Standard Five

NWCCU Workshop on

Institutional Self-Study

Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center

Seattle, WA

February 1 – 2 , 2007

Standard 5’s wording demands analysis, assessment, synthesis

SufficientAdequateEffectiveQualityReadily accessible

Your Context

Is …

• Mission & vision of THIS college or university

• Goals & plans of this college or university

Is not, per se …

• ACRL standards

• Comparison of resources available in other academic libraries

Self-Study as Reference Interview

Your resources include:

• An information need defined by the Standards

• Data, survey results, studies, etc.

• Your* experience

• Your* analytical skills

*You = everyone involved

Your Process

1. Read and listen

2. Clarify

3. Find and evaluate potential information sources

4. Select and analyze pertinent information

5. Analyze the information within your institutional context

6. Synthesize your findings

7. Communicate findings in a user-friendly way

Temptation

• Describe what you do, and stop there

• Describe the size of the collection and size of budget and other inputs

Instead, look for dataand reference points

• Internal operating standards & goals

• Business plan and/or strategic plan

• User surveys, focus groups, formal observations

• Notes on meetings with faculty and students

• Pre- and post-tests, classroom faculty member’s assessment of student research for assigned papers

• Other

Analyze: Look for

• Consistency of trends

• Upward or downward trends

• Fluctuations in data

Analyze: Ask why

• Unusual situations?

• Changes in policy or practice?

• Growth in enrollment?

• Change in budget?

• New academic program?

Example

5.D Personnel are adequate in

number and in areas of expertise….

Data & Information Sources

• User surveys, compliments, & complaints

• Lines at service desks or backlogs of work

• Changes in patterns of use of service points

• Changes in hours/kinds of service

• Invitation/participation on university committees

• Professional development activities

Synthesize

1. Briefly, what do you do to fulfill this section of the standard?

2. What do surveys, focus groups, class assignments, etc., tell you about your success? Your weaknesses?

3.What were the results of past change, remediation, etc.? Why?

4.What changes in approach are you planning or currently engaged in? Why?

Thorny Issue

How does the emphasis on resource sharing affect the answer to

5.C.2. Cooperative relationships and externally provided information sources complement rather than substitute for … adequate and accessible core collection and services

More thorny issues

– Objectivity

– Honest and spin

– ?

– ?

– ?

Visiting teams need

Access to the data you used– Attachments– Hotlinks– Exhibits

Your interpretation of data in the context of circumstances, institutional vision & mission, programs served, etc.

Self-study as Opportunity

• For meaningful conversations

• For analytical and creative thinking

• For remembering

• For engaging stakeholders