International Conference on Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries
Special Sessions
You may send Abstracts/Papers to be included in the following sesions or propose new sessions including the title and a brief description to the Conference Committee at: secretariat@isast.org
I. SPECIAL SESSION TITLE: Impact! IFLA and the grantees of the Global Libraries Initiative present reports from the front line of impact assessment Coordinated by Dr. Stuart Hamilton Senior Policy Advisor (International Federation of Library Associations) The Hague, Netherlands stuart.hamilton@ifla.org
Scope & rationale How can libraries best show decision makers and funding organisations the effect of their activities on users? We know that many library activities are evaluated in terms of quantity (number of books, number of library activities, number of people trained) but it is more difficult to assess the real impact of library services on users. This session discusses the way that organisations like IFLA grantees and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Libraries Initiative are using impact assessment techniques to examine the change caused by new programmes or training on library staff and, ultimately, users. By introducing the concept of impact assessment and then using case studies from Romania, Latvia and Lithuania, and from IFLA workshops around the world, the session aims to show that impact assessment is a powerful tool for changing attitudes and actions towards libraries as well as a tool for advocacy and fundraising. The following papers will be presented in this session: Paper 1: Stuart Hamilton: IFLA, sustainability and impact assessment Paper 2: David Streatfield: What is impact assessment and why is it important Paper 3: Kristine Paberza: Public Libraries Pulling Rank – Statistics on the Policy Makers’ Agenda Paper 4: Marcel Chiranov: Real life impact of Public Access Computers’ Centres in Global Libraries Romania Paper 5: Kristine Paberza and Ugne Rutkausiene: Outcomes based measurement of public access computing in public libraries: comparative analysis of studies in Latvia and Lithuania Author Affiliations: • Stuart Hamilton, Senior Policy Advisor, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Netherlands • David Streatfield, Principal, Information Management Associates, United Kingdom - Independent Impact Planning and Assessment Consultant to the Global Libraries Initiative. • Kristine Paberza, Impact Assessment Specialist, public library development project “Father’s Third Son” co-funded by the Government of Latvia and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation • Ugne Rutkausiene, Institute of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Communication, Vilnius University, Project “Libraries for Innovation”, Martynas Mazvydas National Library of Lithuania • Marcel Chiranov, Impact Assessment Specialist, IREX Romania
1. SESSION TITLE Challenges for managing and measuring Quality in Libraries at the beginning of the 21st century
Scope & rationale
Quality management and measures of quality in libraries are indeed characterized by a plethora of qualitative and quantitative methods and attempts, following the Deming's suggestion for the need of a continuous theory evaluation in the area of quality management. The rapidly expanding socioeconomic role of libraries requires a reconsideration of quality management practices as well as the establishment of novel quality measures. This session explores innovative quality management practices, in both conventional and digital library environments, as well as new quality measures, covering indicatively the following:
Suitability of practices and/or standards such as ISO 9000:2000, EFQM accreditation etc. in the different library environments or within the wider organizations.
Measures and metrics in regard to the library operations to the ''worklines'' and the ''lifelines'' of their users.
Measures and metrics concerning library operations and investments to knowledge capital and the new economy
Improving the quality through managing the disaster in libraries.
The interrelation of library services to the application of known quality management approaches in various economic fields.
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be realized through one of the following ways a. structured abstracts (not exceed 500 words) and presentation; b. full papers (not exceed 7,000 words) and presentation; and c. posters (not exceed 2,500 words). In all the above cases at least one of the authors ought to be registered in the conference.
2. SESSION TITLE Marketing & Communication in Libraries Coordinator: Dinesh Gupta Dept. of Library & Information Science, Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, India Chief Editor, MEERA: Open and Distance Learning Newsletter, Email: dineshkg@sancharnet.in Scope & rationale This section aims to encourage the discussion and the development of qualitative and quantitative research in the area of library marketing. Although library marketing research has been established for a number of years, the available literature is still rather limited. Marketing activities are addressed under the viewpoints of both the requirements for communication and research dissemination through the development of novel library services and the needs of a variety of stakeholders including authors, users/readers, policy makers and the general public. Contributions are invited in the following indicative areas of marketing research: Organizational aspects of marketing in modern library environments Service Quality approaches (e.g. LibQual) as marketing strategies The marketing of services based on Old and Rare Books Social networking and marketing Communication strategies with various stakeholder groups (the general public, students, and staff; Users - Non users; Alumni, Partners; Groups / teams; Archives, historical societies; museums and art galleries; Consortia) Scientific communication as a special marketing approach for academic libraries Marketing strategies employing Open Access initiatives Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be realized through one of the following ways a. structured abstracts (not exceed 500 words) and presentation; b. full papers (not exceed 7,000 words) and presentation; and c. posters (not exceed 2,500 words). In all the above cases at least one of the authors ought to be registered in the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to both emails secretariat@isast.organd pkostagiolas@ionio.gr. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
