Learning Outcomes

The AUX department at Princeton University Library defined the following learning outcomes before we held our open house. LO's of this paper will support attendees in drafting and creating their own goals and basic prototypes of activities and info stations for a similar effort at their home institution: 

AUX Open House Learning Objectives 1. Participants should know how and who to contact in order to be able to start engagement with the department. 2. Participants should have fun in order to reduce the anxiety of “assessment” and engaging with the department. 3. Participants will be able to articulate 3-5 types of assessment or user experience activities in order to be able to identify the types of methods that might be opportunities for assessment in their work. 4. Participants should be able to define assessment in order to understand the purview of the Assessment and User Experience department. 5. Participants should be able to identify the benefits and added value of assessment and user experience in order to engage with the department.

Detailed Outline

In the summer of 2023 the Assessment and User Experience Open House held a fun, informal, gathering for Library staff to come-and-go to meet the department’s staff and learn about this new department at the Princeton University Library. The Open House was a come-and-go event with both mediated and unmediated stations related to different aspects of assessment and user experience. There was no agenda and no formal presentation. Instead we worked to remove barriers to asking questions or proposing ways that our department might work across the large organization that is our multi-branch system. Examples included creating a library facts trivia wall, repurposing a prize wheel to be a randomizer for an on-the-spot results shared survey, and a hands on chance to work with in-development AUX data dashboards. We learned a lot about the needs of our colleagues in a few short hours, and we'd love to share our insights into what works. An early success, our three person team engaged with over 70 employees from all walks of library service and generated invitations to follow up with staff in a low key way that has continued to expand and extend our support for PUL well past our initial time investment. Participants will gain insight into the hands on stations AUX staff created to spark conversation, invite immediate feedback, demonstrate upcoming projects, and welcome our colleagues to further connect with department staff as individuals and library assessment on the whole. This paper will support attendees in creating a similar open house event, offering an interactive environment that will provide tools for identifying key questions, projects, and activities in their role or department that translate to staff in-reach.