{"id":563,"date":"2018-01-02T16:23:29","date_gmt":"2018-01-02T21:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/assessment\/?p=563"},"modified":"2019-10-22T15:22:10","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T19:22:10","slug":"a-new-years-reflections-and-resolutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/assessment\/2018\/01\/02\/a-new-years-reflections-and-resolutions\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Year’s Reflections and Resolutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

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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.\u00a0 One big change is how assessment activity is organized – \u00a0evolving from a \u00a0rather traditional Assessment Committee to a growing Community of Practice. And it is growing; the last assessment meeting attracted 22 \u00a0staff members to engage with Cynthia Schwarz and others about the <\/span>recent library website user survey<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cultivating this assessment community includes drawing upon staff here at Temple and beyond to contribute to this blog, <\/span>\u00a0from our own colleagues\u2019 experiences at <\/span>conferences<\/span><\/a> to\u00a0Swarthmore\u2019s Mary Marissen – relating her experience as an assessment librarian.\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Some of my favorite posts are those that speak to broad issues: How do we develop a culture of assessment in an organization? \u00a0If for nothing but the title, I liked this one, \u201c<\/span>Grounded or Toppling Over: The 3-Legged Stool of Assessment Culture<\/span><\/a>\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n

But enough reflection, and on to the future. \u00a0The recent <\/span>ARL Assessment Program Visioning Task Force<\/span><\/a> recommendations (published December 4, 2017) was just released, and has particular relevance for what we are also accomplishing locally.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Research libraries need to define the values by which they want to be measured, rather than trying to manifest values out of the data that they have.”<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rather than holding fast to those important, though conventional library metrics (e,g, number of volumes, number of participants in programs) we need to take the lead on developing metrics (and telling stories) that serve to better describe our value. Not just in relation to other libraries (i.e. rankings) but value to the institution and its strategic priorities. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So as I consider my own resolutions for the upcoming year: My mantra will be impact.<\/strong>\u00a0I plan to think more, and talk more with staff, and external colleagues,\u00a0 about <\/span>how best we use metrics to understand impact.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With the Administrative Council I\u2019d like to explore together how we can better demonstrate impact as we report out and share our activities, and how we connect those activities to the strategic contexts. \u00a0Can we ask ourselves:<\/span><\/p>\n