During this year’s ALA Annual Conference, I had the opportunity to lead a group of 50 librarians and library school faculty in the beginning stages of developing a national research agenda on the value of academic libraries. Building on key portions of the initial research agenda outlined in the Value of Academic Libraries Report, participants focused on student learning, retention, and success as three key areas of interest shared by virtually all higher education institutions.
Workshop participants worked in small groups to generate research questions that can be engaged by practitioners, researchers, and students to advance the dialogue on academic library value nationwide. They also brainstormed research methods, data sets, and stakeholder groups that may have key roles in future value research.
In the coming months, Value of Academic Library committee members will shape the ideas shared during the workshop into a draft research agenda. This draft agenda will be shared and feedback will be solicited beginning in October 2012, initially at the Library Assessment Conference.
Handouts and flashcards used at the workshop are available online at the links below.
Handout – http://meganoakleaf.info/researchquestions.pdf
Revised Handout – http://meganoakleaf.info/valresearchquestions.pdf
Evidence Flashcards – http://meganoakleaf.info/evidencecards.docx
Methods Flashcards – http://meganoakleaf.info/methodscards.docx
Purposes Flashcards – http://meganoakleaf.info/purposescards.docx
Stakeholder Flashcards – http://meganoakleaf.info/stakeholdercards.docx
