Sharing the value and impact of outreach: Taking a multifaceted approach to outreach assessment

Abstract

Although outreach is a common activity in academic libraries, little has been written about strategies for assessing library outreach efforts. Assessing outreach efforts is important in order to measure the success of the outreach activity, identify areas for iterative improvement, and demonstrate the value of the outreach activity to stakeholders. This article is a case study describing the multifaceted strategies employed to assess a major outreach event, Texas A&M University Libraries annual Open House event. It details demonstrating value and programmatic improvement as the articulated goals for outreach assessment as well as the specific strategies used and the insights gleaned from each assessment strategy.