The 2013 Service Quality Evaluation Academy, co-sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), is now accepting participant nominations, with a deadline of December 14, 2012. The event is scheduled for March 11–15, 2013, at New Orleans, Louisiana.
The academy is an intensive five-day programme that focuses on introductory qualitative and quantitative methods for collecting and analysing library service quality data. Although some of the training will be presented in the context of ARL assessment programmes and activities (LibQUAL+, ARL Profiles, etc.), the programme will emphasise basic concepts and skills in measurement and data analysis that will be applicable to service quality evaluations in general. There will be some time spent on relevant software skills, including the use of ATLAS.ti to analyse text-based evidence like responses to open-ended surveys and the use of SPSS for quantitative data analysis.
The academy is designed for librarians across library types and organisational structures, with a strong commitment to service quality assessment efforts. It is most appropriate for those who have direct responsibility for their library assessment efforts and show high potential for developing new and innovative assessment tools.
Library directors are invited to nominate candidates for the 2013 academy class. Directors can nominate an organisational team, but must rank-order individual team members when doing so. To maximise training impact and ensure the geographic diversity of the participants, first-ranked nominees will be admitted before second-ranked nominees. Library directors and deans can be nominated by their provost or president.
Each nomination should include a nomination letter from library director; half-page description of possible assessment project including research questions of primary interest, or a brief statement (250 words) of interest emphasizing assessment activities; and curriculum vitae. The application deadline is December 14, 2012.
Interested parties may visit http://www.arl.org/stats/statsevents/sqacademy/ for more information.
