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Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 2016, 11.2
34
Evidence Based Library and Information Practice
Commentary
The Role of Student Advisory Boards in Assessment
Ameet Doshi
Director, Service Experience and Program Design
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
Email: ameet.doshi@library.gatech.edu
Meg Scharf
Associate Director, Communication, Assessment, and Public Relations
University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida, United States of America
Email: Meg@ucf.edu
Robert Fox
Dean, University Libraries
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
Email: bob.fox@louisville.edu
Received: 15 Feb. 2016 Accepted: 18 Feb. 2016
2016 Doshi, Scharf, and Fox. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons‐
Attribution‐Noncommercial‐Share Alike License 4.0 International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-
sa/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly attributed, not used for commercial purposes, and, if transformed, the resulting work is redistributed under
the same or similar license to this one.
Abstract
Objective – The objective for this commentary article is to assess and communicate the
development, logistics, and overall value of student advisory boards for the libraries at three
large research institutions.
Methods – The methods for developing and operating an advisory board vary between schools;
however they share common approaches that could be viewed as "best practices" for sustainable
and productive student advisory boards.
Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 2016, 11.2
35
Results – Our commentary aims to inspire libraries to invest in this value-added approach as part
of a robust portfolio of assessment tools. The various practices outlined in the commentary could
be helpful to librarians who seek to begin or further develop a student advisory board.
Conclusion – The unique relationship fostered by the advisory board enables libraries to use
direct student feedback to confirm what is learned from surveys, focus groups, and observations.
A strategic relationship with a student board can enable librarians to refine methods of obtaining
information, or it can cause us to view information we have collected in a different way.
Introduction
A student advisory board can be a unique
addition to an academic library’s assessment
program. Boards give libraries valuable
feedback. This paper addresses benefits of
library student advisory boards, as well as
procedures for maintaining successful boards to
enhance or enrich information for assessment.
Setting
Practices for board management at Georgia
Institute of Technology, University of Central
Florida (UCF), and the University of Louisville
have developed active, engaged advisory board
members. Members have contributed to
outcomes such as service improvements,
successful space redesign, and improved
alignment between library strategic objectives
and user needs. Best practices identified by these
institutions are applicable to many other
contexts.
All three institutions have received valuable
assessment information from student advisory
boards. The input has triggered additional
evaluation and assessment of programs
resulting in improvements for services or
resources in areas that needed addressing and
focusing on campus life trends that affect library
use. Evidence demonstrates that the return on
investment in student advisory boards has been
a net positive for each institution.
Problem
Although research libraries have a relatively
robust tradition of assessing and responding to
student needs via survey tools such as
LibQUAL, concerted efforts to develop a long-
standing, strategic relationship with students is
a newer phenomenon (Thompson, Cook &
Heath, 2000). A student advisory board can help
fill this void. Our experience suggests that
student advisory boards give academic libraries
feedback and information on user perceptions
and experiences, strategic guidance, and
suggestions/ideas for new or improved services,
facilities, and resources. Each of these three
institutions has experienced the benefits of
receiving information from a group of
committed student board members.
The idea of advisory boards originated with
corporations and non-profit organizations.
Consumer panels or boards can react to
products and services, as well as to the overall
experience of shopping with or dealing with the
organization. Non-profits can get advice on the
community environment, and get help with
advocacy from board members. (Carter, Geehan,
Ross, 2005)
There are other groups that can give feedback to
the library but are outside this paper's scope.
Many academic libraries have a group
appointed by the provost or Faculty Senate to
provide oversight on strategic directions and to
be part of institutional governance. Fundraising
and friends’ groups can help the library tell its
story to influential people. While the library can
Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 2016, 11.2
36
receive feedback from these groups, none of
them is designed to give the kind of direct
reports that users of the facilities, resources and
services can.
Evidence
The decision to form an advisory board can
occur due to a variety of reasons. At Georgia
Tech, an ad hoc group of honors students
reached out with informal feedback to ensure
that the students voice helped inform a library
renovation project. The input that these students
provided was valuable enough to encourage
library administration to continue the board
more formally. The Dean at Louisville had
formerly worked with the student board while
at Georgia Tech. Based on the positive results
there, he sought to recreate that type of
experience after moving to Louisville.
At UCF, the board was established with the
broader goal of ensuring that library
administrators had a direct line to student
opinion and feedback when it was needed to
evaluate services, resources and facilities.
Surveys, including LibQUAL+, interviews,
newsletters, blogs, suggestion boxes, mystery
shoppers, and more have all generated feedback
and facilitated communication with students.
