CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

NY3Rs Statewide Project,

Supported in part by the Federal Library Services and Technology Act funds, awarded to The New York State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.

 

SESSION 8

 

Leadership Notes Albany, August 5, 2004

 

Skidmore College

System map – made big impression

Great way to get new people “up to speed”, define mission, etc.

 

Process Mastering – involve everybody, Continuing in ILL

Want all areas of the library to have process masters

If we have one person out, we feel it. Need to have documentation

 

Never had a stats class, really into plotting points, having fun

Gate counts, open/ closing times

 

Fulton-Montgomery Community College

Process behavior chart – book processing, time between books arrive – on shelves

New IR person

Variations observed – saw visual when change was made

Looking at where books get held up/ why

Staffing responsible for variation, certain times during the year

Data will come in handy on upcoming job audits

 

Observe time selection is made to order placed

Track all books

 

Will share information at fall meeting

Know most effective times in fall and spring – have faculty staff available

 

Careful about next year plans – mid-states evaluation & conversion

Want to find new ways to measure

 

Keep our spirits up! Not more work, but more effective use of our time!

 

Broome Community College

#1 at all continuums

Gather a lot of stats, but don’t use them

Working with tech services – list of things to measure, reduced to four categories after two months of gathering stats

 

*Group of diverse people who came together, all care about quality of their work, got to know each other better

What are we going to measure?

Good starting point for fall?

Portfolio – staff came together, did most of the work

MVV – initially said it was already done – couldn’t answer “How is what you’re doing fitting into that?”

 

Shelving stats – saw predictable patterns, new student worker training plan – new software for consistency, used by students and mentors

 

SUNY New Paltz

Campus wide – develop m,v,v – refined from existing

Portfolio – very helpful, useful internally & externally

Hope to merge campus process/ template for assessment & portfolio – doing one thing

 

Three tools/ processes of focus:

Paired Comparison – website design alternatives, very quick, saw choices prior to meeting, used chart to make decision – rest of meeting spent talking about choice and how to improve/ implement

 

Process Master – preparing acknowledgement letters for Friends gift donations

Two A charts – internal & external customers

Ah-ha! Identifying most important part of process

Identified areas of trouble - double checking

 

Fishbone – Database subscription & license renewal process

Started w/ affinity diagram – reasons process is confusing – filled in fishbone

Took problems/ mentioned most frequently – put on cause analysis chart

Needed: written procedures, central source of info, need to get process into procedure system

 

Schenectady County Community College

System map – acquisitions

Data – Time order is placed, time box arrives

Plotted data into process behavior chart

Want to get customers more involved in collection development – able to order requests and provide in X number of days

*No ah-has, only a duuhhh - Orders placed electronically arrived faster!

 

Web development process – became reality when web development librarian left, needed best known way for new librarian

Charter: form a web team, study the problem, meetings to determine flowchart, ready for new person

 

Broome County Public Library

Realized not ready for CI – doing planning for results process, CI as backup

Started with tech services – farther along in team process

Local history

Defining roles/ job descriptions – learned a lot of people doing same tasks – yet to determine if that is ok

Floundered first several sessions – couldn’t get hold of it – very frustrating

Session 6 – something clicked

 

SUNY Cobleskill

Started with reference system

Started looking at whole staff, get whole staff involved

Realized some buying in more than others – don’t have time for full buy-in

Took carrot/ stick approach – start with firs team who buys in, show what you can have to…

-Technical Services (3 people), 1 ILL rep., 1 circ person as customers & prep before starting in ILL dept.

1. Process: Materials box to shelf

key success factors & key processes for technical services area

  1. Getting stuff on the shelf
  2. Being responsive to customers

Did matrix for each process, most imp. *getting things from box to shelf!