3. SESSION TITLE Reading policy for Libraries Scope & rationale Reading policy should be high in the priorities of libraries in a changing and challenging area. The aim of the reading policy is to create new readers-users by approaching non users, and to further develop the existing users (reader development). Libraries are institutions that contribute decisively to the education and the sociability of their users. Thus, a library-information service should plan carefully its reading policy so as to approach in the best possible way all potential users. The reading behaviour and reading habits as well as needs and expectations of the users should be measured and seriously taken into consideration in regard to the development of the reading policy. Furthermore, perceptions on reading as well as needs and expectations of non users ought to be studied Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be realized through one of the following ways a. structured abstracts (not exceed 500 words) and presentation; b. full papers (not exceed 7,000 words) and presentation; and c. posters (not exceed 2,500 words). In all the above cases at least one of the authors ought to be registered in the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to both emails secretariat@isast.organd cbanou@ionio.gr. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
4. SESSION TITLE Balanced Scorecard tools in libraries This session seeks the dynamic face of 21st century library, derived by the balanced scorecard (BSC) framework. It focuses to: cause-and-effect relationships, relationship between cost and profit, performance measurement systems, financial and non-financial measures, relationship among learning measures and innovative processes, Scenario planning as a method of BSC. Strategy effected by the internal and external conditions, BSC, linear and non-linear forecasting, Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be realized through one of the following ways a. structured abstracts (not exceed 500 words) and presentation; b. full papers (not exceed 7,000 words) and presentation; and c. posters (not exceed 2,500 words). In all the above cases at least one of the authors ought to be registered in the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to the email secretariat@isast.org. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
5. SESSION TITLE Human resources and Knowledge Management This session seeks the framework for intangible asset management in libraries and information centres. It is no longer impossible for libraries to compete in a knowledge-based economy without human resources’ involvement. The most valuable equipment is the knowledge of their employees that produces new ideas, innovation, and technology. The session focuses to: The strategy of revealing and identification of the intangible asset management. The contribution of the intangible asset to the library processes and the financial improvement. Themonitoring of assets to functional departments of the organization and the consequential effectiveness, The knowledge management concept and technology, The connection of learning strategies to the organization's mission and strategic planning process.
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be realized through one of the following ways a. structured abstracts (not exceed 500 words) and presentation; b. full papers (not exceed 7,000 words) and presentation; and c. posters (not exceed 2,500 words). In all the above cases at least one of the authors ought to be registered in the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to the email secretariat@isast.org. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
6. SESSION TITLE Performance Measurement and Competitiveness This session aims to declare the relationships between performance indicators and performance results. Especially it examines: The criteria ofperformance indicators (PI) selection for libraries and the kinds of PI. The different methodologies proposed for library assessment, The technological effect, Financial indicators, Organizational performance, The comparison among governmental and non-governmental organizations' performance. Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be realized through one of the following ways a. structured abstracts (not exceed 500 words) and presentation; b. full papers (not exceed 7,000 words) and presentation; and c. posters (not exceed 2,500 words). In all the above cases at least one of the authors ought to be registered in the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to the email secretariat@isast.org. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
7. SESSION TITLE Financial Management for Excellence This session seeks about how libraries and information centres are currently budgeting. Some relevant topics are: Survey research, interviewees and annual reports, within a single library and/or samples of libraries and information centres across multiple countries, are the methodological tools, Budgeting processes, in connection with the operational and strategic planning, are primarily the conceptual organizational problem that usually justifies the Excellency, Cost assessment and cost effectiveness are crucial decision making factors that justify the competitiveness of the organization, Fund raising methods, best practices and lessons learned, Risks Assessment and Control measures. Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be realized through one of the following ways a. structured abstracts (not exceed 500 words) and presentation; b. full papers (not exceed 7,000 words) and presentation; and c. posters (not exceed 2,500 words). In all the above cases at least one of the authors ought to be registered in the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to the email secretariat@isast.org. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
8. SESSION TITLE Development and Assessment of Digital Repositories Scope & rationale
Establishing quality control into digital libraries, institutional repositories, disciplinary repositories, learning object repositories or cultural heritage repositories meant various complex issues including technical support for quality evaluation, automation of quality assessment for log files or implementation of the their organisational framework. Nowadays, Librarians and Information specialists are challenged to manage and organize these digital libraries, storage, digital knowledge mining, digital reference services, electronic information services, and manage the archive and their access. The session is targeted shedding light on trusted digital repositories and their challenges, such as:
Preservation of their records for the next generations.
Demonstration on fiscal responsibility and sustainability.
Development of new metrics of their usages.
Evaluation and best practices.
