Category Archives: organization culture and assessment

A Yogi’s Reflections on Change, and Charles

For a couple of years now I have been practicing yoga. I live near the studio and my routine is to have an early coffee then head over to the 6:30 session. It’s a good way to start the day … Continue reading

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Strategic Steering Team: Just a Fancy Word for Committee?

I promised a “provocative” discussion at yesterday’s Assessment Community of Practice gathering, and I think we met that goal. The attendance was good, at least, with 27 staff members from  across the library (13 departments represented). A few highlights and … Continue reading

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Agile as Assessment: Driving in the Dark but Knowing Where You’re Going

  Cynthia Schwarz, with Dave Lacy and all the staff in LTS/LTD have put into operation a robust set of tools for communicating, documenting, and tracking workflows for all the complex work going on at the Libraries – technology-based and … Continue reading

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Avoiding New Year’s Resolutions, or Not

I may be turning cynical, but I’ve stopped making personal New Year’s resolutions. The U.S. News & World Report says that 80% of resolutions fail by February. That’s depressing! While there may be a rational, statistically valid reason for not making … Continue reading

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Mapping Library Goals to Institutional Priorities: An Assessment Workshop

Last week two dozen library staff members took time out of busy schedules to participate in the Assessment Community of Practice. The session was structured a little differently (always experimenting here!) with small round tables, mixed department seating, and facilitators … Continue reading

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Setting the Path towards a New Library

Last week I had an unexpected 12 hours to spend at the Calgary International Airport, providing me plenty of time to consider all that I learned at the Designing Libraries conference.  While the airport provided fun rides between terminals and … Continue reading

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Strategic or Operational? That is the Question

  Or is it? This last year we’ve had many lively conversations at the Libraries/Press about distinguishing the strategic work from the operational work we do. Those conversations, coupled with this morning’s early yoga class, have me reflecting on how … Continue reading

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An Interview with Gina Calzaferri: Temple’s Director of Assessment & Evaluation

Assessment at Temple University Libraries is part of a robust institutional culture of assessment, fostered by offices like Institutional Research and Assessment. I visited the IRA office last week to talk with Gina Calzaferri, just promoted as Director of Assessment … Continue reading

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A New Year’s Reflections and Resolutions

The beginning of a new year is a somewhat artificial, but useful time to reflect on the past and look toward the future. Reviewing the 2017 archives of this blog reminds me of all that has happened this year.  One … Continue reading

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Communities of Practice: People, Spaces, Services

Last Wednesday 20+ library staff members came together to talk and learn about usability testing conducted here at Temple University Libraries. This discussion, part of our Assessment Community of Practice,  covered a range of topics, from how usability testing is … Continue reading

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