Flow charts

 

Full staff meeting – reported what technical services had been doing

Next area: ILL rep. – study reserves – why fines are pardoned/ not

*get copies of sys maps, etc. from Heather

 

Positive response – realized how much they do, happy to enhance procedures/ training

Understand will be easier to migrate to new system

 

Communicating more as staff  - making those who are adverse stand out more as being  adverse

 

Sage College Libraries

Online portfolio – continue to add/ improve

All staff meeting in May – affinity diagram, how everyone in unit would be able to get behind a vision

One staff member involved in college effort suggested – more action, shorter/ to the point

working on refining vision

 

Fall: force field analysis with faculty members

 

Affinity diagrams with sticky notes – continued work on vision development

Gantt chart – tracking number of projects

 

Crandall Public Library

Focus from first meeting – director suggested using tools to assess building – all aspects

Process of getting funding for expansion

Created building team – directory, ref. rep., circ. Sup., children’s sup., purchasing clerk, sup. of maintenance, head custodian

Team worked since January, introduced tools to facilitate

 

Realized mistake early – started inputs, outputs, etc. before creating M,V,V

Valuable to learn not to jump ahead, thermostat example

 

Next step: Teach CA/ CI to rest of community including staff, patrons, volunteers, Friends, Trustees

Focus – September – April: select and train people, grow from there

Flowchart with plan

 

 

New York State Library

Main reference – department meeting

MVV, strategic plan for whole library

 

Tools used

Paired comparison & criteria rating – energized by how it worked with topics

Practical things with valuable outcomes vs. another exercise

 

Paired Comparison – determine what to do with a new room/ after renovations on public floor

Map room & something else – lead to list of ideas

 

Criteria Rating

Where to hold monthly library wide staff meeting

Get out of the elevator area!

Handy location, size of space, internet access, formal/informal space (intimidating), lighting control, AV capabilities, distractions, availability, ease of scheduling

 

Collection development team – sent invitation got few responses

 

Plattsburg Public Library

Exciting process to listen to others, see accomplishments

Need to see somebody else model, and then do it

Vision – learned about where you want to go

Happy to learn about using statistics to learn

 

Plan: Process Masters in each area in library

*Can now start CI process without threatening staff

 

SUNY Potsdam

Worked on pieces to integrate with reference staff – part of Nancy’s sabbatical to review reference service

 

Started with M,V,V for reference services, values part challenging

Tried before – didn’t accomplish, Now realize lacked shared values, gives venue to discuss values

 

Nancy is bringing literature reviews, readings for staff, recently – values of ref. services, and how you prioritize to deliver services

 

Retreat next week – values for entire library

Want to bring process mastering to tech. services

*Political issue – what is the best way to approach it?

Have a new system – time to review workflow (problem with backups)

 

Hudson Valley Community College

Several years, lecture series 12-15 lectures/ year

Using tools to improve process – system map, can use mission statement identify programming and NOT do certain things

 

A lot of brainstorming with staff, faculty

Want and encourage faculty – work with them to make decisions

Consensograms – want brochure to convey importance

Plus/ Delta – end of each lecture

 

Areas for improvement –

Attendance – continued growth

Faculty confidence – repeatedly attend

 

Survey – faculty

Surveys – classroom after presentation

Suggestion box in library – VOICES program

 

Columbia-Greene

Improved organizations

Put most important on the table to be covered

New ways of thinking about work

 

ILL – workflow in library

 

Opportunity to learn more about ILL unit and how it links to entire library workflow

System migration this year – will use rapid cycle to assist process

 

Department meetings – discuss values, identified principals of service

Lead to understanding others on staff

 

Union College

Special collections – each hw assignment w/spec. collections

Staff extremely enthusiastic

 

Key Success Factors – needed additional info to bring back to class (Google – ksf)

Key Processes  - immediate procedural change, scheduling

 

Fishbone – getting stuff on the shelves

Flowchart

Time – difficult getting people together – unions

 

Portfolio – showed director, and he “got it”

Starting to work with faculty in general

 

 

Leadership Session , Day 8 – New York, August 6, 2004

 

NYU Bobst Library

*Entire presentation available on PowerPoint file

 

Background  - NYU, NYU libraries

*details on PowerPoint

 

Focused work on public services

Access Services

Reference

Instructional & Undergraduate Services

Music & Media Center

 

Before CI training

Strategic plan 2003-05

Public services steering committee, est. 2003

LibQual – 0 on all criteria

 

