Doing better with library classes in 2019: Streamlining scheduling, marketing, and data gathering

Abstract

Objective: Librarians were hesitant to offer recurring classes because attendance was historically low. The scheduling system was cumbersome, and there was no consistent assessment of attendance, class content, or teaching quality. To improve this situation, the library adopted LibCal, marketed classes, and standardized assessment during the spring 2019 semester. The library is now has baseline data to make future evidence-based decisions about scheduled classes. Methods: After surveying current practices and discovering the campus had access to LibCal, two librarians and a staff member quickly trained themselves on and then employed LibCal. LibCal features adopted were: course templates, registration, email reminders, post-test emails with links to assessments, and attendance tracking. The librarians and staff successfully integrated into the marketing team in order to promote the classes across campuses. Results: With the new system in place, the number of classes offered doubled. This led to three times the number of attendees overall. The average class size increased by one. By providing a hard copy of our assessment survey complimented by an automated email with the online version, the survey response rate was 84%. Class attrition rate was 36%. Conclusions: Separating the registration and attendance data by month, day, and hour will inform future classes scheduling. Class content and teaching assessment will be analyzed and shared with the class instructors to improve course delivery. In the future, assessment will ask about participants’ locations to determine if distance learners are reached at other campuses across the state. Marketing efforts will continue to evolve.