Performance Standard

Outcomes

Planned Activities

80% of surveyed students, faculty, staff and community patrons will agree that the quality of reference desk assistance/service is “above average” or better.

86% of student respondents agreed that the quality of reference service is “above average” or “exceptional.”  Faculty and staff rated this service at 95% above average or better.   Surveyed groups exceeded this standard for the first time, and the results are much higher than in previous years.  This indicates that the planned activities were effective.  Special emphasis has been placed on the speed and accuracy of the reference service as well as patron satisfaction.  This standard will be continued to determine if the planned activities are consistently successful.

• Schedule library personnel to work at the reference desk during the designated time periods.
• Advertise the reference desk to students during campus tours and bibliographic instruction sessions.
• Remind faculty and staff that reference assistance is available at staff/division meetings.
• Attempt to answer each reference question in a timely manner while providing accurate, reliable information.

80% of surveyed students, faculty, staff and community patrons will agree that the library is open adequate hours.

93.6% of student respondents agreed that the library’s hours of operation are “adequate,” “good,” or “exceptional.”  100% of faculty and staff reached the same conclusion.  Surveyed groups indicated that the library has exceeded the performance standard.  This result is consistent with the findings from the previous four years – despite the reduction in weekend hours.  Based on this feedback, the library hours will not be changed in the upcoming year.  This standard will continue to be monitored to see if changes are warranted for new students, new academic programs, new organizational arrangements, etc.

• Continue to advertise the library’s hours on the library web page and brochures.
• Continue to inform faculty (including adjunct faculty) about the library’s hours and services through faculty orientations, meetings and newsletters.

• Continue to communicate with local public libraries about our library services and hours of operation.

80% of surveyed students, faculty and staff members will agree that the library’s collections are easily accessible.

99.3% of students indicated that the library’s collections were easily accessible, and 100% of faculty and staff reached the same conclusion.  From 1998 to 2001, over 90% of students, faculty, staff and community patrons indicated that the library’s collections were easily accessible.  There was a decline below the performance standard in 2002, so it is good to see improvement.  Emphasis will again be placed on the planned activities to see if these positive outcomes are a norm. 

• Schedule library staff to “read” library shelves to find misplaced material.
• Train library staff to find missing material and to make corrections.
• Develop proper signage in the library for patrons.
• Provide an adequate number of computer workstations for patrons.
• Make flyers explaining the LC classification readily available electronically and as a brochure.

80% of surveyed students, faculty, and staff members who indicate a response other than “don’t know” will agree that they are able to check out library material in five minutes or less.

83.5% of students agreed that they are able to check out library material in five minutes or less.    90% of faculty and staff indicated that they could check out library in five minutes or less.  By focusing on surveys that provided answers other than, “Did not check out library material,” progress toward this performance standard was easier to identify.  The standard was exceeded for the first time in six years.  It will be continued next year to learn if respondent attitudes are consistent.  Planned activities will continue as well, and emphasis will be placed on upgrading circulation computers/software.

• Schedule library personnel at the circulation desk to ensure that assistance is available.
• Train library personnel, especially new student employees, to handle circulation requests efficiently.  This includes the Voyager circulation module and reserve items.
• Seek computer upgrades to support Windows 2000 or higher edition.

80% of students completing the Pathfinder to the Library Workbooks I & II will receive a grade of B or above.

90.3% of students completing the Pathfinder workbooks during Summer (2002), Fall (2002), and Spring (2003) received a grade B or above.  The outcome of 90.3% exceeds last year’s outcome by 7% and represents an average increase of 3% over the past six years.  All planned activities were performed.  In addition, the hardcopy workbooks were updated and transferred to the online format.  This allowed students easier access to the information via the Internet.  The performance standard will be continued to help measure the strengths and weaknesses of the library’s bibliographic instruction program.  The exam for the Workbook II will be eliminated and a new workbook will be written for ENC 091.  It is hoped that earlier library training will better prepare students for the ENG 101 assignment.

• Provide an overview for students of the subject material discussed in the Pathfinder Workbook I and explain the related assignments.
• Provide an overview for students of the subject material discussed in the Pathfinder II and explain the related assignments.
• Provide tours and training sessions for students enrolled in English 101/102.
• Work with faculty members to ensure that students understand the material.

80% of surveyed students, faculty and staff members who have used the library’s ILL service will agree that interlibrary loan orders are filled within three weeks after a request has been made.