Contributions for this Section:Contributions may be realized through one of the following ways a. structured abstracts (not exceed 500 words) and presentation; b. full papers (not exceed 7,000 words) and presentation; and c. posters (not exceed 2,500 words). In all the above cases at least one of the authors ought to be registered in the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to both emails secretariat@isast.organd oikoang@yahoo.gr. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
9. SESSION TITLE: Obtaining Users Feedback: Evidence-based vs Perception-based Research Coordinated by Szarina Abdullah Professor, Faculty of Information Management Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia drszarina@salam.uitm.edu.my Scope & rationale This session comprises 4 papers, each of them will be presented by individual authors.This session calls our attention to the different methods we can use to collect data to indicate users needs and users feedback.In particular, advantages and disadvantages of using factual data and perception surveys will be demonstrated based on research done atlibraries in Malaysia.It is important for librarians and researchers alike to differentiate between evidence-based data and perception-based data.Certain unobtrusive methods can be used to collect factual evidences that indicate users needs and library performance without having to interview or get responses from people through conventional questionnaire surveys.Capable managers are known to use evidences or factual data for decision making objectively rather than relying on perception-based data.Using factual data in decision-making is also one of the eight principles in Quality Management Principles prescribed in the ISO 9004:2000, Quality Management Systems Guidelines for Performance Improvements. The following papers will be presented in this session: Paper 1:Evidence-Based Data versus Perception-based Data in Performance Measurement - by Szarina Abdullah ABSTRACTThis paper will give an overview of advantages and disadvantages in research methodswhich apply certain instruments for data collection to measure users feedback and library performance.It will highlight the importance of evidence-based data that should be collected to assist managers in decision-making and strategic planning.Examples of evidence-based data and perception-based data will be demonstrated. Paper 2:Users' Feedback and the Computer Logs by Nor Rashimahwati Tarmachi, Haslinda Abd Hamid, Azizah Mohd Nor, and Azman Ibrahim ABSTRACTThis paper examines users' information behaviors by analysing the computer logs kept by the library system.It is an unobtrusive method used to collect evidence-based data that indicate several variables that should be useful for library managers, namely: the frequency of use of certain books, journals, web sites, etc. by specific users; the nature of reference questions posed and the reply by librarians; the awareness or unawareness of users about certain materials or services which are hardly or not used at all. Paper 3:The Relationship between Academic Performance and the Use of Library Servicesby Kamariah Nor Mohd Desa, Noraziah Sharuddin, ABSTRACTThis is another study using evidence-based data to prove the point that an academic library is deemed effective when it has brought impact and concretebenefits to its users. Paper 4:Measuring the effectiveness of Information Literacy programsby Szarina Abdullah and Nor Rashimahwati Tarmachi ABSTRACTThe study highlights differences obtained by two different instruments in data collection when researchers want to obtain users feedback on their information literacy programs conducted by most academic libraries.Findings indicate that data obtained from users' perception do not always indicate factual performance and students' abilityinInformation Literacy. Author Affiliations Szarina Abdullah:Professor, Faculty of Information Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA,Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia Nor Rashimahwati Tarmachi, Haslinda Abd Hamid, Azizah Mohd Nor, and Azman Ibrahim: Lecturers, Faculty of Information Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA,Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia Kamariah Nor Mohd Desa:Chief Librarian, Universiti TechnologiMalaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia Noraziah Sharuddin:Deputy Chief Librarian, Universiti TechnologiMalaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
10. SESSION TITLE: The criteria for Website Evaluation Influencing Findability, Usability, Credibility and Accessibility
Coordinated by: Prof. Soňa Makulova, PhD ComeniusUniversity, Faculty of Arts,Department of Library and Information Science, Slovakia Email: makulova@elet.sk Scope & rationale At present we are witnessing growing number of websites. So it is very important not only to have website, but the website should conform to the qualitative criteria as usability, findability, accessibility and credibility. We put special emphasis on the findability of the website and its relation towards the new emerging discipline information architecture as well as to the search engine optimization. The methodology for creation website should respect the latest trends of the information architecture with the emphasis on the information design and keeping to the standards of the World Wide Web Consortium and recommendations od the information architects and experts on the usability of websites. Findability and Usability of Websites may be improved by Web Analytics. Papers included: 1. Qualitative and quantitative web analysis focusing the long-term preservation and archiving of the Slovak web space. Katarína Kovačičova, University Library, Bratislava, Slovakia 2. Service Quality of Web Information Systems Yaşar Tonta and İrem Soydal, Department of Information Management, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey 3. Exploring the results of church website research: Findings and recommendations for model design of library web presentations Jan Gondol, Department of Library and Information Science, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia 4. A Qualitative Analysis of the Factors Influencing Findability of the Websites of Slovak Libraries Soňa Makulová, Department of Library and Information Science, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia Contributions for this Section:Contributions may be realized through one of the following ways a. structured abstracts (not exceed 500 words) and presentation; b. full papers (not exceed 7,000 words) and presentation; andc. posters (not exceed 2,500 words). In all the above cases at least one of the authors ought to be registered in the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to both emails makulova@elet.skand secretariat@isast.org.The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
