Library assessment activities

Culture of assessment in academic libraries in Kuwait: investigating the current situation and future prospects

Purpose

Using the Association of Research Libraries' SPEC KIT 303 library assessment framework, this study examines and evaluates academic libraries' efforts toward establishing a culture of assessment.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative questionnaire is employed to collect data. The sample comprises 70 library staff working in eight academic libraries in public and private universities in Kuwait.

Findings

The findings document a readiness to create a culture of assessment in Kuwaiti academic libraries, though this was greater in private universities. Resources to develop this culture, such as assessment and analysis methods and the requisite skills and knowledge, are available, but commitment from academic leaders and plans for a shift toward culture of assessment were not evident. Overall, participating academic library staff acknowledged the value of developing a culture of assessment, but this seems not to be an institutional priority

Practical implications

The methodology and findings address gaps in library and information science education and library management on creating a culture of assessment and suggest future research avenues.

Originality/value

Library assessment is a core function of libraries, but guaranteeing the continuity and consistency of related activities requires an organizational culture that facilitates and supports such assessment. While many articles have focused on the requisites for building a culture of assessment in higher education, few, if any, have assessed academic libraries in the cultural context of the Middle East.

Beyond use statistics: Recall, precision, and relevance in the assessment and management of academic libraries

Although use statistics are often used in the assessment of library collections and services, they are of limited value in evaluating the library’s effectiveness as an information system. This essay highlights three concepts from the information retrieval literature—recall, precision, and relevance—and describes a standard of relevance that accounts for the learning goals of the academic community as well as the performance goals of students. It also demonstrates how the academic mission of the university can be incorporated into the assessment and management of the library as an information retrieval system. The discussion concludes with guidelines for the assessment of recall and precision as well as suggestions for the integration of these concepts into library collection development, cataloging/access, reference, and instruction.