S9. Assessing Assessment: Can Archival Processing Be Assessed (and Should It?)

Katy RawdonTemple University, Special Collections Research Center

Courtney SmerzTemple University, Special Collections Research Center

Melanie WisnerHoughton Library, Harvard University

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MARAC Spring ConferenceRochester, NYApril 25, 2014

Inputs: Number of staff; amount physical processing space…

Processes: Number of hours to process a linear foot; number of hours to create a finding aid record…

Outputs: Number of linear feet processed; number of MARC record created…

A metric is an unambiguous, countable measurement of a quantifiable component of work. Metrics can measure various areas of work:

Metrics can tell you what you are doing, and how you are doing it. They can tell you if you are meeting your quantifiable goals.

What are metrics?

Assessment is finding meaning in your metrics.

What is the impact of your work?Is your work meeting your patrons’ needs?

What is assessment?

Is anybody collecting metrics about and assessing archives?

SAA Committee on Uniform Archival Statistics

Is anybody collecting metrics about and assessing archival processing?

“…it breaks our hearts that we didn’t have a use-metric baseline in place at that time, ten years ago, in order to track change over time. A lot has happened in ten years, with the uptake of EAD, the hidden collections initiative, and the birth of Google. We’ll never have the evidence of the difference our work has made.” - Jennifer Schaffner, 2009 RBMS Seminar on ‘Un-Hidden Collections’

Why assess archival processing?

What is Temple University doing?

Coordinating the work

What are we doing?How are we doing it?Are we having a positive effect?Are we having any effect at all?

Poster, ca. 1914-1918. George F. Tyler Poster Collection. Temple University Libraries, Special Collections Research Center.

~What is the value of archival processing?

~Are we doing it right?

~Can processing’s impact on use even be assessed?

~Do patrons care about level of processing?

~Is there a “golden mean” of effort and time spent on processing?

~Can we provide good service when our collections are minimally processed?

~Do we have any evidence for any of our answers?

Questions