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Stephens "Planning, Managing, and Assessing Library Needs During COVID-19"
The Washington University Libraries presented their assessment practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting significant increases in ebook purchases, off-campus access, and virtual interactions compared to the previous year. They emphasized the need to evaluate the effectiveness of adaptations made to library services and to assess stakeholder perceptions of these changes. The session focused on integrating crisis-driven adaptations into the library's assessment framework to enhance future services and metrics.
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Stephens "Planning, Managing, and Assessing Library Needs During COVID-19"
- 1. Assessment Practices and Metricsin a 21st Century Pandemic Thursday, October 9, 2020 10:15 a.m. CT Denise Stephens Vice Provost and University Librarian
- 2. Libraries’ Assessment PracticesDescribe Value to Mission – NOT Return on Investment. • Essential to capture effectiveness • Identifies areas for improvement • Opportunity to discuss performance • What did we do well? • What could we have done differently? Washington University Libraries
- 3. COVID: Pivoting toMeet User Needs Washington University Libraries • Assessments & Metrics that Document the Impacts • eBook purchases • EZ Proxy (off-campus) access • Individual Interactions - Virtual • Ask Us - Chats • Technology for remote work • Curbside Pickup
- 4. The response toCOVID impacts and reshapes a number of services. • How do these adaptations influence our assessment programming? COVID-19 Resources Buildings and Access Remote Resources Curbside Pickup Interlibrary Loan and MOBIUS Materials and Services Returns Instruction and Consultations
- 5. Washington University Libraries eBookspurchased 2019 2020 % change March 51 127 149.0% April 86 147 70.9% May 101 539 433.7% June 11 32 190.9% Total: 249 845 239.4%
- 6. Washington University Libraries EZProxy (off-campus access) 2019 2020 % change March 25,363 32,580 28.5% April 28,628 55,980 95.5% May 19,222 34,266 78.3% June 18,578 28,115 51.3% July 18,169 28,421 56.4% August 20,603 27,031 31.2% September 27,391 37,609 37.3% Total: 157,954 244,002 54.5%
- 7. Washington University Libraries IndividualInteractions – Virtual 2019 2020 % change Transactions Reference Consultations Transactions Reference Consultations Transactions Reference Consultations March 154 83 261 385 69.5% 363.9% April 140 114 266 458 90.0% 301.8% May 92 55 204 171 121.7% 210.9% June 103 64 280 223 171.8% 248.4% July 128 123 178 232 39.1% 88.6% August 133 148 269 269 102.3% 81.8% September 160 150 319 226 99.4% 50.7% Total: 910 737 1777 1964 95.3% 166.5% Grand Total: 1647 3741 127.1%
- 8. Washington University Libraries AskUs – Chats 2019 2020 % change March 155 176 13.5% April 233 211 -9.4% May 96 125 30.2% June 94 136 44.7% July 93 238* 155.9% August 128 334* 160.9% September 173 558* 222.5% Total: 972 1778 82.9% *Switched to 24/7 chat in July. This number includes chats answered by co-op operators.
- 9. Washington University Libraries AskUs – Tickets/Emails 2019 2020 % change March 166 253 52.4% April 252 299 18.7% May 139 294 111.5% June 134 323 141.0% July 133 281 111.3% August 205 356 73.7% September 218 553 153.7% TOTAL 1247 2359 89.2%
- 10. Washington University Libraries CurbsidePickup June 235 pickups July 377 pickups August 280 pickups September 928 pickups
- 11. COVID Opens Opportunityto Assess Crisis Value of Response Outcomes • We can identify and measure how stakeholders adopt and value the iterative changes made to deliver Libraries’ services under a protracted period of alternative operations due to COVID. Washington University Libraries
- 12. Assessment & AnalyticsProgramming Integrates COVID Services Adaptations into the Framework for Libraries Washington University Libraries • Supports development & implementation of strategic assessment framework • Coordinates assessment activities • Develops recommendations for improve metrics • Advises on assessment tools • Provides advisory to how data impacts strategy • Organizes data collection activities
- 13. Assessment & AnalyticsProgramming Washington University Libraries • Determines: • Methods of collecting data • Communication methods • Creating timelines and protocols
- 14. Assessing the Libraries’Impact on Institutional COVID Planning & Response • New Collaborations/Partnerships • Shared Expertise • Iterative Uses of Space and Infrastructure • Emergent Strategies for Content Delivery and Creation Washington University Libraries
- 15. With Increased Visibility,How to Understand & Assess the Outcomes? • How can we capture the relationship between emergent outcomes compared to pre-COVID conditions? • How does the response impact equity while increasing access and delivering reliance on technology? • How do stakeholders perceive the efficacy and value of services impacted by COVID conditions? Washington University Libraries
- 16. With Increased Visibility,How to Understand & Assess the Outcomes? • How to capture and evaluate potentially transformative change that may persist beyond COVID? • Which future metrics may be necessary to effectively understand Value post-COVID? Washington University Libraries
- 17. THANK YOU! Washington UniversityLibraries
Editor's Notes
- #4 Maintaining Access to Our Collections In March, the Washington University Libraries entered alternate operations, with staff working remotely and our libraries closed, removing access to our physical collections. The University Libraries worked to maintain e-resource-based ILL and reserves activity, expanded available e-content, and participated in HathiTrust’s Emergency Temporary Access Service, providing access to digital surrogates of almost 50% of our print titles. Due dates for existing loans were extended to September 1.
- #6 Some of the services that increased during this time included purchasing more eBooks (239.4% increase)
- #7 supporting EZ Proxy for off-campus access to databases and other resources (54.5% increase)
- #8 remote support of users including virtual transactions and reference consultations (127.1% increase)
- #9 Subject librarians have provided additional support via chat (82.9% increase)
- #10 tickets/emails sent to our staff working remotely (89.2% increase).
- #11 Contact-free curbside pickup, by appointment.
- #13 Washington University’s Assessment and Analytics Committee: Supports the development and implementation of a strategic assessment framework that monitors the performance of the organization and communicates the accomplishments of the strategic objectives in collaboration with the ULC. Coordinates various assessment activities across various committees and working groups such as the Web Committee, Space Assessment Activities, Instruction related activities, etc. Develops recommendations for improvements in the user experience across physical and digital environments, collections, and services. Advises on the selection and implementation of appropriate assessment tools and services. Provides timely advisory to how the organization’s data might have impacts for strategic and operational activity Organizes all data collection activities across the organization in a visible and easily accessible manner with the development of dashboards and user-friendly interfaces and processes.
- #14 Decision-making authority: The committee will make decisions regarding methods for collecting data; Communication methods and engagement with relevant, authorized internal and external stakeholders for applicable data collection and reporting; Creating timelines and protocols. Major decisions and recommendations with organization wide impact will be submitted to ULC for review and approval.