11. SESSION TITLE: "Applications of formal text analysis" Coordinated by John M. Weiner, Dr.P.H. Adjunct Professor of Mathematics (Statistics) University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth weiner@buffnet.net Scope & rationale That research has been directed toward: 1.The computerized identification, extraction and organization of the ideas presented by authors in their text. 2.The consequences of formalized analysis of those ideas. With a database of these ideas, related bibliographic and supporting material, the research has focused on two different approaches.The first is a deductive one and involves tracing the innovative idea back in time to its origins.That process is instructive in assisting students in acquiring the insights and knowledge needed to be creative in a subject. The second is an inductive one and involves identifying missing or low frequency ideas in a knowledge structure with the intent of considering new research plans leading to supplying the missing information.This approach begins with an analysis of known ideas at a point in time and proceeds in a forward fashion, tracking the introduction (or lack thereof) of ideas into the body of knowledge. The two analytic approaches have been studied in a number of disciplines. The results of the analysis show that qualitative and quantitative approaches can be objective and can satisfy the intent of each.The analysis of text leads to description of existing knowledge together with identification of new knowledge generating strategies.Those results can be considered as objective qualitative analysis.With the information provided by this approach, new programs can be considered and subjected to formalized assessment.This latter approach can be labelled as objective Quantitative analysis. Papers included: 1. Information Literacy and Ideas: An Assessment Using Cervical Cancer Literature Joanne Piniewski-Bond, MS, John M. Weiner, Dr.P.H 2. Institutionalizing Information Literacy Sharon A. Weiner 3. Planning the Learning Commons: Credibility of Purposive Samples? John M. Weiner, Dr.P.H. and Sharon A. Weiner, EdD 4. Author-Controlled Analysis of Text: Qualitative Idea Analysis Gregory P. Beehler, PhD and John M. Weiner, Dr.P.H. 5. One-Stop Learning: A text-mining-knowledge utilization process Roberta S. Horowitz, PhD and John M Weiner, Dr.P.H. Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be realized through one of the following ways a. structured abstracts (not exceed 500 words) and presentation; b. full papers (not exceed 7,000 words) and presentation; and c. posters (not exceed 2,500 words). In all the above cases at least one of the authors ought to be registered in the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to both emails weiner@buffnet.netand secretariat@isast.org.The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
12. SESSION TITLE: Data Seal of Approval Quality guidelines for digital research data in the Netherlands Scope & rationale Objective of the Data Seal of Approvalis to safeguard high-quality and reliable processing of research data for the future without it entailing new thresholds, regulations or high costs.Making data future-proof can be accomplished by ensuring that data sets and metadata meet certain requirements. In consultation with large data producers and managers, DANS laid down what those requirements need to be in its Datakeurmerk (Data Seal of Approval), which will continue to be developed further. The 17 quality guidelines for digital research data formulated inData Seal of Approval are of interest to researchers and institutions that establish digital research files, to organizations that archive research files, and to users of research data. The seal of approval:
Gives researchers the assurance that their research results will be stored in a reliable manner and can be reused.
Provides research sponsors with the guarantee that research results will remain available for reuse.
Enables researchers, in a reliable manner, to assess research data to be reused.
Allows data repositories to archive and distribute research data efficiently.
The associated guidelines relate to the implementation of these criteria and focus on three operators:
The data producer,
The party responsible for the data repository and
The data consumer.
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be realized through one of the following ways a. structured abstracts (not exceed 500 words) and presentation; b. full papers (not exceed 7,000 words) and presentation; and c. posters (not exceed 2,500 words). In all the above cases at least one of the authors ought to be registered in the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to both emails secretariat@isast.org and oikoang@yahoo.gr. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
13. SESSION TITLE: Digital libraries: legal and ethical issues Coordinated by: Maria Bottis, Lecturer IonionUniversity
1. Ιntellectual Freedom and Digital Libraries Maria Bottis, Lecturer, IonionUniversity
Abstract: Intellectual freedom is a stable principle in library ethics. For example, in the ALA Bill of Rights we read that materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation, libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues, materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval and that libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment. Ιn the same vein, IFLA declares that human beings have a fundamental right to access to expressions of knowledge, creative thought and intellectual activity, and to express their views publicly; the right to know and freedom of expression are two aspects of the same principle: the right to know is a requirement for freedom of thought and conscience and freedom of thought and expression are necessary conditions for freedom of access to information.
With digital libraries, at the outset it is plausible to think that intellectual freedom remains as a stable and crucial principle. The question which arises is, however, if, and if yes, to what extent, the application of the principle of intellectual freedom in a digital library changes in any meaningful way, as the library in question is digital. Technology affects, of course the answer here, as technology can be, for example, a tool for censorship so as to censor particular materials in a digital library. Software filters censoring sexually explicit materials unsuitable for minors is a prominent example. To this day, efforts to enforce software filters widely (not only in the case of digital libraries) has failed; in the U.S., only one statute, the one disallowing library federal funding, if the library hasn’t installed filters for the benefit of minors, has withstood attacks for unconstitutionality. Technology comes again into play with code enforcing copyright: digital library materials may be “protected” by code (passwords e.tc.). But code protection may be fairly or unfairly applied. In the latter case, the possible harm to intellectual freedom is indirect: code (what Lessig could call “architecture”) prohibiting access to particular material, even if access should be free (example: to exercise fair use freedoms), leads to the violation of the intellectual freedom principle. There can be no intellectual freedom for users, if they are wrongly denied access to digital library materials. Intellectual freedom will keep playing the major role it has always played in library ethics. The brave new digital world offered people worldwide the so far unbelievable opportunity to dream of unlimited access to unlimited resources. But the way the legislator will design users’ rights of access and content rightholders’ rights to code will prove either liberating and fair, to all parties involved, or, on the contrary, debilitating and undercutting the very principles these rights are supposed to serve.
