Assessment Plan

Karrmann Library's Mission:

1. To provide basic academic library resources, services, and facilities that support the curricular and general information needs of students, staff and faculty.
2. To provide library resources and services that encourage independent lifelong learning and research, and to promote the desire to read and grow, not only in knowledge, but also in literary and aesthetic appreciation.
3. To provide materials and services that contribute to intellectual growth, multicultural awareness, and development of the region.
4. To collect, preserve, and make available regional historical and genealogical materials, including university archives.
5. To maintain the library's status as a regional depository of U.S. government documents and to collect and provide access to state and U.S. government documents.
6. To participate in and promote interlibrary cooperative sharing of library resources and services.
7. To provide an inviting, relaxed environment that promotes learning and leisure reading, thus enhancing the university experience.

Learning Outcomes:

1. The library staff works with students, faculty, staff, and the community to increase their access to a variety of federal and state government resources in both print and electronic formats.
2. The library staff provides quality reference services to all patrons, including personal, telephone, and email "Ask a Librarian" services.
3. The library staff provides information literacy and library instruction classes for students and faculty in order to increase their ability to use the library's resources and services.
4. The library provides access to in-house services and materials nearly 100 hours per week to the University community and to the region.
5. The library provides access to electronic collections, physical collections and computing services for patrons with disabilities.
6. The library provides access to recreational literature as well as materials relating to current events and issues.
7. The library's Southwest Wisconsin Room offers a wide range of historical and genealogical materials.
8. The library's web page provides easy access to general information and online databases and other resources.
9. The library, through the Instructional Materials Laboratory, a satellite library located in Doudna Hall near the School of Education, offers materials for teachers' instructional and classroom use in preK-12 settings.
10. The library promotes the U.W. System philosophy of "one system, one library" in a variety of ways:
    1. Use of the systemwide Voyager suite of catalog and other products.
    2. Access to the SFX and MetaLib "one- search" system utilized across the U.W. System.
    3. Implementation of the Universal Borrowing component of Voyager.
    4. The ability for users to place Interlibrary Loan requests electronically through the ILLIAD system.
    5. Access to the extensive resources contained in the U.W. System's Shared Electronic Collection.
11. The library provides areas for computer labs, an instructional classroom, group and individual study areas, an open reference area with seating, and a quiet study area, all with the enjoyment of food and beverages.
12. The library provides alternative testing services for all students who request it.

Assessment Tools:

1. Regular use of the national LibQual user survey.
2. Collection and regular analysis of statistics including circulation, reference questions, gate counts, etc.
3. Review suggestions from the library's "suggestion box" and online comments.
4. Review and analysis of reports generated by the ILL, UB, and Shared Electronic Collections.
5. Work with the university's academic programs to have them include one or more questions relating to the library in their student exit surveys/interviews.
6. Periodically work with individuals, groups, and the Library Committee, to collect user input regarding the library and its services.
7. Regular review and evaluation of the library's various collections.
8. Regular analysis of web server logs.
9. Individual evaluations from library instructional sessions and tours.