Where We Stood:

User Services Vision

Service Philosophy

 

Accomplished during CI training:

Public Services Mission

Public Service Values

Public Services Measures

Continuums

 

Organizational Change Story

 

Portfolio progress

Strategic plan progress in all quarterly dept. reports

First round of RCI - regarding circulation hours of operation

First round RCI – circ staffing

Result: changing open hours on Saturday, no grumbling thanks to the graphs

 

Next Steps:

2nd round RCI – circ staffing

CI training for public services dept. heads

Handing off  CI to public services steering committee

Aware – working at disadvantage because no dept. head on team,

 

NY Medical College

 

Love that 29 tools book

Queen Diva – charter to IT person, web page updates

 

Process mastering – updating web pages, very complicated

 

Next Steps – Vision, Core values

 

Fish videos – used twice!, fish crackers went like hotcakes!

Bought two more videos

 

Visioning – Tried exercise

 

Voting process

Tell us what the library should do for you?

What can you do for your library?

 

 

Manhattanville College

Focus: Education Resource Center, School of Education

Most students (graduate level) education students

Room – teaching materials, manipulatives, YA lit. Collection not well used

Accreditation visit – 2005, site visit, part of School of Ed.

 

Made us sit down and thinking about it – What do we have to do?

Mission, Vision

 

Re-arranged room – able to see what is available, easier access/ more user friendly displays

Designed user survey – available in the room

User survey for education faculty via email

Team met with rep. from school of ed. – purchase ed. Software and databases for room

*Inspiration – will provide training for faculty & students

 

Next – Focus on NCATE narrative

Use example for resource center – apply to other areas of library

 

Cazenovia College

Mission statement – originally very “flowery”  - needed to be more concise

Became more of a blueprint, doable thing – vs. wish list – something that can be done

Gave sense of core values and measures

 

Next focus:

Launched program system wide, evolved each year

January – annual reports

Students arrive – orientation

September – bibliographic instruction, pathfinder for each 1st year seminar class

Pathfinders actually process master!

*Importance – custom made

Survey – students in 1st year seminars

Notation to improve

 

Survey – objective & subjective questions

Comments/ subjective questions – very important to catch questions missed in objective questions

 

“Information Literacy” fight:

working with campus wide committee

 

vice president of academic affairs – understands need

Middle States driving force

 

Now working with other staff members – critical thinking and information?...

 

Faculty development day – October: two workshops will be taught

Collect information from faculty, present to council later in the year

 

Not just we’re here to help you

 

Jewish Theological Seminary

Portfolio table of contents

Had website w/ history – adding executive summary annual report

 

Learned here: create CoP – had no written vision

 

Measures

Survey staff – Consensogram # of people who visit library per year, most people thought more visit

 

Temp/ humidity control in special collections stacks – data to demonstrate reliability, improve case for replacement of system

 

Focus Groups part of plan

 

Based on affinity diagram/ vision statement exercise – created vision

*Most important thing list by staff – be appreciated and treated well

 

Environment – comfortable

 

Sara’s dept – Create process statements for entire department, created flowcharts

Worked on 22 processes!

 

Still need to work on taking results and addressing change

Get copies of process masters!

 

PACE – see PowerPoint

System map – consensogram – what people new about mission statements, assessments

Reviewed current mission statement

Talked to people in small groups and one-on-one

Vision building activity with all staff

Brainstorming – environmental scan each campus - **participation

Identified Key Success Factors

*Nice to see importance of communication & collaboration – staff enjoyed process

 

Process master

Charter for missing items

Became clear – large # of decision making points

 

A-Charts – not as successful, not as receptive

Felt like it became an exercise – may try to pick another process and try again

Discovered/ confirmed huge backlog of “missing” items in system

 

Rapid Cycle Improvement –

*Metro delivery/ ILL: Turnaround time 18 to 9!

 

Next steps:

Assessment plan

Strategic Plan Team

Dept. meetings

Other CI training

Mission statements – other depts..

