Browsing by Subject "Library and Information Science (LIS) Program Assessment"

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    Remote Reference in U.S. Public Library Practice and LIS Education
    (Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE), 2008) Agosto, Denise E.; Abels, Eileen G.; Mon, Lorri M.; Most, Linda R.; Copeland, Andrea J.; Hamann, Jeanne; Masnik, Mike
    The state of remote reference services in the United States was assessed by surveying remote reference availability at 100 U.S. public libraries, examining remote reference in the syllabi of American Library Association (ALA)-accredited library and information science (LIS) courses in the U.S., and analyzing national competencies and guidelines. Findings indicated that the telephone was the most common medium in use for remote reference services at public libraries, followed by e-mail and chat. In teaching, however, syllabi at LIS programs addressed digital remote reference media far more often than the telephone. Reference standards and guidelines primarily focused on general practices applicable to both remote and face-to-face reference work, rather than on specifics relevant to differing remote reference media types. Included in this study are recommendations to address this apparent disconnect among reference practices, teaching, and professional guidelines.
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    Student Learning Outcomes Assessment and LIS Program Presentations
    (Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE), 2006) Applegate, Rachel
    American Library Association (ALA) standards for the accreditation of library schools emphasize the assessment of student learning outcomes; this is part of a broader accountability movement in higher education. This study reviews accreditors' statements on program assessment, past methods of evaluating library schools, and general definitions of measures of student learning. It then examines fifteen publicly-available "program presentations," self-study documents prepared for ALA-Committee on Accreditation visits and review, for descriptions of direct or indirect measures of student learning outcomes and their use for program-level assessment and improvement. Only seven of the fifteen presentations describe the use of "direct" measures of student learning. Further research on program-level use of outcomes measurement would strengthen the profession and address external pressures for concrete accountability.