2. Creation of digital libraries: copyright law and database law issues Tatiana-Eleni Sinodinou, PhD, Attorney-at-Law Abstract:This paper deals with current legal issues on copyright law in digital libraries. The respect of copyright law principles is an issue of major importance for the development of digital libraries. The creation of digital libraries is based on the digitalization of works protected by copyright and presupposes the authorization of the right holders. At the same time, digital libraries can be protected by copyright law as electronic databases and by the database sui generis right. In the first part, we will focus on copyright issues raised by the creation of digital libraries. In the second part, we will analyze the possibility of protection of digital libraries by copyright law and by the database sui generis right. 3. Protection of personal Data in digital libraries: Ioannis Iglezakis, Visiting Lecturer (AristotleUniversity), PhD, Attorney-at-Law Abstract: This paper addresses the data privacy issues concerning digital libraries. In the digital environment, collection, storage and processing of personal information is increased and this is also the case with digital libraries. A great number of personal data is undergoing processing in digital libraries and, therefore, new risks are emerging for the privacy of individuals, whose personal data are stored and processed. It is thus necessary to establish a policy for the protection of personal data, which could be adopted by digital libraries. Privacy should also be the subject of code of ethics that would promote self-regulation.Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to the emailbotti@otenet.grand secretariat@isast.org.The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
School of Information Management, Victoria University of Wellington
Wellington, New Zealand
Scope & rationale The compelling need to develop solutions to manage digital information in today's complex and dynamic environment has tended to focus the attention of researchers on technical problems. To ensure digital sustainability over the long term however, there is a need to explore social and cultural factors that influence the success of digital preservation initiatives. The purpose of this session is to report on research into the problems of digital preservation and access, to identify the major research questions and appropriate methodologies. Topics could include, but are not limited to: * Attitudes of users to digital repositories * Cultural differences in approach to digital preservation * Collaborative activity between libraries, archives and museums * End-user interface design Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to the emails gillian.oliver@vuw.ac.nz ;
Gary.Gorman@vuw.ac.nzand secretariat@isast.org.The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
15. SESSION TITLE:Research Centres in Academic Libraries
Coordinated by: Dr. Teresa Welsh
University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS, USA E-mail: teresa.welsh@usm.eduScope & rationale
Presentations of research related to academic research centres
Abstracts submitted: Dr. Teresa Welsh Abstract: Hurricane Katrina was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history and one of the deadliest. In 2006, the University of Southern Mississippi established the Katrina Research Center (KRC) as an multi-disciplinary center for research and education to facilitate the gathering of information on the effects of and recovery from catastrophic natural disasters such as Katrina. The purpose of this case study is to document the creation and development of the KatrinaResearchCenter, including its mission, vision, organizational structure, funding, collection development, community outreach, research and educational activities. Key Words: hurricanes, disasters, academic libraries, repositories, research centres Prof. Diana Pietruch-Reizes University of Silesia, Institute of Library and Information Science, Polish Society of Scientific Information A new look at the university libraries in context European Research Area Abstract: The role of university libraries in the European Research Area (ERA). Collecting, diffusion and exploitation of knowledge like the core of the research system are discussed. The paper presenting an access to knowledge by exploiting the potential of university libraries, the development of online libraries, repositories of scientific information and databases of publications. An examination of the role of university libraries in Poland in the process of the knowledge transfer, the main problem of scientific communication. Key Words: university library, European Research Area, knowledge transfer, access to knowledge Contributions for this Section:Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to the emailsteresa.welsh@usm.eduand secretariat@isast.org.The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
16. SESSION TITLE: Technology transfer and Innovation in library management Scope & rationale:The recent technological developments and the economic crisis have their impact to libraries and the interdependent context they act. The session seeks the strategies and lessons learned relevant to libraries management for survival. The transformation of the library involves initiatives and the organization commitment. Consequently, the redesign of responsibilities for the staff is a matter for research.
Innovative management
Human resources management
Competence management
Communications in organizations
Intercultural management
Information technology and knowledge management
Library's ethics and social responsibility.
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to the email secretariat@isast.org. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
17. SESSION TITLE: The Change of Libraries and the Managerial techniques Scope & rationale:Libraries are in a phase of continuing changes. The challenge of competitiveness and excellence guide to modern management strategies. In order to survive, libraries start re-thinking and redesigning their administrative services. It is a matter of research, how does organisational culture and structure effect on the choice and implementation of modern managerial processes. It is also researchable if libraries resist or not to the improvement of efficiency and the flexibility of organisational structure
Human resources management
Organizational challenges
Strategic management
Re-engineering change in higher education
Fast-responded library
Learning organization
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to the email secretariat@isast.org. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
18. SESSION TITLE: Using qualitative and quantitative methods in digital library education and research Coordinated by: Sirje Virkus, lecturer, (e-mail: sirvir@tlu.ee) & Aira Lepik, associate professor, (e-mail: aira.lepik@tlu.ee) Tallinn University, Institute of Information Studies, Estonia Students of the Digital Library Learning (DILL) Master programme: Getaneh Agegn Alemu, student, e-mail: getaneh@gmail.com Eric Boamah, student, e-mail: bomibanz@yahoo.com Liliana M. Melgar Estrada, student, e-mail: LilianaMM.Estrada@stud.jbi.hio.no Ahmad Riza Faizal, student, e-mail: niet_r32@yahoo.com Katherine Jane Howard, student, e-mail: KatherineJ.Howard@stud.jbi.hio.no Reuben Mushi, student, e-mail: reubenmushi@yahoo.com
Type of session:
Presentation session
Scope & rationale:This session aims to encourage the discussions and provide examples of usage of qualitative and quantitative methods in digital library research. This session comprises eight papers, each of them will be presented by individual authors. Six students and two faculty members explore in their papers the issues of digital library education, social, economic, educational and organizational aspects of digital libraries, open access models, and social networking issues in the different regions of the world - Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin-America, and Europe - using a quantitative and qualitative inquiry. The students' papers of this session are based on research done within their Master Thesis projects in the Digital Library Learning (DILL) programme at Tallinn University. DILL is a two-year Master Programme for information professionals who intend to work in the complex world of digital libraries. DILL is offered in cooperation between Oslo University College (Norway), Tallinn University (Estonia), and Parma University (Italy). The faculty members explore in this session the digital library education from the information and knowledge management, and human resource management perspectives. Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to the emails sirvir@tlu.ee ; aira.lepik@tlu.ee and secretariat@isast.org. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
19. SESSION TITLE: Information literacy: Information sharing, Democracy and lifelong learning
Scope & rationale: The session seeks the new trends in information literacy, the innovative ideas and the methods of the implementation and the assessment of information literate people. The session focuses on the following topics:
Information Literacy and citizenship,
Strategic approaches to Information Literacy,
New pedagogic challenges for libraries
Collaborative work between librarians and academic staff,
Independent learning skills, online information skills and lifelong learning,
Concepts of learning, teaching and the developments in networked technology,
Staff development and Information Literacy,
New areas of practice and research,
Information literacy projects on special scientific disciplines,
Advocacy, marketing and promotion,
Benchmarking,
Evaluation and assessment.