78.5% of student respondents indicated that their ILL requests were filled within five days or less with the remaining 21.5% receiving their information within six to ten days.  88.8% of faculty and staff indicated that their ILL requests were filled within five days or less with the remaining 11.2% indicating six to ten days.  Although the performance standard has not been met for the student group, this year’s outcome was the highest in six years.  Faculty and staff results exceeded the performance standard for the first time in seven years.  Activities appear to be effective and will be continued.  Emphasis will be placed on the training of Lynda Sinnett and the library’s ILL web page.

• Emphasize the training of library staff.  Send Lynda Sinnett to OCLC/SOLINET workshops on ILL to keep abreast of technological changes.
• Update the ILL form on the library’s web page.
• Notify patrons that their requested material is available on the same day that the material arrives via phone and/or email.

80% of surveyed students will rate the periodical collection consisting of magazines, journals and newspapers as “useful,” “very useful,” or “most useful” material.

68.7% of responding students indicated that the periodical collection as “useful” or better while the remaining 31.3% had “never used” this collection.  18% of the library’s book budget was spent – up from the anticipated 10%.  Moreover, this amount is up from the 16% spent last year.  Feedback was received from faculty members from all divisions for the enhancement of the periodical collection, and written reviews were consulted.  New periodical listings were posted to the library’s web page since the distribution of information via e-mail was not feasible.  The periodical hardcopy collection was maintained at 185 issues.  More students need to be educated about the availability and value of the periodical collection to meet this standard.

• 10% of the library’s book budget will be spent on the periodical collection.
• Solicit help from faculty and staff when developing the periodical collection.
• Read Katz Magazines for Libraries and other evaluative sources to keep abreast of needed titles for the periodical collection.
• Acquire selected materials through Ebsco, or another vendor to minimize shipping, handling, and labor costs.
• Process new periodical material the same day that it arrives.

• Notify library patrons about new periodical material via the library’s web page.

80% of surveyed students will rate the audio-visual collections as “useful,” “very useful,” or “most useful” material.

18.7% of students agreed that the audio-visual collections contain “useful”, “very useful,” or “most useful” material.  The remaining 81.3% indicated that they have “never used” the collection and couldn’t comment on it. Although circulation records indicate and increase in the use of audio-visual materials, lack of respondent knowledge about the audio-visual collection indicates that many are still unaware of its availability.  Those that are aware and have used this collection appear generally satisfied with it.  More emphasis needs to be placed on advertising this collection and service during bibliographic instruction and library tours.

• 10% of the library’s book budget will be spent on audio-visual resources.
• Solicit help from faculty and staff when developing the library’s audio-visual resources.
• Keep abreast of changes in audio-visual resources by reading related trade journals.
• Acquire audio-visual materials within two weeks after faculty selections.
• Notify library patrons about new acquisitions via the library’s web page, e-mail, The Green Street Journal, and other handouts.

80% of students who respond to the ENG 101 and ENG 102 Pathfinder Workbook surveys will rate the bibliographic instruction presentation as “above average” or “exceptional.”

86% of students completing the Pathfinder Workbook surveys indicated that the library’s bibliographic instruction presentations were “above average” or “exceptional.”  The remaining 14% rated these presentations as “average.”  The performance standard was exceeded by 6%.  Most of the activities were completed; however, an LCD projector is still needed.  It has also been decided that a SMART Board is no longer needed due to a change in the Pathfinder web page design, and due to a change in the bibliographic instruction classroom environment.  To continue this success, the library staff needs to expand the bibliographic instruction courses to include ENC 090 and ENC 091.  Reaching students earlier in their academic careers will increase their understanding of library services.

• Secure funds to purchase an LCD Projector, a SMART Board, and computer to support the bibliographic instruction sessions.
• Review and update the presentations with ENG 101 & 102 faculty to ensure the accuracy and relevancy of the content.
• Develop handouts for students outlining the material to be discussed.
• Develop a lecture outlines for both courses and revise the exam for the Pathfinder I Workbook as needed.

80% of students who respond to the ENG 101 and ENG 102 Pathfinder Workbook surveys will rate the respective online workbooks as “helpful,” “very helpful,” or “most helpful.”

96.3% of students responding to Pathfinder Workbook surveys rated the Pathfinder I Workbook as “helpful,” “very helpful,” or “most helpful.”  100% of student respondents rated the Pathfinder II Workbook as “helpful,” “very helpful,” or “most helpful.”  The outcomes show that the online workbooks for ENG 101 and ENG 102 are well received by students.  The library needs to continue this success by reviewing and updating the content of the workbooks.  It is also recommended that workbooks also be written for other English courses and for other courses/programs.

