The Culture of Research in its Many Contexts

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The Culture of Research in its Many Contexts

• Rosalind F. Dudden, MLS, DM/AHIP, FMLA
• Library Services Director
• Tucker Medical Library
• National Jewish Medical and Research Center
• Denver, Colorado 80206
• duddenr_at_njc.org
• http//library.nationaljewish.org

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Overview (View Notes to read speech)

• Definition of Culture of Assessment
• Tasks involved
• Shifting Paradigms, influence of
• Accomplishments noted on Panel
• Current Trends
• Research Section Support

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• National Library of Medicine Publications Grant
  NLM Grants for Scholarly Works in Biomedicine and
  Health -
• (5-G13LM008520)
• Oct 2004 to Sept 2006
• Published Sept 2007

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Culture of Assessment

• "A Culture of Assessment can be achieved by
• creating systems and structures that are based on
  
• continuous assessment and evaluation
• in an organizational culture that is
• customer focused and
• uses assessment systematically.
• Amos Lakos and Shelley Phipps, 2004

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Culture of Assessment

• Librarians have to create customer-responsive
  environments that are designed to enhance service
  quality and maintain superior standards of
  service.
• This can only be achieved by creating systems and
  structures that are based on continuous
  assessment and evaluation.
• Phipps SE, 2001

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ARL Study of Library Culture of Assessment

• Assign coordination and responsibility for
  assessment
• Prioritize assessment activities
• Move from project-based to sustainable assessment
• Share and publish assessment results
• Allocate sufficient resources to sustain
  assessment
• Review maintenance and use of internal statistics
  
• Incorporate use of data into library management
• Understand other university assessment and data
  warehousing efforts.

Hiller, et al 2007
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Factors Leading to Research(Hiller et al.)

• Library leadership
• Organizational culture
• Responsibility for assessment
• Library priorities
• Sufficiency of resources
• Data infrastructure
• Assessment skills and expertise

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Results

• Opportunities for MLA
• create a culture of research
• address challenges
• identify domains of research
• articulate needed research skills sets
• encourage stakeholders
• measure progress

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Recommendations

• Lead!
• Advocate!
• Collaborate!
• Serve!
• Educate!
• Publish!
• Succeed!

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Straight Path to a Research Culture
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But Soon
Cover - The New Republic - 2/19/2007
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Shifting Paradigms - View of World

• 2000
• Biology
• diffusion
• webs
• volatility
• adaptability

• 1900
• Engineering
• linear development
• vertical integration

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Shifting Paradigms - Technology - Integration -
Size

• Technology
• From the printed word to other media.
• The unprecedented impact of the Internet on
  library operations.
• Integration
• Information connected on a scale and with a speed
  often felt to be overwhelming.
• Electronic health records Industry-wide portals
  Federated search engines
• Size of Information
• Huge data sets huge databases increased storage
  capacity

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1990s - User-Centered Library

• User-centered libraries collect data and use
  them as the basis for decision-making rather than
  rely on subjective impressions and opinions
• Stoffle et al 2006

• User-Centered Library
• All services and activities are viewed through
  the eyes of the customers
• Customers determine quality
• Library services and resources add value to the
  customer

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Linear Arrangement of Types of Measures
Dudden, RF. Using Benchmarking, Needs Assessment,
Quality Improvement, Outcome Measurement, and
Library Standards A How-To-Do-It Manual. New
York Neal Schuman, 2007.
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the library in the life of the user

• This becomes even more complex when one tries to
  introduce the notion of motion, depicting a more
  dynamic and flexible model,
• moving users and information resources
• into a spiral swirl up and down
• into the depths of knowledge, exploration, and
  experience.

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Inputs to Outputs to Outcomes

• This inextricable and complex web of relations
  provides a richer context for the usefulness of
  inputs, outputs, quality issues, and the impact
  libraries are making.
• Martha Kyrillidou. From input and output measures
  to quality and outcome measures, or, from the
  user in the life of the library to the library in
  the life of the user. J Acad Libr.
  200228(1/2)42-6.

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The Strategic Plan Goals

• Adapt information services to a changing
  environment
• Communicate with key stakeholders
• Promote and provide information services to the
  entire Health System.
• Community Outreach
• Seek funding opportunities and partners for
  special projects
• Demonstrate service value to administration

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NIH Library Staff Survey

• NIHL staff motivational factors (n33)
• Training 64
• Opportunity to collaborate with library staff
  61
• Opportunity to present at professional meetings
  58
• Release time 45
• Mentoring 39
• Opportunity to present to other library staff
  33
• Inclusion in performance appraisal 33
• Special funding 21

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Research Assessment Ten Years of Local
Initiatives

• Professional Development
• Brown bags
• Informatics and leadership seminar series
• Engagement with research community
• Outreach, Community-Based Research
• Grant-writing support
• Review HRRC and pre-award proposals
• Centralized support to faculty for pre- post
  awards
• Checklist for submissions
• Promotion of role
• Faculty web pages, including NIH biosketch
• Reward and recognition
• Faculty award, over and beyond minimal publishing
  requirement
• Celebrate promotion for faculty

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Next Steps

• Faculty dialog
• Continued advancement with HSC leadership of role
  of library as academic home
• Improve depth of research skills, including
  methodologies and IRB
• Improve incentives and rewards
• Recognition
• Role model mentoring
• Salary incentives
• Protected time, 12 20 days/yr
• Professional development/travel project funds

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Current Trends in Assessment

• Understand the goals of the organization
• Understand the user - be customer focused -
  assess needs
• Establish a culture of assessment
• Use a variety of measures - old and new
• Use outcomes to tell your story and also show
  traditional measures

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The MLA Research Section

• to foster research related skills of individual
  health sciences librarians.
• to promote interest in research and an awareness
  of the research need among MLA members.
• to promote MLA programs and policies which
  advance research development and excellence.
• to serve as an action group, in concert with
  other MLA groups and committees, for the
  advancement of library related research.

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Bibliography

• Full Bibliography and PowerPoint
• http//info.nationaljewish.org/libraryinfo/
• Amos Lakos and Shelley Phipps. Creating a culture
  of assessment a catalyst for organizational
  change. Portal. 20044(3)345-61
• Phipps SE. Beyond measuring service quality
  learning from the voices of the customers, the
  staff, the processes, and the organization.
  Library Trends. 200149(4)635-61.
• Hiller, Steve, Martha Kyrillidou and Jim Self.
  When the Evidence Isnt Enough Organizational
  Factors That Influence Effective and Successful
  Library Assessment. Evidence-based Library and
  Information Practice 4th International
  Conference, Durham, North Carolina, United
  States. 7 May 2007
• Stoffle, Renaud and Veldof, Choosing Our
  Futures, College Research Libraries,
  199656(5)213-225.
• Martha Kyrillidou. From input and output measures
  to quality and outcome measures, or, from the
  user in the life of the library to the library in
  the life of the user. Journal of Academic
  Libraries. 200228(1/2)42-6.
• Dudden, RF. Using Benchmarking, Needs Assessment,
  Quality Improvement, Outcome Measurement, and
  Library Standards A How-To-Do-It Manual. New
  York Neal Schuman, 2007.