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to secretariat@isast.org. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
20. SESSION TITLE: Library Cooperation: Problems and Challenges at the beginning of the 21st century
Scope & rationale: Library’s cooperation should be developed widely. The relations among libraries are dependent on the network environment and technology. However, the cooperation and needs organizational infrastructure and human support. Some common items on library cooperation and sharing are the following:
Union catalog and storage equipment,
Collection policy and collection development,
Joint acquisitions (purchasing, access, inter-library loan and document delivery),
Joint digitization’s projects,
Local, regional and country heritage,
Human resource in local, regional and country level,
Organizational culture
The management and the economics of the cooperation.
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to secretariat@isast.org. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
21. SESSION TITLE: Information and Knowledge Services
Scope & rationale: The importance of theInformation and Knowledge Services advanced because of the support of technology. The new conditions bring new theories and technologies, new processes, tools and standards, and team work. Especially, the session focuses on:
Resource development policy,
Resource project description,
Research and development of the services,
Knowledge discovery and knowledge creation,
Knowledge mining,
Team building and management.
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to secretariat@isast.org.
The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines
22. SESSION TITLE: Human resources and competencies for the 21st century
Scope & rationale:The qualities of library director and of the staff are crucial for the success of knowledge innovation. A variety of multilateral skills are requested for the achievement of the competitiveness. On the other hand, staff development is prerequisite in order that they fulfil innovative, flexible goals.Some topics are the following:
Staff training,
Creativity skills,
Lessons learned,
Ideas exchange,
Core competencies,
Fast response organisation,
Reorganisation restructure,
The impact of internal and external factors,
Expectations satisfaction services system analysis,
Advocacy of profession and professionals.
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to secretariat@isast.org. The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines http://www.isast.org/presentations/abstractpapersubmission.html
23. SESSION TITLE: Technology in the Communication: an interactive tool for development
Scope & rationale: The session discusses the change that come in libraries, museums and archives by using technology. One of them is Web 2.0 which brings Library 2.0 and Culture 2.0. There are open topics for discussion, such as the organizational structure, the management of changes, the strategy and the potential users’ policy. Some topics:
New audiences, new target groups, potential users.
Social networks and social cohesion.
The diversity and the participation to library’s initiatives.
The scientific knowledge and sustain cultural participation.
New models of interaction and participation for future libraries, archives and museums.
Effective models of participation and collaboration to improve services and products.
Analytical Communication and Knowledge Management.
Means and methods for Knowledge Communication.
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to secretariat@isast.org.
The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines
24. SESSION TITLE:E-Learning and the contribution of the libraries, archives and museums
Scope & rationale: The session seeks the effect of the e-learning to the operation of libraries, archives and museums. It also seeks how libraries, archives and museums distribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of e-learning projects. Some topics:
The value of learning and the new educational concept
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to secretariat@isast.org.
The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines
25. SESSION TITLE:Scholarly Information and the new communication technologies
Scope & rationale: The session aims to find out the context of scholarly communication, the influence of new technologies and innovative business models to research activities and knowledge dissemination. Some topics:
Knowledge Reception, Depreciation, Evaluation and Estimation,
Conceptual and Organizational Perspectives of Knowledge Communication,
Library services and operations relevant to the scholarly communication process,
Creation, organization and structure of scholarly resources,
Preservation, archives, retrieval, availability,
Scholarly communications campains,
Benefits of researchers, faculties, students,
Library's lessons learned,
The needs of scholars, students, the academy, and society,
New Publishing Models, Processes and Systems,
Open Access and Open Source.
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to secretariat@isast.org.
The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines
26. SESSION TITLE:Information Ecology for Digital Libraries
Session organizers: Jela Steinerova, Jaroslav Susol Faculty of Arts, Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia Scope & rationale:
Information Ecology represents a concept that could enhance research and practice of digital libraries. The session should show the importance of data on users´ behavior as an integrating feature for the improvement of the efficiency of digital libraries. The starting point for digital library performance should be the concept of a „social actor“ in digital environment including both producers and users of products and services. Information ecology concept means harmonization of social actors and systems in the sense-making of information use. New models of information ecology are needed to improve the efficiency of digital repositories and information strategies of academic and memory institutions. Management of information flows both at human and technological levels are at the heart of information ecology concept. Contributions are invited in the following topics:
• Challenges of studying users of institutional repositories • Methodologies of of digital library users surveys • Affective information management • Concept mapping and new tool for knowledge organization for digital repositories • Publishing behavior of researchers and educators • Information culture of higher education institutions • Information strategies of institutional repositories
Papers: Jela Steinerova: Users´ Behavior in Libraries: Towards Information Ecology Faculty of Arts, Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia Jaroslav Susol: Library data in higher education institution management: publishing behaviour research in humanities and sciences Faculty of Arts, Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia Michal Lorenz: Benchmarking approach Masaryk Univerzity Brno, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk Univerzity Brno, Czech Republic
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to secretariat@isast.org and steinerova@fphil.uniba.sk.
