AAHSL: Quality, Statistics,

Volume 1 Issue 2

October 20, 2007

and Outcomes Assessment
Outcomes Assessment Committee
Vision: AAHSL will be a leader in defining standards by which academic health sciences librar-
ies are measured and evaluated and will promote a culture of assessment.
Goals:
1) Identify assessment methods for evaluating libraries.
2) Determine which assessment methods are useful for evaluating HSC libraries.
3) Identify gaps in existing assessment methods and determine what (if any) new methods need
to be developed.
4) Educate AAHSL members on outcomes and assessment as they relate to academic health
sciences libraries.
5) Provide tools for AAHSL members to use in promoting a culture of assessment.
6) Continue to support LibQUAL+ research and analysis, other qualitative measurement activi-
ties, and new initiatives in outcomes assessment.
7) Explore grant opportunities by IMLS and/or NLM.
(from Outcomes Assessment Committee at
http://www.aahsl.org/new/display_page.cfm?file_id=182)
UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER LIBRARY

Example: Health Information Literacy:

From Accountability

Library Outcomes
 Student learning measures
 Instruction on EBM and information seeking
User Outcomes

 Improved retention
to Improvement

 Ability to apply information-seeking skills

Assessment and Statistics Committee

The committee (1) develops and edits the Annual Statistics of Medical School Libraries in the
United States and Canada, (2) defines, tests, and evaluates new and existing statistics prod-
ucts,(3) recommends new assessment strategies including outcomes and assessments meas-
ures that establish and support Knowledge Management in Education, (4) liaisons with other
statistics initiatives such as those conducted by ARL and the MLA Benchmarking program,
and (5) publicizes and demonstrates the value of the Association’s assessment and statistical
products.
Resources:
Library Outcomes Assessment: A Selected Bibliography
Outcomes Assessment Standards and Tools
LibQUAL+ Survey Administration Tip Sheet
Glossary of Definitions

Inside this issue:

Outcomes Assessment Committee 1

Assessment and Statistics Committee 1

AAHSL and LibQUAL+ 2

Outcomes Assessment Standards and Tools 3

 AAHSL Libraries and LibQUAL+
An AAHSL Consortium of libraries has
participated in LibQUAL+ since 2002. A
series of 5 questions chosen by the Con-
sortium are included in each participating
library’s survey. Aggregate scores are
reported in group notebooks compiled by
LibQUAL+.
Exploring Outcomes Assessment:
The AAHSL LibQUAL Experience
In 2002, 36 AAHSL libraries participated in
the Spring 2002 LibQUAL+ survey, a pilot
project initiated to explore new methods of
Figure 2. User Satisfaction measuring user
satisfaction and
outcomes. Figure
2 summarizes
figures related to
user satisfaction.
Across AAHSL
libraries, the most significant service gaps
Outcomes Assessment Standards and Tools (selected)
Inside Story Headline
1. AAMC Graduation Questionnaire and AAMC
Medical School Objectives Project
2. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Educa-
tion (ACGME) - General competencies for residents
in six areas (with information literacy and informat-
ics competencies) endorsed 1999, implementation
began 2001. See Outcome Project at
URL: <http://www.acgme.org/outcome/comp/
compFull.asp>
3. ARL Higher Education Outcomes (and SAILS for
undergraduates) - Addresses the library’s role in
student competencies. See New Measures at
URL <http://www.arl.org/stats/initiatives/ >
Page 2
Figure 1. Five Questions
occur in two areas—electronic journal
collections required for work and elec-
tronic resources accessible from home or
office.
Figure 3. Recommendations
and SAILS Project at
URL <https://www.projectsails.org/index.php>
4. ACRL Information Literacy Standards
Provides standards, performance indicators, and
outcomes that serve as guidelines that support
lifelong learning. URL <http://www.ala.org/ala/
acrl/acrlstandards/
informationliteracycompetency.cfm>
5. Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
See “ Establishing, Presenting and Using Out-
come Measures” (pdf) URL <http://
www.ceph.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?
pageid=3294>
Figure 4. Recommendations
Source:
http://www.aahsl.org/document/
Exploring_Outcomes_Assessment_OCT.11
[1].ppt#256,1,Exploring Outcomes Assessment
6. American Dental Association, Commission on
Dental Accreditation: Outcomes Assessment.
Identified core competencies.
URL <http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/accred/
commission/outcomes.asp>
7. Institute of Medicine’s Health Professions
Education: A Bridge to Quality (2003)
Offers five core competencies for all health
clinicians, two of which relate to information
(finding, using, evaluating, integrating).
URL <http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?
isbn=0309087236
FROM ACCOUNTABILITY