“Outcome-based evaluation is designed to get an organization, such as a library, to answer a crucial question: We do what, for whom, for what outcomes or benefits?”
Matthews, J. R. (2007). The evaluation and measurement of library services. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited. p. 25.

Assessment can be a daunting and frustrating concept, but it doesn't have to be. In it's most basic definitions in academic libraries, assessment is a tool to for the continual improvement of library services or as a way to show the value of our services.

Guidelines for Assessment:

• Select 1-2 outcomes each year
• Collect all existing data measures relevant to that outcome.
• Analyze the individual data measures to find if they met their targets.
• Pool the assessment findings relevant to the outcome.
• Interpret, analyze, and discuss the assessment findings.
• Create an action plan specifying the actions to be used to address the outcome.

​Remember that assessment is a process of continual refinement.