• Review the content of the Pathfinder Workbooks to ensure currency and accuracy of the information.
• Review web development software to improve the appearance of the web pages.
• Work with ENG 101 & ENG 102 faculty to review the relevancy of information and make adjustments prior to the BI sessions.

80% of surveyed faculty and staff will rate the library’s bibliographic instruction program as “above average” or “exceptional.”

80% of faculty and staff rated the library’s bibliographic instruction program as “above average” or “exceptional.”  The remaining 20% had no opinion.  The performance standard was met for this new standard, however, it appears that a large percentage of faculty and staff either do not know about the program, or are ambivalent to this service.  Communication with the faculty about the bibliographic instruction program needs to be increased and emphasized.

• Keep faculty informed about the library’s BI efforts through e-mail, handouts, and meetings.
• Inform new faculty members about the BI services during new faculty orientation.
• Develop handouts outlining the mission, focus, and benefits of the BI program.

80% of surveyed faculty and staff will rate the library’s online Pathfinder Workbooks as “helpful,” “very helpful,” or “most helpful.”

55% of surveyed faculty and staff rated the library’s online Pathfinder Workbooks as “helpful,” “very helpful,” or “most helpful.”  The remaining 45% had “no opinion.”  The outcomes indicate that a majority of faculty and staff are satisfied with the workbooks.  They also indicate that a large percentage have no use for them.  The library staff must address this latter group.  More faculty must be informed about the workbooks and the intent behind their publication.

• Keep faculty informed about the library’s online workbooks through e-mail and meetings.
• Inform new faculty members about the online workbooks during new faculty orientation.
• Develop handouts outlining the mission, focus, and benefits of the workbooks and the BI program.

80% of surveyed students (ENG 102) will rate the library’s reference collection as “useful,” “most useful,” or “very useful.”

66.6% of students rated the reference collection as “useful,” “very useful,” or “most useful.”  The remaining 33.4% indicated that they had never used this collection and couldn’t comment on its usefulness.  Although the outcomes show that a majority of students value the reference collection, the high number of students who have not used the reference collection is a concern.  The planned activities have been completed and have increased the quality of this collection.  Emphasis must be placed on communication and advertising.  Students need to be informed about the collection and its benefits.

• 20% of the library’s book budget will be spent on reference titles.
• Solicit help from faculty and staff when developing the library’s reference titles.
• Keep informed about new reference titles by reading related trade journals.
• Acquire reference materials within two weeks after selection.
• Notify library patrons about new acquisitions via the library’s web page, e-mail, The Green Street Journal, and other handouts.

80% of surveyed students, faculty, and staff will rate the Ebsco, ProQuest, InfoTrac, and NewsBank database collections as “useful,” “very useful,” or “most useful.” 

Surveyed faculty, staff, and students rated the following databases as “useful,” “very useful,” or “most useful.”

The majority of faculty and staff had no opinion about the databases.  Student respondents rated each of the databases above the performance standard except InfoTrac.  (A question about InfoTrac was accidentally omitted from the student survey.)  Faculty and staff responses fell well below the performance standard.  The lack of preference or value by the faculty and staff is a concern.  Efforts should focus on the advertisement of the databases to faculty and staff.

• Communicate database preferences to the KCTCS Library Directors’ sub-committee for database acquisition.
• Develop handouts outlining the functions and processes of the database.
• Include information about the databases in the bibliographic instruction lectures for ENG 101.
• Send database updates to faculty via e-mail and the Green Street Journal.
• Review the price of the databases within the collection and contact the vendor about content changes.

80% of faculty in nursing, CLT, early childhood education, dental hygiene, medical assisting, and IT will rate the library’s acquisition efforts for their respective area as “above average” or “exceptional.” 

Too few faculty members responded to these survey questions (7) to draw reliable conclusions about the library’s acquisition efforts.  It is recommended that this part of the survey be eliminated in favor of focus groups or other qualitative data gathering techniques.

• Spend 60% of the library’s book budget on material for the circulating collection.
• Review the reference circulating, audio-visual, and periodical collections in each of the areas.  Work with faculty to weed dated and obsolete titles.
• Purchase faculty-recommended titles for each area.
• Purchase titles recommended by respective accreditation agencies.
• Notify faculty about new arrivals via e-mail once a month.