Service Quality Improvement Council

Assessment Group Charge

There are numerous ways to describe a library, its services, and the ways it adds value to its readers' research and learning experience. Traditionally, the value of an academic library has been gauged by the size of its collections. For decades, comparative data about collections, expenditures, and resources have been gathered and reported by the Association of Research Libraries [ARL] and have served as important sources for ranking research libraries. During the last few years, supplemental data have been sought by ARL on the service activities carried out by academic libraries. A current challenge is to identify and design ways to gather information helpful in the assessment and improvement of a library's service quality. One approach to library service quality improvement is to develop a better understanding of readers' expectations for excellence and their perceptions of how well services are delivered, and to work toward lessening the gap between these expectations and perceptions.

Managers can make responsive decisions based on insightful data. Collectively, assessment data can offer managers important feedback about reader's perceptions of the importance, value, and delivery of services. Such data also provide measures of utilization of services offered and relative benefits of investments made to deliver them. Service quality may seem elusive, but becomes better understood as reader perspectives are identified and understood.

Charge:

The Assessment Group is formed to give a coordinated and systematic focus on how the YUL might assess service quality and to help raise awareness about assessment both with staff and readers. To begin such an effort, the group will undertake the following tasks in its first year:

1. Review the definitions for data elements collected by ARL and the YUL practices and procedures for gathering them. Recommendations are invited on how data can be accurately and efficiently collected by the YUL.

2. Inventory what data are systematically collected to assess services and organize a web site to communicate a collective knowledge among service staff and managers about services provided and reader evaluation of them.

3. Assist in the development and testing of an instrument to measure what is most important to readers in their evaluation of the library's service quality.

4. Explore how to evaluate use of Orbis and cataloging requirements among YUL readers in preparation for the next generation LIMS pilot approaches and recommend a phased approach to gather evaluative input.

5. Encourage and offer support to assessment efforts throughout the library.

[3/22/99]