Collect more data

 

Hindsight – Taking on large organization, see glaring things, yet couldn’t do all of the steps

 

*Got excited about feedback

Want to use feedback/ data –  pursuing information commons model

 

SUNY Stony Brook Health Science Center

Implemented new system mandated

System map

 

Process Masters

Flowchart – acquisitions – subject selector

Technical services/ resource management services

 

Plan, evaluate, and implement acquisitions system

 

 

 

Leadership Session, Rochester – August 4, 2004

 

Henrietta

Circulation Desk – CI focus

Portfolio

Created Process Master Books - circulation desk processes

Holds – Identified process, kept data process behavior chart, reduced # holds returned

Rapid Cycle Improvements

KSF & Process Matrix

Gantt chart re-organizing large print section

 

Rochester Public Library

Ask 24/7 Reference Service – New service

18 operators from reference desk, M-F, 12-5 PM

Webster Public Library also part of service

System Map w/ catalog dept., system map w/ Ask 24/7 Service

Lead to identifying importance of scheduling process – identified as primary vs. supporting

Identified Measures - *Important to define Operation Definitions to ensure everyone measuring the same thing

Aligned measures w/ mission

Continuums with staff

KSF & Key Processes

Charter – to create process masters

Identified tasks/ staff most important to meet needs of external customers

Survey for online chat service – problem: not proactive, arrives in transcript email

**Send online chat report from IUPUI**

 

St. John Fisher College

Shelving process – unable to find books, errors, inconsistent/ incomplete training, not supervising shelvers

Tracked/ collected data – 2 weeks, over 500 books, 5% error rate = 1000 books/ year

System map

Literature search – included in portfolio

Portfolio – all CI documents included

Constancy of Purpose & Measures

Identified Team Leader

*Learned – not hiring the right people

Outputs expect: students with interest and background, correctly re-shelve books

Work Flow Chart – hiring, training, pre-shelving process, shelving process, ongoing supervision

**Focus on hiring, training, and continuing supervision

Process Master Key Step Worksheet – develop criteria for hiring

 

SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry

System Map for entire library

Mission, Values

Chartered a team to develop poster/ presentation for CI learning, included two people not used to working with each other (different departments)

Deployment Flowchart

Gantt chart

*Learned a new way to do what we’re doing, thinking in a different way, using CI tools

*Sharing good/ bad customer service examples at staff meetings

*Success story – Mission, Vision, Values – revised & everyone signed off - will mount and frame

Portfolio – pulled together documents into one place

 

Genesee Community College

Staff retreat – key benefit of CI, full day w/ entire staff

Applied tools/ examples – very efficient and focused

Mission, vision, values – at retreat

Key Benefits:

 

Tools

Retreat Agenda – incorporated tools for CoP – affinity, multivoting, pair/ share between professional and non-professional staff

Charter – reference area – Job embedded!

System map – reference

 

Process Mastering – instruction

Large collection of handouts – databases, etc. – always needs tweaking

Staff spread out on different campuses

Charter – break down process of assigning handouts – flowchart

 

Careful wording on vision

 

 

SCRLC

Shortened mission

Used a lot of tools

Focused on values

Beginning design for poster session at NYLA

System Map – Annual member report card

*Realized need for system map for council as whole, report card actually part of communications

Created Portfolio – useful for grant proposals

Data – kept phone logs

*Tools – VALUABLE

Website – posted CI materials

 

Oswego

Library instruction focus

Produced a lot of documents

System Map

Portfolio

Chartered process master for “Preparing to teach a class” – workflow chart, online – dept. site

Rapid cycle improvements – used class request forms

Gifts, distance education, interlibrary loan – all started using CI

Need more intro & education with staff

Fish video – received, anecdotal evidence of improved environment

Change & improvement using this process IS possible – will be evidence

Changes do not have to be sweeping to make a difference

 

Buffalo State

Staff was not prepared for CI

Wanted to improve communications

Reference target area

Reference, circ, and media services combined – Information Commons

Sara – one day workshop

“Cannot tell you how valuable that was” - Staff in lull after low LIBQUAL results – “in one day she pulled us all together” – mission, vision, values, tons of activities

 

Afterwards – revolution in reference librarians volunteering to change positions, people coming forward, created new position – assessment librarian

