Evidence-based planning & decision-making in academic libraries

Like other academic libraries, AMICAL libraries face budget limitations and cutbacks while also managing shifts in teaching, learning, and communication technologies. In such an environment, it is risky and potentially costly to base plans and decisions on assumptions or guesswork. The alternative, and the topic of this 1.5 day workshop, is to use existing data, supplemented with locally gathered information, to identify needs, develop and select among possible solutions, and conduct ongoing assessment.

The overarching theme of the workshop is Managing Change and the main topics will be Technology in Small College Libraries (e.g., library systems and infrastructure as well as digital collections such as ejournals and ebooks) and Library as Space (policy, purpose, and design).

The workshop will include:

• An environmental scan drawn from Ithaka S+R survey and project data, to frame the workshop topics and provide a rationale for making evidence-based decisions
• Group discussion of strategies for incorporating evidence most effectively into institutional decision-making on workshop topics
• Tools to use in library planning and decision-making
• Group discussion of participants’ institution-level data, including what is useful and what is missing
• Session to begin formulating institutional plans for structuring evidence-based decision-making processes with regard to either space or technology issues

Participants will benefit from this workshop by improving their ability to incorporate evidence into decision-making processes, in general, and by developing the first draft of a project plan for use at the home institution.

Who should attend?

Library directors and other staff from all AMICAL member institutions (Full, Affiliate & Network) are eligible to apply to participate.

(applications are now closed)

Important dates

• December 22, 2015. Rooms have already been booked for attendees for the nights of January 21 and 22. If you need to book additional nights, you must send your request to Elisabetta Morani by December 22 at latest.