Assessment of Staff Needs and Satisfaction in an Evergreen

Environment

David GreenNC Cardinal Consultant

State Library of North Carolina

AgendaAssessment

Steps:• Plan• Create• Collect• Analyze, Report, Act

Culture of Assessment“A Culture of Assessment is an organizational environment in

which decisions are based on facts, research, and analysis, and where services are planned and delivered in ways that

maximize positive outcomes and impacts for customers and stakeholders. A Culture of Assessment exists in organizations where staff care to know what results they produce and how

those results relate to customers’ expectations. Organizational mission, values, structures, and systems

support behavior that is performance and learning focused.”

Lakos, A. & Phipps, S. (2004). Creating a Culture of Assessment: A Catalyst for Organizational Change. Libraries and the Academy, 4(3), 345-361.

Service QualityGap theory of assessment:

perceptions, service quality and satisfaction

Perceptions Service

“Only customers judge quality; all other judgments are essentially irrelevant”

Zeithaml, Parasuraman, Berry. (1999). Delivering quality service. NY: The Free Press.

Plan

Why?• Goals• Targets of interest

Because• Goals– Understand the perceptions and expectations of

library staff using Evergreen in NC Cardinal– Make a plan to improve the services of NC

Cardinal• Targets of interest– Staff satisfaction and needs– Development

Elements of an Assessment Plan

• Purpose• Links to strategic documents• Resources• Data policies• Goals• Timeline for continuous assessment

Elements of our Assessment Plan

• Purpose• Links to strategic documents• Resources• Data policies• Goals• Timeline for continuous assessment

Plan Summary• What do we want to know?• What is the purpose?• What kind of results are needed?• How do we report back?

Keep notes!

Create

Choose an Assessment Method

• Depends on the goals• Multiple methods• Quantitative and qualitative• Selective

Our Assessment Method• Survey– Both qualitative and quantitative questions– Under ten minutes– Scale & Rankings– Required demographics

• Follow-up interviews? Focus groups?

Survey Instrument – Introduction

Survey Instrument – Demographics

Survey Instrument – Services

Survey Instrument – Communications

Survey Instrument – Development

Survey Instrument – Circulation

Survey Instrument – Cataloging

Survey Instrument – Admin

Survey Instrument – Training

Survey Instrument – Final Question

Create Summary• From whom and where will you get data?• How will you get the data?• How will you analyze the data?

Keep notes!

Collect

Pilot• Create a pilot sample• Test in different settings– Platforms– Browsers

Sample• Separate into groups• Consider fatigue

Our Sample• The entire population• Response rate• Representative?

Communicate• Email, forums, liaisons• Invitation– Direct link to the survey– Focus on benefits

• Incentives• Reminders– Once a week– Include a thank you

Request to ParticipateSubject:NC Cardinal staff surveyBody:Dear [Library Director],

As we plan for the future of NC Cardinal, it is essential that we understand the perceptions and expectations of all involved staff so that we can provide services they most need.

Below is a link to a survey on staff satisfaction and needs. Please ask your staff to take a few minutes of their time to respond – approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Their participation is important to maintaining the health of the NC Cardinal consortium.

Please be assured that all answers are confidential and anonymous. No identifying links between responses and the individual responding will be retained and only aggregated data will be reported. If there is any difficulty using the survey, please let us know by emailing david.green@ncdcr.gov.

We would certainly appreciate it if staff would complete the online survey before [a date three weeks from this email]:

[Survey URL]

Many thanks for helping us improve NC Cardinal services!

I have reworded this message below, in case you would like to use it in communication to your staff. Next week, I will send a survey reminder to the Cardinal listservs. Please ask everyone that uses Evergreen or otherwise is involved in the consortium to take the survey, including you.

My sincere appreciation,David Green

Direct InvitationSubject: NC Cardinal staff surveyBody:Dear staff members of NC Cardinal libraries,

If you have filled out the staff survey already, thank you! If not, we ask you to take a few minutes to go to the URL below and help us in this important endeavor by taking the survey. Only you can tell us how well we are serving your needs.

[Survey URL]

Staff from newly migrated libraries Cumberland and Forsyth are also encouraged to take the survey. If you feel that you do not have enough experience to answer any particular questions you may skip them or choose “N/A”.

Please complete the survey by [date two weeks from this email] (deadline extended due to the winter weather).

As we plan for the future of NC Cardinal, it is essential that we understand staff perceptions and expectations so we can provide the services you most need. The survey will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Your participation is important in maintaining the health of the NC Cardinal consortium.

Your responses will be collected by the State Library. Please be assured that your answers are confidential and anonymous. No identifying links between responses and the individual responding will be retained and only aggregated data will be reported. If you have any difficulty using the survey, please contact David Green at david.green@ncdcr.gov.

Thank you for your assistance,David

Thank YouSubject:NC Cardinal staff survey is closedBody:Hello everyone,

Thank you to everyone who responded to the staff survey. We closed the survey this week after 209 submissions. That means we heard from over 30% of staff at Cardinal member libraries - an excellent response rate.

Now that we have your input, we will analyze the data and provide a summary of the results to the consortium. From there, we can identify actions to take immediately and develop plans to tackle long-term improvements.

Once again, we want to thank you for your participation in the survey. Your responses and comments are essential to helping us improve NC Cardinal services.

Sincerely,David

Collect Summary• Sample• Communication• Flexibility

Keep notes!

Analyze, Report, Act

Analyze and Interpret• Representativeness

Keep in mind:• Goals• Audience• Written statement

ReportPurpose:• Who is the audience? What do they want to

know?

Content:• What did you do? Why did you do it? • What did you find? How will you use it? • What is your evaluation of the assessment plan?

Actions• Gather further data• Create long-term plans• Identify action items• Report actions taken

Analyze, Report, Act Summary

Keep notes!

Sources• Babbie, E. (2009). The practice of social research (10th ed.). Belmont, CA:

Wadsworth.• Greene, J. & Caracelli, V. (1997). Advances in mixed-method valuation. San

Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. • Lakos, A. & Phipps, S. (2004). Creating a Culture of Assessment: A Catalyst

for Organizational Change. Libraries and the Academy, 4(3), 345-361. • Oakleaf, M. (2010). Writing information literacy assessment plans: A guide

to best practice. Communications in Information Literacy, 3(2), 80-90.• Volkwein, J. (1996). Program evaluation and assessment: What’s the

question. • Zeithaml, Parasuraman, Berry. (1999). Delivering quality service. NY: The

Free Press.

Thank YouPlease write or call me any time.

David GreenState Library of North Carolinadavid.green@ncdcr.gov919-807-7408