I’ll start this new series off with this project, since it’s currently in progress. So, if you’ve worked on a project like this before and have helpful suggestions and things to watch out for, I welcome hearing from you!
This started because my campus announced plans for a campus-wide comprehensive program review. At first, it sounded like every unit would be expected to participate, though it was later clarified that this would only be a comprehensive review of all academic programs. However, our library leadership felt it would be useful to do a review of the library, as well. I was asked to lead this process.
To start, I read some articles on program reviews, and several mentioned using logic models to outline programmatic resource needs, activities, and outputs. At the same time, I had access to an array of statistics that have been collected for various reasons, including reporting for ACRL, IPEDS, and other agencies. But a lot of that was shaped by what outside units thought to ask us, instead of our own internal strategic plan.
It quickly became clear that to do a review of our programs, we need to define what our programs are. We have several organizational divisions, but are those each their own program, or do we need to look at things in a new way?
So the first step was to meet with leaders from each unit to discuss what they do and what outcomes they see themselves working toward. We had some really interesting conversations, but the core thread that ran through each of the discussions was just how much overlap there is between each of the organizational units. For the 10 years that I have been here, we have been really siloed, with individuals crossing lines to collaborate, but with a systematic lack of effective communication between units.
My initial plan had been to develop outcome statements for each area, then meet again with each whole unit (initial meetings were just with department leaders in most cases) to discuss what resources they would need to achieve the outcomes they would like to achieve, and then also map out what outcomes are practical, and what activities could be prioritized / deprioritized, with current resource levels. We have been chronically understaffed for years, which means we can’t do all the things we’d really like to be able to do.
As I compiled my notes from all those meetings, though, I decided to focus on those common threads. Instead of treating each department (learning & research support, technical services, public services, assessment & outreach, special collections) as a program, I outlined 6 programs that honestly will probably seem obvious to anyone who works in libraries:
- Access and Discoverability Management
- Ensure that students and faculty can effectively find and access all materials needed to support the curriculum and research
- Assessment
- I’m rethinking this one – should it be its own program, or is it better defined as a component of each program?
- Collection Management
- Manage library collections to ensure resources are high quality and relevant to campus curricular and research needs and that we are optimizing financial resources
- Electronic Resources Management
- Develop and maintain the information architecture needed to provide seamless access to the resources students and faculty need to support the curriculum and research
- Defined broadly to include a lot of systems stuff, like administering LibApps, authentication software, the website, and so on, in addition to managing ebook and database infrastructure.
- Information Literacy
- Teach information literacy skills and concepts, as outlined in the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, through individual encounters, course integrated instruction, online learning objects, programs and displays, and strategic design
- Outreach
- Promote library resources (materials, programs, spaces) and events to all relevant constituent groups
I shared this outline with the library Leadership Team, and then with all library employees in December 2021. And then, in January 2022, the dean of the library announced that all faculty would be expected to connect their goals for 2022, written as part of the annual evaluation cycle, to these library programs. Based on feedback received as a result of this, there was a suggestion to add something like “innovation and professional development” as a program to encompass research and professional development activities that don’t obviously support the other core library programs. I’m still thinking that one through.
The next step will be to schedule meetings with library employees to discuss the major activities that contribute to these programs. I plan to make sure that every library worker participates in at least one meeting, so that their voices are heard. Some library workers may be involved in several different meetings, depending on what their responsibilities are.
I have mapped out plans for meetings for three of the programs so far, and plan to go ahead and start working on those meetings while finalizing the other programs (thinking through feedback). In this next round of meetings, I plan to discuss:
- What outputs would you like to be able achieve?
- What resources would you need to be able to achieve those outputs?
- Given current resources, what outputs would be realistic goals?
I plan to use these discussions to fill out the resources, activities, and outputs portion of an aspirational logic model chart for each program as well as draft a set of outputs we believe we can meet now, which can be used to develop an assessment plan for each program.
This whole thing is a work in progress, and I feel like I’m just blundering through it. But, the dean of the library seems happy with my progress so far and my plan for next steps, so I hope that means I’m doing better than I feel? My progress so far did provide some content for our “About Us” page on the library website!
The things I’m really enjoying about this project are:
- Taking a list of activities, stepping back to look at the big picture, and organizing them, regardless of existing organizational lines, to draw connections and highlight common goals
- Facilitating discussions about what outcomes workers want to accomplish – why do you care so much about updating that catalog record or discarding outdated books or whatever other specific task? What is the purpose of doing what you do?
- Exploring new ways to communicate with the rest of campus about what we do
- Creating space for workers to tell leadership what they see as effective / not so effective, what they see as really important / what they do because it has always done but that could be discontinued / what they would like to do if they could (if they had time)
- Taking the time to stop just responding and proactively write our own vision of our future
I’m not sure what parts of that translate to work outside of academia, at least in any role that I have the experience to have a shot at being considered to do. I can see clearly how my teaching experience and past committee work honed my skills in facilitating these discussions and keeping our focus on track, but that’s looking in the wrong direction!