ACRL has released a new report “Academic Library Contributions to Student Success: Documented Practices from the Field” which synthesizes results from over 70 higher education institutions from across North America which recently completed team-based assessment projects. These projects, from the first year of Assessment in Action: Academic Libraries and Student Success (AiA), resulted in promising and effective approaches to demonstrating the library’s value to students’ academic success.

The findings from the assessment work of the first cohort of campus teams are impressive. By demonstrating the variety of ways that libraries contribute to student learning and success, academic librarians are establishing connections between such academic success outcomes as student retention, persistence, GPA, engagement, graduation, career preparedness, and different aspects of the library (e.g., instruction, reference, space and facilities, and collections).

Many of the projects are replicable at other academic libraries or contain elements that can be adapted to a college or university’s unique institutional context. Libraries can learn about ideas and strategies that promote evidence-based demonstrations of an academic library’s contributions to student learning and success through the wide variety of projects. Find out more:

• Academic Library Contributions to Student Success: Documented Practices from the Field (PDF) full report synthesizing findings.
• Executive Summary (PDF) to share broadly with campus stakeholders.
• Search individual team project descriptions.

AiA is a three-year project sponsored by the ACRL in partnership with the Association of Institutional Research and the Association of Public Land-grant Universities, and with funding from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. When the project concludes in 2016, over 200 higher education institutions will have participated in developing assessment methods and tools.

Interested in participating in the next round of Assessment in Action? ACRL is seeking applications from all types of higher education institutions for 125 additional teams. Apply by March 4, 2015, to participate in the third year of the program, April 2015-June 2016.

ACRL is seeking applications from all types of higher education institutions for 125 teams to participate in the third year of “Assessment in Action: Academic Libraries and Student Success (AiA),” made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and described on the ACRL website.

Librarians will each lead a campus team in developing and implementing an action-learning project which examines the impact of the library on student success and contributes to assessment activities on campus. They will be supported in this work by a professional development program with sequenced learning events and activities at key junctures. AiA employs a blended learning environment and a peer-to-peer community of practice over the course of the 14-month long program, which runs from April 2015-June 2016. The AiA program, undertaken by ACRL in partnership with the Association for Institutional Research and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, is a cornerstone of ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries initiative.

In order to apply, each prospective institution must identify a team consisting of a librarian team leader and at least two additional team members from other campus units (e.g., faculty member, student affairs representative, institutional researcher, or academic administrator). The application requires two essays — the first describes the team’s project goals and the second describes the goals of the librarian team leader — and statements of support from the library dean/director and campus chief academic officer. There is a registration fee of $1,200 for participating in the third year of the AiA program. For the first two years, the IMLS grant covered the majority of the costs for developing and delivering the AiA program; in the third year, the grant will subsidize only part of the costs.

Read full details about participating in the third year and apply online by 5 p.m. Central, Wednesday, March 4, 2015. There will be an online forum in February (date TBA) where you can learn more. Or attend the session Update on ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries Initiative to be held from 1:00 — 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 1, 2015, during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Chicago.

Contact ACRL Senior Strategist for Special Initiatives Kara Malenfant with questions.

ACRL will be seeking applications for an additional 125 teams from all types of higher education institutions to participate in the third year of the ACRL program “Assessment in Action: Academic Libraries and Student Success (AiA).” The website describing how to apply for the third year of AiA, which will run from April 2015 – June 2016, is now up to date. The online application itself will be available in mid-January and due in early March 2015.

During this 14-month program, which employs a blended learning environment and a peer-to-peer network, librarians will each lead a campus team in developing and implementing an action learning project which examines the impact of the library on student success and contributes to assessment activities on campus. They will be supported in this work by a professional development program with sequenced learning events and activities at key junctures. The AiA program, made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, is undertaken by ACRL in partnership with the Association for Institutional Research and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. AiA is a cornerstone of ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries initiative.

Stay tuned for an announcement in mid January when the online application is available. In the meantime, contact ACRL Senior Strategist for Special Initiatives Kara Malenfant with questions at kmalenfant@ala.org or 800-545-2433, ext 2510.

ACRL is seeking applications for a new designer/facilitator of the program the “Assessment in Action: Academic Libraries and Student Success” (AiA). Applicants wishing to join the design/facilitation team will have engaged with the AiA program during the first or second year in some capacity (e.g. team leader, team member, library dean/director, researcher, etc.). Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Central on Tuesday, January 13, 2015.

In September 2012, ACRL was awarded a National Leadership Demonstration Grant of $249,330 by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for this three- year project, undertaken in partnership with the Association for Institutional Research and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. The grant supports the design, implementation and evaluation of a program to strengthen the competencies of librarians in campus leadership and data-informed advocacy. Year 1 of the grant included 75 institutions, in Year 2 there were 73 institutions selected, and Year 3 – which begins in April 2015 – will serve up to 125 institutions.

The current five member design/facilitation team (see biographies) seeks to add one additional member to participate in Year 3 of the AiA program as well as assist in planning future programs. The design/facilitation team works virtually and in person in designing and facilitating the 14-month long experience for each of the cohorts.

