Fundamentals of Planning and Assessment for Libraries

by Rachel A. Fleming-May, Regina Mays

The concepts of planning and assessment are intrinsically linked—and understanding them is essential for raising the library’s profile and strengthening its position among stakeholders and the community. Even if you're an LIS student or are new to the profession, or if planning or assessment are not your primary areas of responsibility, you still have a role to play in the success of organizational efforts. Fleming-May has more than a decade of experience in planning and assessment initiatives and instruction, and Mays was her institution’s first assessment librarian; their primer draws from theory, research, and their first-hand observations to illuminate such topics as



characteristics of bad planning strategy that can help to illustrate a better approach;
reasons why using economic models, like ROI, fall short;
how to mix the three types of planning;
guidelines to ensure that assessment is meaningful and actionable;
tips for creating effective surveys;
emphasizing users’ needs with a critical assessment framework;
data analysis for surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observation;
four questions to ask about audience level before you develop a report;
a sample 3-year assessment plan that can be customized; and
seven steps for developing a culture of ongoing assessment.

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[AltLovesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very hyper specific information for libraries about data and how to use data. Not a lot was particularly applicable to me and my library, but it does go very in depth into how to analyze the data you do collect. I liked the breakdown of Operational Planning vs Tactical Planning vs Strategic planning and all of the high level concepts this book described in a general sense.

A decent read, especially if you have the library framework to put a lot of the assessments discussed into practice.