The 2012 Library Assessment Conference took place October 29-31, 2012 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Once again, we were amazed and gratified by the response of the library assessment community. In 2010, conference registration opened on May 18, and by July 9 we had 200 registrants. This year, registration opened in June and by July 26 there were already 540 registrants! As was the case with previous conferences, we closed registration early and went to a waiting list.
The biennial conference’s goal is to build and further a vibrant library assessment community by bringing together interested practitioners and researchers who have responsibility or interest in the broad field of library assessment. The conference provided a mix of invited speakers, contributed papers and posters, and workshops that stimulated discussion and provided workable ideas for effective, practical and sustainable library assessment.
The 2012 program offered plenary sessions from keynote speakers John Lombardi (American University), John Simon (University of Virginia), Judith Eaton (Council for Higher Education Accreditation), and Siva Vaidyanathan (University of Virginia). The program also offered presentations from more than 60 papers, 80 posters, and three full-day and two half-day workshops. Topics included teaching and learning, library space, service quality (LibQUAL+®), assessment in practice, organizational performance, value and impact, usability, qualitative assessment, digital libraries, information services, marketing and advocacy, collections, and more.
The Library Assessment Career Achievement awards were presented to four luminaries in the field—Karin De Jager, Sam Kalb, Donald W. King, and Joan Rapp.
Multiple pre- and post-conference workshops focused on such specific issues as communicating library value, library space assessment, LibQUAL+®, learning outcomes assessment, and managing strategic change with the use of the Balanced Scorecard.
The conference featured an evening Poster Reception with 86 peer-reviewed posters including organizational performance, methods (including space and surveys), learning, collections, and LibQUAL+®. Poster authors came from around the world and from a variety of institutions.
During the reception, experts on each of the topics judged the posters on content (benefit for practice, appropriateness of methodology, etc.) and aesthetics (logical organization, visual attraction) to select nine Judges’ Choice awards. From these nine posters, attendees had the opportunity to vote on two People’s Choice awards for the posters.
Finally, we express our deep appreciation to the sponsoring organizations and to the Association of Research Libraries, University of Virginia Library, and the University of Washington Libraries for their unstinting commitment to and support of assessment and this conference.
Schedule
Sunday, October 28
Registration
Workshop
Library Value: Conceptualizing, Capturing, and Communicating Impact
Leader: Megan Oakleaf, Syracuse University
Consortia Value: The Orbis Cascade Alliance
Nancy Slight-Gibney, University of Oregon
Faye A. Chadwell, Oregon State University
Steve Hiller, University of Washington
Donna Reed, Portland Community College
The Assessment Needs of a Data-Driven Organization
Lisa Horowitz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Christine Quirion, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jennie Murack, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
User-defined Valued Metrics for Electronic Journals
Katherine Chew, University of Minnesota
James Stemper, University of Minnesota
Caroline Lilyard, University of Minnesota
Mary Schoenborn, University of Minnesota
Robert Fox, University of Louisville
Jennifer Nutefall, Santa Clara University
Megan Oakleaf, Syracuse University
Thursday Workshops
Library Space Assessment: Bringing the Focus to Teaching and Learning
Leaders: Joan K. Lippincott, Coalition for Networked Information, and Kim Duckett, North Carolina State University Libraries
Working Effectively with LibQUAL+®
Leaders: Raynna Bowlby and Martha Kyrillidou, Association of Research Libraries
Getting Started with Learning Outcomes Assessment: Purposes, Practical Options, and Impact
Leader: Megan Oakleaf, Syracuse University
Successfully Managing Strategic Change with the Balanced Scorecard
Leaders: Donna Tolson, University of Virginia Library, Liz Mengel, Johns Hopkins University, and Vivian Lewis, McMaster University