Scope of work
Serving as a member of the curriculum design/facilitation team is a continuous year-round commitment of approximately 2-5 hours/week with more concentrated time before webinars and in-person sessions. The work involves regular planning calls and in person design meetings, developing materials (i.e., exercises, handouts, and presentations), being active in the online community, aiding in the development of regular webcasts, and participating during the in person events for the AiA librarian team leaders.

Under the terms of the grant, ACRL reimburses curriculum designer/facilitators for a portion of their travel costs to extend the time we anticipate they would already be spending at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, ALA Annual Conference, and ACRL 2015 Conference. Additional travel funding may be available for non-librarian designer/facilitators. ACRL will provide an honorarium that takes into account the full range of duties: curriculum design, virtual participation, and year-long facilitation responsibilities. The specific terms and responsibilities of both parties will be articulated in an annually renewable contract with ACRL.

Expectations
While Year 3 of AiA is built on the first two years and the foundation is in place, we are looking to adjust the curriculum based on the new facilitator’s experience as a participant and to plan future programs.

Most of the work involved in facilitating the efforts of participants in the AiA learning community will take place virtually (online asynchronous classroom, webcasts). However, members of the curriculum design/facilitation team must be available to attend in person events for librarian team leaders, which are held in conjunction with the ALA Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conferences. A full-day meeting will be scheduled as follows:

• Thursday June 25, 2015, 1-5 p.m. and Friday, June 26, 2015, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: San Francisco, CA. Cohort 3, first meeting.
• Thursday January 7, 2016, 1-5 p.m. and Friday, January 8, 2016, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Boston, MA. Cohort 3, second meeting.
• June 23-28, 2016: Orlando, FL. Cohort 3, poster sessions.

In addition to the above meetings for selected AiA librarian team leaders, the full design/facilitation team meets separately as follows:

• A full-day planning retreat March 25, 2015, in conjunction with the ACRL National Conference in Portland, Oregon.
• Preparation/debrief meetings are scheduled at the ALA Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference before and after the events for AiA librarian team leaders. Additional planning meetings may also be scheduled.
• Final program/wrap-up in conjunction with ALA 2016 Annual Conference.

Qualifications 
The successful curriculum designer/facilitator must be conversant with issues and challenges of libraries in higher education. They must possess:

• Willingness to participate throughout the length of the AiA program (in addition to assisting in rollout of follow up programs), virtually and in person, in designing and facilitating the 14-month long experience for each librarian cohort and institutional team members.
• Experience serving as a convener and facilitator of educational activities.
• Demonstrated ability to design and deliver events, activities, and modules that are experiential, support action learning, and foster reflection among learners.
• An ability to foster connections and create learning environments where teams can exchange ideas and share experiences and information.
• Rich knowledge of the dynamic nature of higher education assessment, including a keen awareness of the forces outside the sector driving for greater accountability.
• A nuanced understanding of how individual units on campus can collaborate to best demonstrate and communicate their contributions to the overall goals and missions of their institutions.
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to work with diverse group members, and commitment to developing strong, collegial relationships with curriculum design team members and the participants in the AiA learning community.
• Working knowledge of the issues and challenges of libraries in higher education.

Candidates should highlight additional qualifications in areas such as:

• Experience designing and delivering curriculum for an audience that includes librarians as well as other campus stakeholders.
• Experience facilitating learning over time and in multiple formats (i.e., beyond the one-off workshop).
• Demonstrated knowledge of multiple assessment methods, both quantitative and qualitative, data collection strategies, and analytical techniques. A deep appreciation of the integral relationship between assessment questions, data acquisition, and analytical methodologies.
• Experience analyzing existing administrative data which emanates from different campus units (i.e., libraries and office of institutional research).
• Experience designing protocols and gathering new data through questionnaires, semi structured interviews, and focus groups.
• Adept at communicating and presenting assessment project results.

The success of the applicant’s own AiA project is not a determining factor in the selection. Many projects did not fully reach their goals. The team seeks a new designer/facilitator who learned from their project, analyzed results for cultural, strategic, and assessment challenges, and is helping their library move forward with assessment.

Apply
To apply, please prepare the following materials. Applications must be submitted electronically as a single PDF document that includes:

1. A letter addressing the following questions (two pages maximum).
   1. Why you want to become a member of the team for ACRL’s Assessment in Action program?
   2. What was the role you played in the AiA project on your campus?
   3. What contributions could you make to this program that align with the qualifications?
   4. Are there relevant experiences of which you would like us to be aware?
2. Your resume.
3. The names and contact information for two references who have direct knowledge of your qualifications for this role, including one with direct knowledge of your skills as a facilitator/teacher.

The single PDF application must submitted via email by 5 p.m. Central on Tuesday, January 13, 2015, to ACRL Program Coordinator Chase Ollis at collis@ala.org.

ACRL has formed a small review team, which includes member leaders and staff, to consider applications. The process includes checking references and a telephone interview. The group will make selections and notify all applicants of their status by Friday, February 20, 2015.

If you have questions about this position, the Assessment in Action program, or ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries initiative, please contact Kara Malenfant, ACRL Senior Strategist for Special Initiatives, at kmalenfant@ala.org or (312) 280-2510.