New

• LibQUAL+^® Update [PDF] (June 4, ‘08)

• LibQUAL+^® and Beyond: Using Results Effectively, York UK, June 23, 2008 (May 21, ‘08)

• ARL Statistics & Assessment Committee Meeting Agenda (May 21, ‘08)

• ARL Statistics 2005–06 Published (May 19, ‘08)

• ARL Preservation Statistics 2005–06 Published (May 19, ‘08)

Highlights

• Stephen Town Appointed to LibQUAL+^® Steering Committee (May 12, ‘08)

• “Using LibQUAL+^® Effectively,” Washington DC, Oct. 27—Register by Sept. 29 (May 9, ‘08)

• Service Quality Evaluation Academy Accepting Nominations—Deadline Oct. 27, ‘08 (May 5, ‘08)

• Proceedings of 2005 Library Assessment Conference (Jan. 25, ‘08)

• LibQUAL+^® Seeks Applicants for In-Kind Grants (Jan. 22, ‘08)

• Reshaping ARL Statistics to Capture the New Environment [PDF] (Jan. 18, ‘08)

• Library Assessment, SPEC Kit 303 (Dec. 21, ‘07)

Overview

The ARL Statistics and Measurement program focuses on describing and measuring the performance of research libraries and their contributions to research, scholarship, and community service. ARL serves a leadership role in the development, testing, and application of academic library performance measures, statistics, and management tools. Grounded in the tradition of the North American research library environment, the program provides analysis and reports of quantitative and qualitative indicators of library collections, personnel, and services by using a variety of evidence gathering mechanisms, and tools.

Library assessment is gaining in prominence as institutional calls for greater accountability abound. The first Library Assessment Conference was offered in September 2006 in Charlottesville, VA. Post-conference discussion on library assessment issues takes place in the Library Assessment Blog and at the ARL-ASSESS email list. Building “Effective, Sustainable, and Practical Library Assessment” is an ongoing ARL-sponsored service. Skills and methods training services are also available, such as the Service Quality Evaluation Academy.

Brinley Franklin (U of Connecticut) and Fred Heath (U of Texas) describe the ARL Statistics and Measurement Program activities at the symposium held at Columbia University in 2008 upon the occasion of Duane Webster’s retirement.