The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines
This session will focus on efforts to define the value of the academic library within the university. It will examine costing models that allow the determination of the impact of the library within the university in relation to the research and teaching missions of the parent institution (Franklin and Plum). It will discuss qualitative and quantitative approaches in defining library value and their evolution from input and output measures (Franklin, Cook, Kyrillidou, Thompson) to textual narrative descriptions (Cook and Kyrillidou). And it will conclude with an examination of the potential for international collaboration in library assessment and its relation to the globalization trends in higher education. Papers: Title: Indirect Cost Studies: Library Impact within the Academic Enterprise
Academic research libraries support their educational institutions’ missions to conduct research, including sponsored (funded) research. In the United States, colleges and universities have performed cost analysis studies, typically employing user surveys, for at least thirty-five years to quantify the extent to which their libraries support sponsored research.The United States government allows educational institutions to seek reimbursement for library expenses related to funded research via the institution’s indirect cost rate.This has given American academic institutions an incentive to measure the extent to which their academic libraries support sponsored research.This paper reports on the results of statistically valid studies conducted since 1982 at more than 200 libraries measuring academic research library support of sponsored (funded) research in the United States and looks at some of the applications that have moved beyond the sponsored research component into teaching and studying for undergraduates. Studies like that have implications for library consortia and are expandable internationally as recent experiences in Canada evaluating the Scholar’s Portal at OCUL demonstrate.
Title: Describing the Research Library of the 21st Century: the Association of Research Libraries’ (ARL) Profile Authors: Colleen Cook and Martha Kyrillidou
For a decade the Association of Research Libraries has promoted novel methods of describing and evaluating the value of research libraries through its New Measures Initiative. During this time a suite of services including LibQUAL+, MINES, and ClimatQUAL have been developed that build upon the basic set of ARL descriptive statistics collected annually since 1907 for assessment and evaluation of North America’s major research libraries. Taken together the historical ARL descriptive statistics and New Measures services provide a robust set of methods and tools available to assess research libraries today. However, when ARL directors were interviewed in 2005 and asked to describe a research library in the 21st century, there was general sentiment that even the ARL Statistics and the toolkit of services through New Measures together were insufficient in answering the question. There was a need for greater flexibility in describing the research library today in qualitative terms. Open ended descriptions of collections, services, programs and physical spaces were necessary if the essence of a research library today were to be described and evaluated. As a result the ARL community will now be submitting a qualitative, descriptive profile of their libraries in 2009. From the profiles, similarities and differences among libraries will be evaluated. If quantifiable, similarities may be candidates for additional descriptive variables in the ARL statistics set, e.g., virtual chat sessions. The paper will describe the profiles and discuss similarities and differences among research libraries emerging from the profile data. The viability of using profiles as an evaluative device will be discussed. Pros and cons of profiles will be discussed.
Title: Library Investment Index – Why is it important? Authors: Brinley Franklin, Colleen Cook, Martha Kyrillidou and Bruce Thompson The Association of Research Libraries(ARL) has engaged in the implementation of the Task Force on New Ways of Measuring Collections’ recommendations and developed a new index, the Library Investment Index, originally called ‘Expenditures-Focused Index’ which was published in the Chronicle of Higher Education for the first time in 2007. The Expenditures-Focused Index was renamed in 2008 to the Library Investment Index to better reflect the notion that money spent on libraries is reflective of investments in intellectual, scholarly, and community capital. This paper offers a closer examination of the implications of the Library Investment Index (formerly known as Expenditures-Focused Index) and discusses its importance for the research and wider library community. It addresses both the methodological advantages and limitations as well as the political significance of the development of this index. Title: ARL and SCONUL Assessment Initiatives: Synergies and Opportunities Author: Stephen Town, Director of the University Library & Archives, J.B. Morrell and Raymond Burton Libraries, The University of York <jst504@york.ac.uk>
This paper describes and evaluates recent North American Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and UK and Ireland Society of College National and University Libraries (SCONUL) performance measurement and assessment initiatives, with particular attention to the use of ARL tools and techniques in the UK and Ireland. These include LibQUAL+ and the Effective and Sustainable Assessment program (ESP). The different contexts of quality and quality assurance on each side of the Atlantic are considered, and the issue of transferability is discussed in the context of the globalization of higher education. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are covered, including the SCONUL Value and Impact programme (VAMP) and the potential international convergence of academic library statistics collection. The paper considers potential synergies and opportunities for further international collaboration in this field.
Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to secretariat@isast.org.
