In September 2014 the extended hours pilot began. This evaluation will allow the Libraries to prioritize resources, improve service quality, and will be used for decision making purposes. At the conclusion of the one year pilot a summative approach will be used to determine the future of the program. Over the course of the year, a variety of qualitative and quantitative data is being collected to determine if the program should continue at the main campus and be extended to the additional campus libraries or to end the program entirely.  The Libraries are committed to service excellence by continuously assessing our services through user observation and surveys, as illustrated below.

EDUC 804-911

Dr. Kristen Betts

You provide you audience with several informative resources which further peaks interest and provides a great platform for continued viewing of your padlet.

This program is of particular interest to me because I feel as though the physical library, at least for younger generations, is becoming a thing of the past. With the upsurge of accessibility to the internet, smart phones, watches and tablets, students are finding less need to physically go to a library. I make it a point to bring my niece to the library every Wednesday so that shes knows how to do the leg work when she needs to research or find information. I try to get her to understand that she should not become overly reliant on technology and to utilize the many avenues available to her, the public library being one.

I say all of that to ask the following questions:

1. In regards to evaluation question 1's data collection, if students don't visit the circulation desk often or at all, would that skew your data at all? Without being too invasive, could you look into the amount of time students spend on library regulated or owned pages or databases? For example, if I sit in Drexel's library and am logged on to the internet through their server, it should be readily identifiable if I am searching ProQuest, or perusing Facebook. This wouldn't pinpoint any one individual, as it would encompass all university owned laptops. It may also be advantageous to look at peak times as an influence, such as mid-terms and finals.

2.In your research on library usage, have you seen an increase over the past few years? In order for extended hours to be implemented, there needs to be a demand right? 

3.What can the library staff do to market and increase their visibility? 

4.Could the library join forces with another university department or program to peak library visits. 

We definitely want to give the students what they want and need to be successful and perhaps extended library hours is it!

Superb work and I look forward to seeing this through to it's final stages...I can sense your passion!

Thanks for your well thought out and meaningful comments. Being a Librarian I hear a lot about people not using the physical library anymore b/c of the internet and technology and although it seems that way, it hasn't been true in my experience. I commend you for taking your niece to the library and as a public librarian the library was always filled to the brim with people, both young and old. At the community college library we are literally tripping over people because the building is so packed. The reason that the libraries I have worked at remain so relevant is because we actively reach out to the community and show them our value. I think the idea that the internet has created this space where people can find anything they need is just false. It is more important than ever to have people who know how to find and evaluate information for its worth. Plus the majority of what you find on the internet is only the tip of the iceberg, the deep web and the paid subscriptions make up the really valuable information, as you know from being an active online library researcher.

Because of your comments I added some background information to give some stats on how busy and used our library is. To answer your questions:

1. Visiting the circulation desk is only one number that we collect out of countless other stats. The technology report will detail the amount of computers in use and the amount of time for each session. We are very careful about collecting specific information, like which sites were visited because it is a privacy law to not collect that information. But we will be using the general stats on computer usage during the 8:00-10:00 PM period. And thank you for pointing out the comparison of midterms and finals to regular periods. I used our midterm period as my example date above.

2. Our libraries are constantly being used, mostly because we remain a relevant part of the curriculum. Faculty use the librarians to teach their students research skills for assignments. The increase of usage is based on enrollment, the more students the more use. There has been a steady increase in enrollment over the last decade and we don't suspect it to drop off until the economy improves significantly. Though I would like to point out that the Library's budget is the first to get cut every year. We continuously are doing more with less and there seems to be no end in sight.

3. Every semester I conduct new faculty orientation and part time information sessions. I am the Faculty Services Librarian so I basically am marketing the library services constantly. Now that the word is out we really don't have to do much because we are always so busy.

4. One of the reasons for establishing this program- a local 4 year university was angry that some of our students were using their facilities after 8:00 PM. Prof. Betts told me to take that information out, but because you asked the question I will tell you that when you have 35,000 students other institutions are not too keen on joining forces.

I also want to note that students were not asking for this. If you look at the 2013 Ethnography report that I listed above, students would rather study at home after 7:00 PM and the numbers and observations being taken are really showing this trend. This initiative is a clear indication that politics were involved in piloting this program.

Thanks for your excitement and suggestions. They really helped me to decide to add more background information and explanation. I created this wall for the people I would be presenting it to, but for outsiders of the Libraries, like the campus Provost, the background will definitely help.

Just a few thoughts:

1) Have the stakeholders been in touch with other commuter schools to research best-practices in this
initiative?  I may have missed this, and if so, I apologize, but what are the hours of other local schools and
if they are also open late, do you know the impact it has made?

2) I'm also wondering if there will be an analysis of additional costs from keeping the library open for
extended hours? Would additional security be required?  Your third question asks about the
impact but I wasn't sure if that translated to a cost analysis.

3) Lastly, what would be the evaluation methods going forward as the pilot continues? I'm assuming 
gate count would be a major factor in monitoring success but would a benchmark/goal need to be
defined first?

Thanks so much for sharing! :)

Thanks for your thoughts and questions. I'd like to respond because you bring up some great points.

1. That is a great question! Yes, we have reached out to other local and peer institutions to find out their hours and policies. We often hear similar comments and reasons for closing at 8:00 PM. A few commuter schools in the area stay open to 9:00 PM but most close at 8:00 PM. I appreciate your question, because I may want to include that data in the background information.

2. Another great question! I will add this to the assumptions of my logic model. The Library staff assumes that this program is not cost effective, but there are stakeholders who don't care if only one student is using the Library from 8:00-10:00 they think it's worth it. So, two opposing assumptions. The third key question is hopefully going to answer the cost analysis question in a round about way. For one thing security has a lot more responsibility and they have to escort a lot more people to their cars and the bus stop during the late hours of the night. Also, the Libraries do not have security cameras or a PA system and that adds to the need for additional security to help with closing procedures. There are also more instances of community member disruptions during this time. Because MC is a community college the Library has no restrictions on who is allowed to come in and use the facilities, so that complicates matters.

3. This pilot will only last for one year. We will continue to do the daily observations and I even spoke to my supervisor today about actually doing the reply cards during finals week in December. I will work with a team of student workers to make this happen. I'm pretty excited that this evaluation plan will lead to gathering real data for the actual evaluation to take place. For me, I see the goal of this evaluation to inform the Libraries of a few options: 1. If this program is to continue, the Library could use the evaluation to advocate for more resources. That could mean a designated security officer, more staff, a PA system, security cameras, and/or limiting access to only students. 2. The evaluation may show that more staff are needed during our busiest time in the Library from 10:00AM-2:00 PM and taking away the two evening staff from early shifts means there is a gap in service coverage when it is needed most. 3. That the college needs to establish a space for students in the late hours of the day. That space may not be the Library, which is the only completely public and open space on campus. For example, the computer labs are open until midnight now and you must have a student ID to access them, so why use a Library computer?

During the peak hours of the day about 25% of our users are accessing Library specific services. In my opinion, this program will succeed if at least 5% of students are actually using the Library specific services during the extended hours to be more successful in their course work. Thanks so much for your insight , I appreciate your feedback!