Search engines, subject gateways, descriptive metadata, Web cataloging--everyone is looking for ways to support information discovery and retrieval on the Internet. To become full partners in new digital access ventures, library and information professionals need to be familar with effective tools and stategies, and need to make decisions about what is appropriate for different resources, settings and communities. This book takes a look at what has been done in providing subject access to networked resources, and what is around the corner. Accompanies by ample illustrations and complementary online material, topics include: Metadata, as a potentiator of subject description; classification schemes and directories; alphabetical subject engines in all their variety; and trends in subject decription and access. A book directed to information professional, educators, and students involved in Web design, cataloging, indexing, reference, and information retrieval.

This book discusses recent trends in outcomes assessment, examines how state governments are reshaping the national discussion with higher education, and explains how libraries must respond to these changes. Higher Education Outcomes Assessment for the Twenty-first Century focuses on recent developments in outcomes assessment, especially from the perspectives of the federal government and state governments, as well as foundations concerned about the state of higher education. The authors identify the significant changes that these stakeholders call for-information that academic librarians and anyone following outcomes assessment need to be aware of-and interpret the discussions to identify implications for libraries. Building upon the foundation of knowledge presented in the previous two Libraries Unlimited Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education titles, this book provides readers with up-to-date coverage of topics such as the emerging metrics used to define student and institutional success; the increased importance of accountability and the need to compare and assess the performance of programs and institutions rather than individual courses; and the shift in prioritizing student outcomes over student learning outcomes. The authors also spotlight the critical need for libraries to fit their role within the national discussion and suggest ways in which library managers and directors can play a role in redirecting the discussion to their benefit. Provides current, informed coverage of outcomes assessment in higher education, the shift away from student retention, and the role of the library in these new directions Includes an appendix that supplies the most complete list of higher education stakeholders and individuals with whom library directors need to interact

Revisiting Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education complements rather than updates Hernon and Dugan's 2004 Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education. As with its predecessor, it offers a cross-campus diversity of voices: contributors hail from various segments of higher education, including officers of institutional accreditation organizations, an academic vice president, academic deans, a higher education consultant, faculty members, and librarians. Individually, they shed light on how their corner of the higher education universe views, facilitates, and substantiates outcomes assessment. Together, they document what is known about outcomes assessment in the middle of the first decade of the new century, as institutions and their programs take ever firmer steps from anecdotal evidence to more rigorous diagnosis and reporting. The current interest in outcomes assessment represents a major shift in recent decades in attitudes about evaluating education. Outcomes assessment deals not only with assessment, but with accountability, usually in terms of accomplishing goals defined as desirable by the institution in question. It questions the results of educational processes, and focuses the argument on what students, faculty, and administrators demonstrably do. Revisiting Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education complements rather than updates Hernon and Dugan's 2004 Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education. As with its predecessor, it offers a cross-campus diversity of voices: contributors hail from various segments of higher education, including officers of institutional accreditation organizations, an academic vice president, academic deans, a higher education consultant, faculty members, and librarians. Individually, they shed light on how their corner of the higher education universe views, facilitates, and substantiates outcomes assessment. Together, they document what is known about outcomes assessment in the middle of the first decade of the new century, as institutions and their programs take ever-firmer steps from anecdotal evidence to more rigorous diagnosis and reporting. For faculty, administrators, and librarians at all academic institutions; accreditation organizations and associations, including program accreditors; program officials in national associations; and other stakeholders, including members of state and other governments wanting to see what academe is doing to link accountability with continuous quality improvement.

Search engines, subject gateways, descriptive metadata, Web cataloging--everyone is looking for ways to support information discovery and retrieval on the Internet. To become full partners in new digital access ventures, library and information professionals need to be familar with effective tools and stategies, and need to make decisions about what is appropriate for different resources, settings and communities. This book takes a look at what has been done in providing subject access to networked resources, and what is around the corner.

Accompanies by ample illustrations and complementary online material, topics include: Metadata, as a potentiator of subject description; classification schemes and directories; alphabetical subject engines in all their variety; and trends in subject decription and access. A book directed to information professional, educators, and students involved in Web design, cataloging, indexing, reference, and information retrieval.