The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines
This session is a broad overview of the research foundations of the development of LibQUAL+®, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods (Martha Kyrillidou). It traces the projects development and origins (Colleen Cook), as well as some of the most important recent research findings in developing a ‘Lite’ version of the LibQUAL+ protocol utilizing matrix sampling methods (Bruce Thompson). It will also examine the implications of LibQUAL+ within different international cultural contexts in terms of survey objectives/desired outcomes, internal processes followed implications for the larger organization, and the relationship of leadership and assessment on a global scale.
Papers: Title: Item Sampling in Service Quality Assessment Surveys to Improve Response Rates and Reduce Respondent Burden: The LibQUAL+(R)-Lite ExperimentAuthors: Martha Kyrillidou, Bruce Thompson, Colleen Cook Many libraries are engaged in collecting data on service quality perceptions and expectations from their users systematically both through locally developed surveys as well as through standardized survey protocols like LibQUAL+®. Survey protocols, and especially web surveys, have suffered from relatively low response rates due to perceived respondent burden. Some researchers have also suspected possible response bias as a result of low response rates. Survey researchers often develop large pools of items about which they seek participants' views. As a general proposition, library users cannot reasonably be expected to respond to lengthy service quality assessment protocols when invited to participate to web based surveys. Especially with web surveys, response rates have historically been low and even a ten minute survey seems like a century to the participants. To test whether a ‘short’ version of a survey results in higher response rates and whether it was completed in less time than the lengthier version of the survey, and whether is produces comparable results scores, we randomly presented two versions of the survey to survey respondents invited to participate to the web version of the survey. A survey method called "matrix sampling" was used (a) to collect data on all survey items (b) without requiring every participant to react to every survey question. A series of randomized control trial experiments were set up so that each library presented a predefined proportion of the surveys to participants in the ‘short’ form. The long form of the LibQUAL+® survey includes the 22 core items that measure three dimensions: (a) affect of service, (b) information control, and (c) library as place. The short form, known as LibQUAL+® Lite, asks each participant to complete 8 core items. LibQUAL+® Lite is a survey methodology in which (a) all users answer a few, selected survey questions (i.e., 3 core items), but (b) the remaining survey questions (i.e., 5 core items randomly selected within dimensions) are answered ONLY by a randomly selected subsample of the users. Every participant completes the same single Service Affect, single Information Control, and single Library as Place items, plus two of the remaining eight (i.e., 9 - the 1 core item completed by everyone) randomly-selected Service Affect items, two of the remaining seven (i.e., 8 - the 1 core item completed by everyone) randomly-selected Information Control, and one of the remaining four (i.e., 5 - the 1 core item completed by everyone) randomly-selected Library as Place items. Fixed randomization took place at determining the order of the dimension slots, and dynamic randomization took place at assigning the items in the dimension slots. Preliminary analysis indicates that participation rates are higher, completion times are shorter, and that the results across the two administration protocols the short and the long versions – are slightly different. Differences across (a) user groups, (b) disciplines, and (c) other demographic categories are explored for this paper. The matrix sampling procedure can be usefully applied with a variety of service quality assessments, including locally developed surveys involving numerous assessment items. Contributions for this Section: Contributions may be submitted in one of the following formats: a. structured abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation; b. full paper (not exceeding 7,000 words) and presentation; or c. poster (not exceeding 2,500 words). In all cases at least one of the authors must to be registered to attend the conference. Abstracts and full papers should be submitted electronically within the timetable provided (http://www.isast.org/importantdates.html) to secretariat@isast.org.
The abstracts and full papers should be in compliance to the author guidelines
This session focuses on the practical applications library assessment with an emphasis on sustaining continuous improvement by guiding library staff to act on user survey results. Raynna Bowlby has been working closely with ARL as a consultant supporting an action agenda in this area. Libraries are increasingly investing in user needs assessment and there is a recent positive trend to designate an assessment librarian or coordinator. But while the availability of user survey data and the efforts of an assessment librarian can facilitate action, these factors alone cannot sustain a process of continuous improvement. It is critical to engage staff throughout the organization in realizing their own responsibilities and potential contributions to deliver services “in ways that maximize positive outcomes and impacts for customers and stakeholders”. As further noted by Lakos & Phipps, “a Culture of Assessment exists in organizations where staff care to know what results they produce and how those results relate to customers’ expectations”. This workshop will present several techniques for developing the library staff to understand and utilize results from a user survey, using examples from LibQUAL+® and local surveys. Some take-away tools will be provided and participants will have the opportunity to share techniques used in their libraries. Practical examples will also be provided by Martha Kyrillidou from a variety of libraries, Brinley Franklin from the University of Connecticut, Colleen Cook from the University of Texas A&M, and Stephen Town from the University of York (UK) and Cranfield University.
Speakers: Raynna Bowlby, Martha Kyrillidou, Brinley Franklin, Colleen Cook and Stephen Town
Email: raynna.bowlby@charter.net Raynna Bowlby serves as a Consultant to ARL’s Statistics & Service Quality Programs. Raynna develops and delivers consulting and training support for libraries in areas including organizational development, strategic planning, and assessment initiatives. Raynna is also affiliated with the Simmons College Graduate School of Library & Information Science as Adjunct Faculty teaching Principles of Management and is a recruiting coordinator. Formerly Raynna worked for twenty years in the Brown University Library, where she was responsible for library assessment activities and was an administrator of Brown’s LibQUAL+® surveys. Raynna has an MLS from Simmons College and an MBA from the University of Rhode Island.