Trying to Measure Success: A Mid-size Academic Library Grapples with Assessing a Popular Tablet Loan Project

Abstract

Chapter 2 of Library Technology Reports (vol. 51, no. 7), “Mobile Devices: Service with Intention,” describes F. D. Bluford Library’s iPad loan pilot, which began in December 2010. The library provided twenty iPads for circulation to students to investigate tablets’ suitability for coursework and entertainment. Assessment focused on staff time supporting the project. Measures included tracking labor per circulation and analyzing borrower support incidents. With the success of the yearlong pilot, it was expanded to thirty third-generation iPads for student circulation, followed by ten fourth-generation iPads for faculty and staff circulation with new supporting technology deployed. A cost-benefit analysis revealed that upgraded supporting technology allowed program expansion at existing staffing levels and resulted in lower labor costs per circulation. Second phase assessment included user surveys and census of apps installed by borrowers to yield insights into the value of the program. Finally, recent equipment losses, the first in the history of the program, prompted the use of Kaplan and Norton’s Balanced Scorecard evaluation documented in this case study.[*]

[*] Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, “The Balanced Scorecard: Measures That Drive Performance,” Harvard Business Review 70, no. 1 (January–February 1992): 71–79.