Performance measures for liaison librarians: Documenting impact to communicate value

Purpose: This presentation will discuss the creation of performance measures and implementation of an assessment program for liaison librarians serving as subject specialists in academic and research institutions. Using the... [ view full abstract ]

Purpose:

This presentation will discuss the creation of performance measures and implementation of an assessment program for liaison librarians serving as subject specialists in academic and research institutions. Using the University of Maryland Libraries as a case study, the presentation will discuss practical measures for the creation and employment of performance measures to communicate the value of the library to a variety of constituencies, including administrators, faculty, students, and other users. Two of the authors will discuss performance rubrics outlined in their book "Assessing Liaison Librarians: Documenting Impact for Positive Change" published by the Association of College & Research Libraries. The presenters will discuss practical experience of the implementation.

Design, methodology or approach:

This program discusses measures to document the impact of these librarians’ work, and to communicate their value in six areas:

• •research services
• •collection development
• •instruction and learning
• •scholarly communications/digital scholarship and data management
• •Outreach and engagement

Three panelists will address this topic by focusing on three areas: institutional setting and environment, policy creation, and program implementation

In the area of institutional setting and environment, the presenter will discuss the university, research center or other, wider organizational setting of the library. This will focus on the wider organization’s mission and goals, who serve as its primary stakeholders, and how the library can support the organization. The emphasis will be on identifying both metrics and qualitative indicators for assessing liaison librarians’ work, and how these performance measures can communicate impact to the larger organization. The presenter will outline the genesis of the work in establishing and developing a liaison assessment program for an academic library.

In the area of policy creation, the presenter will examine the need for policies to support evaluation and assessment of liaison librarians’ work. This will focus on how to identify the need for new policies as well as revision of existing policies. The presenter will highlight the need for involving both front line personnel and administrators in creating policies to support documentation of impact, and will also address issues such as budgeting and technology support.

In the area of program implementation, the presenter will discuss the mechanics of implementing a comprehensive program to assess liaison librarians’ work, how to incorporate both quantitative and qualitative assessment measures and other performance measures into work plans and reviews, and how to communicate value to the library’s various constituencies. This discussion will also include creating a professional development program to support subject liaisons’ assessment activities.  

Findings:

Attendees will learn specific techniques and rubrics that they can implement in their own libraries to better assess, document and communicate their liaison activities. They will also learn how to develop new services and initiatives to address the changing higher education environment and to better demonstrate the value of liaisons within their own institutions. Attendees will also learn how to address conflict, resistance and other barriers to the successful implementation of a liaison assessment program.

Research or practical limitations or implications:

In time of rapid and fundamental changes in academic and library landscapes, libraries are increasingly engaged in assessment activities to monitor and measure their impact. A successful liaison program is critical to meeting library and institutional goals, to demonstrate how librarians are contributing to the broader institutional mission, and how libraries are providing value in their support of research, teaching and learning. Many institutions of higher learning re-deploy their librarians to meet their strategic goals. However, how do we know what is successful and what is not, and where do we need to put our energy and resources? Proper assessment tools will help build and develop a meaningful liaison program, specific to any given institution. 

Conclusions:

With a greater emphasis on assessment and demonstrating impact and outcomes in higher education, the assessment of liaison work provides a great deal of insight to library administrators, which they can use in allocating resources and presenting a positive vision of the library to campus administration. The assessment is also a very powerful tool for liaison librarians themselves, in seeing the impact of the work they are doing, how they connect to their campus environment, and where they need improvement and growth. As the nature of liaison work continues to evolve, it is imperative that liaison librarians adapt their work and develop appropriate assessment tools to demonstrate the positive impact of their activities. 

Originality and value:

Many academic libraries are embracing liaison systems as a way to provide better services and engage deeper with the campus community. Many think that this is the future of librarianship, and perhaps even survival of libraries. However, very few institutions have been able to develop and implement a full-scale assessment program which guides these efforts. This presentation will bring all elements of developing and implementing a liaison assessment program in one place at one time, providing members of the audience with valuable ideas and tools that they can use in their own settings.