William Paterson University

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William Paterson University
Five Strategic Areas of Focus at the Cheng Library
Fairleigh Dickinson University June 18, 2009 Anne
Ciliberti cilibertia_at_wpunj.edu
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Libraries in Transition
3,000 BC To 1992
1993 To 2019
2020 -
Focus Print Collections Physical
Space Individuals Independence Teaching Inward
focus of staff Manual systems
Focus Digital Users Digital Space Individuals
Groups Collaboration LearningOutward focus of
staff Automated systems
TRANSITION
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Cheng Library Long Range Goals

• Maximize our partnership with the campus
  community in fulfilling the Universitys
  teaching, learning and research missions
• Embrace evolving models of information
  management and access
• Ensure that the Cheng Librarys physical and
  virtual spaces meet the needs of tomorrows
  users
• Exceed users service expectations

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Five Strategic Areas of Cheng Library Focus

• Maintain and expand academic engagement
• Provide campus-wide leadership for the
  integration of information across the curriculum
• Demonstrate a culture of assessment
• Redesign the librarys physical and virtual
  spaces
• Stimulate and motivate staff exceed users
  service expectations

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Academic Engagement

• Engagement think of the NSSE active,
  meaningful, relevant
• Integral to the academic mission of the
  University
• Why is this an issue?
• Competition from other information providers
• New pedagogies that require fewer information
  resources
• New teaching tools that embed content

Strategies

• Be involved on campus participate broadly in
  faculty and student activities
• Emphasize the librarys role in teaching,
  learning and research
• Be relevant and responsive to changing needs
  and behaviors understand whats happening on
  your campus
• Be visible, communicate and market your services
  and resources
• Use assessment methodologies to help describe
  your VALUE

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Information Literacy

• IL is what we are all about accessing,
  obtaining, using, and evaluating information
• A life-long learning skill
• Teaching faculty embrace the need to teach
  critical thinking, but usually not information
  literacy

Strategies

• Seek support from administrators
• Look for academic opportunities First Year
  Experience? English curriculum? General
  education? Capstones?
• Accreditation stick vs. the carrot of student
  success
• Learning literacies critical thinking,
  information literacy, technology skills,
  quantitative reasoning

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A Culture of Assessment

• Why? Improvement, accountability, accreditation
• Provides a foundation for describing how the
  library contributes to the Universitys mission
  describes its VALUE

Strategies

• Develop a meaningful Assessment Plan focus on
  outcomes, not inputs our outputs
• Measure student learning outcomes as part of
  information literacy initiatives
• Expand the measurement focus to all library
  services and resources consider enabling and
  process outcomes

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Redesign Physical and Virtual Spaces

• Develop a user-centric philosophy
• Two important portals The building and the
  webpage
• Think about millennials users have changed!
• Importance of first impression, usability,
  design

Strategies

• Ensure that the building has adequate and
  appropriate study space, wireless access, areas
  for multi-tasking, for groups, for individuals,
  for noise, for quiet, SEEK INPUT FROM FACULTY and
  STUDENTS
• It is no longer about US
• Clean, well-lighted, attractive
• Furniture that can easily be rearranged
• Redesign web pages Stephen Bell argues that
  many users have already found work arounds for
  our traditional pages maximize the opportunity
  to market our VALUE what we do that Google does
  not

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Stimulate Staff and Exceed Users Service
Expectations

• Staff is any librarys most important resource
• Challenging times budgets are difficult
• Opportunities for training, reflecting,
  networking thinking
• Provide the tools and time to learn

Strategies

• Emphasize a culture of customer service that
  exceeds expectations
• Encourage a habit of mind that questions why
  and explores alternatives
• Reward fresh perspectives that take the user
  point of view

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Library Assessment Demonstrating
Benefit/Impact/Value to the Teaching, Learning
and Research Mission of the University
Library Assessment
User Education
User Services
Resource Management

• Instructional programs (FYE)
• One-shot class sessions
• Extended reference services

• Circulation
• Reference Assistance
• Reserves
• Interlibrary loan
• Periodicals Services
• Building facilities

• Acquisitions
• Cataloging
• Collection development
• Database management analysis
• Systems support
• Web page development maintenance

Library Resources services
Relevant Assessment Measures
Student Learning Outcomes
Enabling Outcomes
Process Outcomes

• Skills
• Knowledge

• Use
• Satisfaction
• Answer/fill rates
• Turnaround time
• Availability
• Awareness

• Accuracy
• Cost
• Efficiency
• Cost Effectiveness

Performance Indicators

• Pre/post tests
• Diary Analysis
• Interviews
• Portfolio Assessment
• Analysis of products
• Case Studies

• User surveys
• User testimonials/feedback
• Observation studies
• Data analysis
• Focus groups

• Conspectus-type studies
• Expert opinion
• Focus groups
• Benchmarking
• Qualitative studies
• Log analysis

Methods