Started weekly meetings – still meeting every  7-10 days

Started with charters – huge success: assessment librarian – filled within one month

*Can now write a letter – thank you, proof of progress, distribute at meetings – everyone knows what everyone is doing

September – combining circulation & reference desk – based on stats students visiting circ instead of reference

Have check sheets & ways to measure

Info Commons Dept. works in collaboration w/ other offices – writing charters with them

Had relationship w/ them, but not sure what it was – now that it is in print, defines what we do, everyone is extremely comfortable

 

Carol – started 5 year strategic plan, using tools

 

Rochester Medical Center

Successes:

Involving entire staff in developing vision and values

Had mission & goals – small groups & tools to involve EVERY staff member

Shared vision with director – questioned “outdoor seating” – will designate library as one of top priorities for fundraising

 

Invited group of faculty, used force field analysis – faculty use of base software

Learned things that had never occurred to us, thing work is done when article is finished – expect publisher to archive

Shared other needs, ex: protocols in labs

Some enthusiastically sharing materials for uploading

 

NEXT STEPS:

Pilot progress to serve as success story for staff & future training in CI

Key process matrix – identified one process not working well – password to digital library applicants

Chartered team – 3 staff members from library IS dept. working with password system

Detailed flowchart of how process is working now, identified several glitches

Collecting data – mid July – mid September

Length: application – password received

Deployment flowchart – how project will be deployed in other parts of the library

Gantt chart – time line

People involved very enthusiastic

 

New signage in the library

Process behavior charts – directional questions at each desk

Chartered team – new signs

 

High level measures & deployment flowchart for getting those going

 

Five charters going – also

E-journal activation

Social committee

 

NAZARETH COLLEGE

New director – 14 month transition period

Identify staff issues

All staff meeting in May – Plus/ Delta

Addressing pluses – staff recognition

Volunteer committee – to address deltas – combined into four groups

Some needed task forces

 

Develop new Constancy of Purpose – interim director will form and chair committee

 

Communication – 1/3 of all Deltas – separate task force,

Library focus for year – internal communication

Share recommendations of meeting in August

 

Will use force field analysis at August staff meeting

 

Gantt chart – one year improvement plan – framework of actions toward

Gives big picture view of issues during transitional period

 

Ithaca College

First year as direct – perfect timing

College sustainability initiative – “Sustainable Change” for library

Looking at all staffing, resources, etc. – continuing to improve/ change

 

“Building Ideal Library” – Affinity diagram w/ student input – lib. Assistants, bulletin boards, online

Action/ Timeline response plan - *some things done immediately

Changed hours (open at noon Saturday & 10:00 Sunday) added vending machines, etc.

 

Next year: self-assessment of resource skills

Lead to public use policy – cell phones

 

Librarians upset with governance document

Checked against MVV – revised/ created new document

Creativity, collaboration, trust, respect – wrote values into document

Tools – values sort, pair/ share

 

 Successes:

Several phones into library – created phone tree at circ desk, all goes there first then re-directed

Created “highlights at a glance” – use with staff yearly

 

Student use of videos started – minimal loss

Extended circulation period – circ increased 30%

 

Niagara County Community College

M, V, V statements

Chartered process for interlibrary loans – wanted cooperation/ success story

Measures – looking at data we collect

Process run charts – attendance in library

 

Monroe Community College

Branch Mgr. – renovated library, moved stacks – shared vision with builders & movers

 

Charter – statistics

Faculty liaison & outreach – collected ideas/ suggestions

Tried to move petty problems of daily life to focus on higher end thinking –

 

Cayuga Community College

Approach – broad vs. deep

Original purpose – fear of middle states

 

Developed Measures for information literacy – linking outcomes to customers

 

M, V, V – great to create together & key success factors –

Result – solid foundation

Used to hire people to get the right match

 

System maps for almost all systems in library (7 so far)

Did as a group – learned about other jobs/ systems

 

Portfolio – wonderful to have in one place

 

Amazed at how many tools we used

Used tools to improve – “Impaired communication & impaired consensus building”

 

Just starting a run chart – well received