Library
The instructors and staff at the Cabrillo College Library deliver both credit instruction and provide a wide range of services to students, faculty and the community.
The Library’s credit instruction program centers on Library 10: Information Research, a co-requisite course with English 1A, and includes Library 100: Introduction to Information Skills, an introductory class on library and information resources.
The library’s information services include a large online database collection for student research, a core book collection covering all campus instruction areas, a large course reserve collection of textbooks and materials required for many classes, individual and group study spaces, and staff and librarians available to help students, faculty and community members with their information needs.
A Little History
Assessment of the Library's information services was developed through a series of open meetings, attended by both faculty and classified staff, to identify non-class-related services and assessment options. The following service categories and their contributions to the core competencies were identified:
- Transaction Services
- Online & Electronic Services
- Information & Instruction Services
- Collection
- Service Management
The meetings resulted in a detailed assessment plan for each service and a time line for that assessment.
It was decided that Information and Instruction services (including assessment of Library 10 and later both Library 100 and Library 18) would utilize the course-embedded method designed by the Cabrillo Faculty Senate for all transfer and basic skills courses, scrutinizing student achievement in the midterm and final of those courses. In addition, the Library 10 instructors met every semester to discuss problems, changes, and new instruction elements in the courses. The results of these meetings, plus any identified ambiguities in the Library 10 workbook and feedback based upon patterns of student errors or confusion, were folded into the following semester’s workbook. Other Instruction services would use short surveys at the end of each activity to assess their effectiveness.
The other major service categories were eventually reorganized into four areas (down from the original five listed above): Reference Desk, Circulation, Computer Services and Information Services.
For these services, a survey was selected as the assessment instrument; the group developed a general survey to assess a review of all library services. It was piloted in Fall 2005 and Spring 2006, when the survey was made available at both Library exits, and over 100 responses were collected during three days of each semester. Survey questions were intended to measure satisfaction with the specific activities a patron was engaged in, as well as self-assessment questions addressing several core competencies. The staff assessed the results based on question responses and frequency of problem areas mentioned in written comments. The results of that pilot assessment and subsequent plans for improvement were captured in the Library Services Assessment Analysis form which was attached to the Library’s Instructional Plan and presented to the Council for Instructional Planning in Spring 2007 and again in Spring 2012. This assessment was repeated each year.
However, after several surveys, the Library began to question the efficacy of the self-assessment of student learning. In addition, they realized that their survey instrument did not recognize or assess the other users of their services, faculty members and the community. In 2012, the Library decided to adopt the approach used in Administration and wrote an AUO to capture the full complement of the services it provides to students, faculty and the community:
Cabrillo library patrons will be able to successfully use the library's physical and electronic
services, information tools, and resources, to find and evaluate information, and accomplish
academic endeavors in the pursuit of formal and informal learning.
In addition, a new planning and assessment cycle for services was adopted.
Current Efforts
The Library continues to assess its courses using its original course-embedded approach, completing Library 10 assessments yearly and the other courses when they are taught.
The new services assessment cycle, beginning in 2013, is the following:
- Year 1 (Spring 2013): Assess Computer services
- Year 2 (Spring 2014): Assess Circulation services
- Year 3 (Spring 2015): Assess Reference services
- Year 4 (Spring 2016): Assess Information Resources
- Year 5 (Spring 2017): Evaluate overall outcomes, assessments, and planning cycle
- Year 6 (2017-2018): Write library program plan
The Library's program plan and its assessments can be found on the Instruction Office AUO webpage.