2CUL TSI SG May 20, 2013

1. Launch of Original Cataloging Working Group

Susan Summer and Chew Chiat Naun attended for the first half hour and Kate reviewed their charge with them. They have already met by phone and feel comfortable with the charge as written. Naun will read it once more and then it will be approved.  They will do most of their work in google docs and are thinking about a face to face visit. Naun will think about adding Cornell members to the Team.

2. Initial Meeting with Nisa Bakkalbasi (assessment Coordinator at Columbia)

Nisa attended the Original Cataloging discussion for background information and met with us in the second half of the meeting to begin a discussion of how she could help us with assessment and data collection and analysis.  She is willing to continue to meet with us, especially as we start on Phase 2. She has spoken with her counterpart Zsuzsa Koltay at Cornell.

Some suggestions for TSI discussion:

• Do an inventory of data collected at both institutions and review it for common elements.
• Look at ARL statistics for Technical Services
• Think of our broad objectives as small projects with their own objectives and performance indicators/metrics. Our principles and goals may be too broad and need to be broken down into smaller, more measurable pieces. (However casting a wide net may be appropriate for Phase I and the break down happens in Phase 2).
• Scope out one small project now in Phase 1 as a way to learn to do an assessment? Pilot one specific inventory or one activity to see what can be collected and learn from it before doing too much.
• Collecting scope should be reasonable. She is an advocate of sampling. Manual statistics should be used carefully as they can introduce errors.
• Any assessment of individuals should be done carefully if at all. This should not be perceived as a performance review.
• Our data should tell a story. It is acceptable to note where things are too different to be compared directly. Data supported conclusions on our part are part of the story. Very complex functions may need several different metrics to tell the whole story. For example, a large amount of time and seeming inefficiency in technical services may be necessary because of savings in collection development. The story behind a language assessment could be having evidence to hire, for example, a Hebrew cataloger to benefit both institutions.
• If we do any surveying, we must be prepared to act upon the results.