Week 5: Assessment

In week 5, we heard a very interesting and well-researched presentation from Jason Phillips on methods of assessment for digital libraries. I think this was a very important contribution to the class, for several reasons. It is tempting to want to focus very heavily on learning about technology and infrastructure--literally how to build digital libraries--sometimes without a user-centered or user-driven approach. It can also be easy to speculate on how users interact with systems or interfaces or digital collections, without necessarily taking well-planned methodological steps to test assumptions. Jason's presentation was particularly valuable for offering multiple assessment methods, with an understanding that there is no one right way to assess or evaluate a service or a digital collection. The nature of the content and the user community, among many additional factors, are critical factors in determining how, when, and why to assess a digital collection. These factors will likely change over time, impacting the chosen method of assessment.