Learn effective ways to assess and evaluate reference services in YOUR library Innovation and the constant evolution of technology continually spur academic librarians to find superior ways to deliver high quality reference service to students, faculty, and researchers. Reference Assessment and Evaluation offers librarians and administrators a plethora of fresh ideas and methods to effectively assess and evaluate reference service in any academic library. Leading experts share their own best practices in delivering digital reference, training staff and student workers, and providing instruction through case studies from academic libraries of all sizes. Because of fiscal pressures, the need to attract the best and brightest students and faculty to the academy, and increased competition from Internet search engines, the evaluation and assessment of reference service remains one of the most important challenges for academic libraries. Reference Assessment and Evaluation provides practical tips and clear examples on assessing and evaluating several diverse aspects of reference services. This book discusses in detail case studies from various colleges and universities on wide-ranging issues such as virtual reference evaluation, merging reference desks, peer evaluations, library instruction, and staff development. Academic libraries of all types will find opportunities to modify these innovative ideas to remain at the forefront of reference service. Topics in Reference Assessment and Evaluation include: a case study of the library at the University of Colorado at Boulder’s efforts to implement a drop-in research consultation program for students enrolled in the introductory writing course coordination of an annual professional development program for specialized instruction targeted at faculty and staff members at Colorado State University peer observation between the reference staff members of Augustana College Library and St. Ambrose University Library the merging of San Jose State University’s government publication desk with the reference services deskalong with the public library’s reference desk Valparaiso University’s main library’s training and use of student assistants analyzing user and librarian satisfaction within virtual reference transactions evaluation of the University of South Alabama’s Baugh Biomedical Library’s chat reference service evaluation of the University of Texas at Arlington’s virtual reference service library technology’s impact on reference desk statistics statistical analysis of reference desk data for staffing needs at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Reference Assessment and Evaluation is timely, important reading for academic references librarians and supervisors.

Learn effective ways to assess and evaluate reference services in YOUR library Innovation and the constant evolution of technology continually spur academic librarians to find superior ways to deliver high quality reference service to students, faculty, and researchers. Reference Assessment and Evaluation offers librarians and administrators a plethora of fresh ideas and methods to effectively assess and evaluate reference service in any academic library. Leading experts share their own best practices in delivering digital reference, training staff and student workers, and providing instruction through case studies from academic libraries of all sizes. Because of fiscal pressures, the need to attract the best and brightest students and faculty to the academy, and increased competition from Internet search engines, the evaluation and assessment of reference service remains one of the most important challenges for academic libraries. Reference Assessment and Evaluation provides practical tips and clear examples on assessing and evaluating several diverse aspects of reference services. This book discusses in detail case studies from various colleges and universities on wide-ranging issues such as virtual reference evaluation, merging reference desks, peer evaluations, library instruction, and staff development. Academic libraries of all types will find opportunities to modify these innovative ideas to remain at the forefront of reference service. Topics in Reference Assessment and Evaluation include: a case study of the library at the University of Colorado at Boulder’s efforts to implement a drop-in research consultation program for students enrolled in the introductory writing course coordination of an annual professional development program for specialized instruction targeted at faculty and staff members at Colorado State University peer observation between the reference staff members of Augustana College Library and St. Ambrose University Library the merging of San Jose State University’s government publication desk with the reference services desk—along with the public library’s reference desk Valparaiso University’s main library’s training and use of student assistants analyzing user and librarian satisfaction within virtual reference transactions evaluation of the University of South Alabama’s Baugh Biomedical Library’s chat reference service evaluation of the University of Texas at Arlington’s virtual reference service library technology’s impact on reference desk statistics statistical analysis of reference desk data for staffing needs at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Reference Assessment and Evaluation is timely, important reading for academic references librarians and supervisors.

In this comprehensive handbook, an examination of the complexities of contemporary evaluation contributes to the ongoing dialogue that arises in professional efforts to evaluate people-related programs, policies, and practices. The SAGE Handbook of Evaluation is a unique and authoritative resource consisting of 25 chapters covering a range of evaluation theories and techniques in a single, accessible volume. With contributions from world-leading figures in their fields overseen by an eminent international editorial board, this handbook is an extensive and user-friendly resource.

The 'Encyclopedia of Evaluation' recognises the growth of evaluation around the world & highlights all the major contributions to the field. There are over 400 entries organised alphabetically.

With this handy new guidebook, reference luminary Jo Bell Whitlatch outlines practical methods for evaluating and delivering excellent reference service to the technology-savvy library user of today.

This bestselling book is still the best choice for helping early childhood teachers understand the process of assessment and evaluation to benefit young children. With the advent of the No Child Left Behind Act, testing, accountability, and standards are now pervasive throughout early childhood education. Completely revised to address the issues that have been raised by these new policies, the Second Edition features completely new chapters on: assessment of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, addressing the new makeup of today's classroom; assessment of children with special needs, focusing on the relationship among assessment, curriculum, and instruction; and the addition of a helpful glossary of terms and an annotated listing of assessment instruments used in early childhood education.

Evaluability assessment (EA) can lead to development of sound program theory, increased stakeholder involvement and empowerment, better understanding of program culture and context, enhanced collaboration and communication, process and findings use, and organizational learning and evaluation capacity building. Evaluability Assessment: Improving Evaluation Quality and Use, by Michael Trevisan and Tamara Walser, provides an up-to-date treatment of EA, clarifies what it actually is and how it can be used, demonstrates EA as an approach to evaluative inquiry with multidisciplinary and global appeal, and identifies and describes the purposes and benefits to using EA. Using case examples contributed by EA practitioners, the text illustrates important features of EA use, and showcases how EA is used in a variety of disciplines and evaluation contexts. This text is appropriate as an instructional text for graduate level evaluation courses and training, and as a resource for evaluation practitioners, policymakers, funding agencies, and professional training. “The most impressive aspect of this book is that it positions EA as an approach that perfectly fits within the current philosophical views on program evaluation… The authors do a great job connecting these theories to practice, and provide good guidelines.” —Sebastian Galindo-Gonzalez, University of Florida “This book is focused on one very important topic in the scope of program evaluation content. It establishes the foundation for a variety of applications: impact assessment, program development, and formative evaluation. This text provides new insights and methods for conducting evaluability assessment.” —S. Kim MacGregor, Louisiana State University “The book is written in a very readable style, is well organized and referenced. I like the inclusion of case studies, guidelines for actually doing EA, and the extensive discussion of its alignment with other models of evaluation process.” —Iris Smith, Emory University