The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has announced that the SPEC survey program will end with the publication of SPEC Kit 361 in November. Going forward, ARL is developing new ways to design and implement pilot projects to test new measures, and record and distribute case studies that illustrate best practices.
Since evolving from the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) clearinghouse in the early 1970s into the SPEC Kit publication series in 1973, the program has surveyed ARL member libraries on a broad range of strategic topics to assist libraries in the continuous improvement of their management systems.
In 2017, the ARL Assessment Program Visioning Task Force was charged to consider all current and potential ARL assessment-related services - including the goals, outcomes, deliverables, staff, and other resources related to the existing metrics, tools, and surveys - to develop a forward-looking program that advances the organisational outcomes of the 21st-century research library.
Among the task force's recommendations was to leverage the expertise that resides in the ARL member libraries and to support members to share their expertise. With the completion of the research libraries assessment framework, the Association will create new pathways to leverage member expertise to understand practice outcomes and impact. ARL's commitment to this new direction means the SPEC survey program will come to an end to redirect resources to these new endeavours.
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