Methodological Diversity and Assessment Sustainability: Growing the Culture of Assessment at the University of Washington Libraries

Poster was presented at the Library Assessment Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia held September 25-27, 2006.The University of Washington Libraries has been active in library assessment since 1991 and is frequently mentioned as one of the few academic libraries with a thriving culture of assessment. During the past fifteen years the assessment program has grown steadily, moving from a one-time large-scale survey to an ongoing distributed program that utilizes a variety of methodological tools. Organizationally, assessment efforts have moved from an ad hoc survey committee to a broadly representative assessment committee, and recently to a central assessment and planning office with 1.5 FTE librarians and assessment efforts conducted throughout the Libraries. The assessment focus has broadened from user needs and satisfaction to evaluation of library services and resources and the value they add to the entire University community. This poster highlights different methods such as surveys, usability and data mining, that are used to gain input and evaluate services. We also show how specific assessment information has been used to improve services and add value to our customers