D1 The institution provides student support services suited
to the needs of its student populations. [SLHE 4]
• 3D4 The institution provides to students and instructors the
infrastructure and resources necessary to support effective
teaching and learning (technological infrastructure,
scientific laboratories, libraries, performance spaces, clinical
practice sites, museum collections, as appropriate to the
institution’s offerings). [SLHE 3, SLHE 4, and SLHE 5, and
SLHE 6] KEY LIBRARY FOCUS [AQIP Category 1P15, 1R5]

13. Strategic assessment
Linking the standards

14. Standards for libraries in higher
education (2011)
• Principle 3: EDUCATIONAL ROLE; Libraries partner in the educational
mission of the institution to develop and support information-literate
learners who can discover, access, and use information effectively for
academic success, research, and lifelong learning [AQIP 1, HLC 3D4]
• Principle 4: DISCOVERY; Libraries enable users to discover information
in all formats through effective use of technology and organization of
knowledge [AQIP 1, HLC 3D4]
• Principle 5: COLLECTIONS; Libraries provide access to collections
sufficient in quality, depth, diversity, format, and currency to support
the research and teaching missions of the institutions [AQIP 1, HLC 3D4]
• Principle 6: SPACE; Libraries are the intellectual commons where users
interact with ideas in both physical and virtual environments to expand
learning and facilitate the creation of new knowledge [AQIP 1, HLC 3D4]

15. Principles and categories for
improving academic quality (2010)
• AQIP CATEGORY ONE: HELPING STUDENTS LEARN
focuses on the design, deployment, and effectiveness
of teaching-learning processes that underlie the
institution’s credit and non-credit programs and
courses and on the processes required to support them
[SLHE 3, SLHE 4, and SLHE 5, and SLHE 6; HLC 3D4]
• Processes (P): 1P15, How do you determine and
address the learning support needs (tutoring, advising,
placement, library, laboratories, etc.) of your students
and faculty in your student learning, development, and
assessment processes? [1P9] [HLC Criteria 3.D.4]
• Results [R] 1R5, What are your performance results for
learning support processes (advising, library and
laboratory use, etc.)? [1R3] [HLC Criteria 3.D.4]

16. Criteria for accreditation (2013)
• Criteria Three, TEACHING AND LEARNING: QUALITY,
RESOURCES, AND SUPPORT; 3D The institution provides
support for student learning and effective teaching
• 3D1 The institution provides student support services suited
to the needs of its student populations. [SLHE 4]
• 3D4 The institution provides to students and instructors the
infrastructure and resources necessary to support effective
teaching and learning (technological infrastructure,
scientific laboratories, libraries, performance spaces, clinical
practice sites, museum collections, as appropriate to the
institution’s offerings). [SLHE 3, SLHE 4, and SLHE 5, and
SLHE 6] KEY LIBRARY FOCUS [AQIP Category 1P15, 1R5]

17. Wrapping up
Linking, creating, reviewing and monitoring the plan, and next
steps

18. LINK
• Assessment to growth
• Improvement of process, processes
• Growth BACK to assessment
• Sustain
• Focus on continual improvement

19. Develop plan
• Evaluate the library mission statement
• Evaluate the library strategic plan
• Identify assessment or improvement points
• Remember the customer/patron/student

20. Next steps
• Assessment strengthens link to institutional goals,
mission
• Clear link to the institution helps transform and
improve the library

21. Final thought
“ … if you just sit still and never do anything bold or
new, the world will pass you by”
(Collins and Hansen (2011), Great by
choice, p. 78)

22. Questions? Contact?
• David Peter, dpeter@vinu.edu
• Work telephone: 812-888-5815