Table Of ContentAssessing Academic
Library Performance
Medical Library Association Books
The Medical Library Association (MLA) publishes state-of-the-art books
that enhance health care, support professional development, improve library
services, and promote research throughout the world.
MLA books are dynamic resources for librarians in hospitals, medical re-
search practice, corporate libraries, and other settings. These invaluable pub-
lications provide medical librarians, health care professionals, and patients
with accurate information that can improve outcomes and save lives.
Medical Library Association Books Panel
The MLA Books Panel is responsible for (1) monitoring publishing trends
within the industry; (2) exploring new concepts in publications by actively
soliciting and proposing ideas for new publications; and (3) coordinating
publishing efforts to achieve the best utilization of MLA resources. Each
MLA book is directly administered from its inception by the MLA Books
Panel, composed of MLA members with expertise spanning the breadth of
health sciences librarianship.
Erin Watson, AHIP
Chair
University of Saskatchewan
Jamie L. Conklin
Chair Designate
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Susan Maria Harnett, AHIP
Member
University of Florida
Heather Jett, AHIP
Member
Mayo Clinic Libraries
Sophie M. Regalado, AHIP
Member
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Brandi Tuttle
Member
Duke University Medical Center Library & Archives
Elaina Vitale
Member
Dartmouth College
Charles Harmon
Publisher Liaison
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Martha Lara
Staff Liaison
Medical Library Association
J. Dale Prince, AHIP
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center– Board Liaison
New Orleans
About the Medical Library Association
The Medical Library Association (MLA) is a global, nonprofit educational
organization, with a membership of more than 400 institutions and 3,000
professionals in the health information field. Since 1898, MLA has fostered
excellence in the professional practice and leadership of health sciences li-
brary and information professionals to enhance health care, education, and
research throughout the world. MLA educates health information profes-
sionals, supports health information research, promotes access to the world’s
health sciences information, and works to ensure that the best health infor-
mation is available to all.
Recently Published MLA Books Include
3D Printing in Medical Libraries: A Crash Course in Supporting Innovation in
Healthcare by Jennifer Herron
Diversity and Inclusion in Libraries: A Call to Action and Strategies for Success
Edited by Shannon D. Jones and Beverly Murphy
Framing Health Care Instruction: An Information Literacy Handbook for the
Health Sciences by Lauren M. Young and Elizabeth G. Hinton
The Clinical Medical Librarian’s Handbook Edited by Judy C. Stribling
The Engaged Health Sciences Library Liaison Edited by Lindsay Alcock and
Kelly Thormodson
A History of Medical Libraries and Medical Librarianship: From John Shaw
Billings to the Digital Era by Michael R. Kronenfeld and Jennie Jacobs
Kronenfeld
Planning and Promoting Events in Health Sciences Libraries: Success Stories and
Best Practices Edited by Shalu Gillum and Natasha Williams
Great Library Events: From Planning to Promotion to Evaluation by Mary Grace
Flaherty
Assessing Academic
Library Performance
A Handbook
Edited by
Holt Zaugg
Rowman & Littlefield
Lanham • Boulder • New York • London
Published by Rowman & Littlefield
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www.rowman.com
6 Tinworth Street, London SE11 5AL, United Kingdom
Selection and editorial matter © Rowman & Littlefield 2021 Copyright in individual
chapters is held by the respective chapter authors.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Zaugg, Holt, 1959- editor.
Title: Assessing academic library performance : a handbook / Holt Zaugg.
Description: Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, [2021] | Series: Medical
Library Association books | Includes bibliographical references and
index. | Summary: “This authoritative guide to conducting assessments
within academic libraries is organized into four section: services,
resources, spaces, and personnel. The book serves as a springboard to
adopt, adapt, or create assessments to describe a library’s value and to
plan for improvement”— Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021019528 (print) | LCCN 2021019529 (ebook) | ISBN
9781538149232 (paperback) | ISBN 9781538149249 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Academic libraries—Evaluation. | Academic
libraries—United States—Evaluation. | Academic
libraries—Evaluation—Case studies. | Academic libraries—United
States—Evaluation—Case studies.
Classification: LCC Z675.U5 A5975 2021 (print) | LCC Z675.U5 (ebook) |
DDC 027.7—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021019528
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021019529
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
This book is dedicated to my wife, my family, my parents, and my in-laws—
all of who helped me become who I am today and, more importantly, who
tolerated my drive to learn through assessment and evaluation
Contents
List of Figures, Tables, and Chapter Appendices xi
Preface xiii
Chapter 1 Assessment Framework 1
Holt Zaugg
Chapter 2 Service Assessments 15
Holt Zaugg
Chapter 3 C ase Study: Assessing Services and Staffing for
Library Service Points 25
John S. Spencer
Chapter 4 L earning from Our Users: A Usability Study of a
Library Website 33
Susan E. Montgomery
Chapter 5 A ssessing and Evaluating the Maryland Shared
Open Access Repository 47
Elizabeth Fields, Joseph Koivisto, and Chuck Thomas
Chapter 6 Resources Assessments 59
Holt Zaugg
ix