The board serves as a safety net to help answer
the questions, “Is the library’s story reaching
students? Does the library know what students
really think?” The development of this trusted
channel for open communication has paid off in
helping to keep the library’s planned building
improvements on the university’s list of
priorities despite funding challenges. The
board’s role has been essential in smaller
matters, such as board members reaching out to
the student press to publicize new services, and
confirming that students read and value the
information disseminated in the "bathroom
newsletter".
Implementation
Library decisions on the structure and operation
of the board can determine the types of feedback
that the board delivers. The purpose of its board,
campus culture, tradition, and practices can
dictate the formality of advisory board
establishment, member recruitment, and
composition. While different at each institution,
these are vital pieces of the long-term success of
these boards. Boards present library leadership
with the opportunity for direct interaction with
an important group of stakeholders, but student
members should not feel outnumbered by
administrators at meetings. Frequency of
meetings and the meeting agenda are also
crucial in sustaining member enthusiasm and in
generating informative discussion.
One characteristic that makes student advisory
boards unique is synergy. When the library
surveys or interviews students, it receives
individual feedback that is not influenced by the
presence of others. Even focus groups are
individuals brought together on that occasion
for that specific purpose. In contrast, student
advisory board members become acquainted
with each other over a period of time and
develop an “esprit de corps.” While they are
individuals, they have common experiences as
students of the same institution and users of the
same library. In the best of circumstances, they
can become a team that supports the library.
Demonstrating to the student board that they
are important can help create the unique
synergy that, combined with their being more
comfortable with library administrators, allows
for a more honest, open and caring conversation
about the library.
To create an environment for this kind of
feedback, examine the campus culture and
determine how you will appoint members.
Receiving an appointment, and being able to put
that on a resume, is important to students.
Student Government and student organizations
can help recruit or be solicited for top students
as board members. Faculty, administrators, and
Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 2016, 11.2
37
librarians can suggest student members. At
Georgia Tech, particular attention is paid to the
composition of the board because 70% of the
student body are engineering majors.
Additionally, a unique relationship between the
library and the Institute’s top scholarship
program ensures that high achieving, motivated
students are appointed to the board. Careful and
conscientious recruitment is a key factor in
ensuring a sustainable and active board. At
UCF, students who contact the library with
constructive criticism are recruited, often
becoming the most enthusiastic board members.
Logistical considerations for sustainable student
boards are crucial. There should be some
regularity regarding meeting frequency. Among
the institutions discussed here, three meetings
per semester is common. It is also vital to
distribute minutes and decisions from the
previous meetings with the agenda for the next
meeting. Many board meetings occur during a
lunch or dinner hour and a best practice is to
provide a meal. Finally, if available, meetings
should be held in special or exclusive spaces
such as an administrative boardroom.
Results
Examples of the role of board-gathered
information and activities in enhancing the
assessment process are included below. At our
institutions, a key outcome for successful
assessment initiatives has been that it closes the
loop by soliciting information from users,
analyzing it, acting upon it, and communicating
the change back to users. The impact is felt by
students who recognize that the library values
their input. Active student advisory boards
produce comments and feedback, and with
library decision-makers present, changes are
made and reported back quickly. For example,
at UCF, a board member complained about
viewing the local news station in the coffee area,
claiming it was nothing better than a crime
blotter---a litany of robberies, car-jackings, and
the like. The student initially suggested the BBC,
but the Board discussion led to displaying a
national news station. Favorable student
commentary followed the change: the loop was
closed. It demonstrated to the Board that their
opinions are important even on seemingly small
matters.
At the University of Louisville, the Board has
proven very useful in physical improvement
projects and web usability studies. Members
serve as a sounding board for feedback on
facilities changes. They have also been part of
interactive design charrettes for planning
construction.
At Georgia Tech, student Board members have
contributed in myriad ways from service design
improvements, to being at the table with
designers and architects putting comprehensive
renovation plans together.
Library administration can provide an overview
on facilities and services, and student advocates
can take it upon themselves to present that
information to campus administrators. At
Georgia Tech, student Board members wrote a
letter asking the Institute’s administration to
address the condition of the library building.
However, if advocacy is not handled correctly it
can become an ethical issue. For example, the
library should not expressly ask board members
to write a letter on its behalf. Instead, advocacy
should arise naturally as students become better
informed about issues facing the library.
At UCF, Advisory Board members have tested
survey questions and related assessment tools.
Reviewing survey results with students can
generate further discussion and information-
gathering, and can help translate survey
commentary with more context. Board members
can make valuable suggestions to overcome the
challenges of publicizing results and increasing
participation in assessment efforts. They have
also provided invaluable information for
planning building projects.
Perhaps the most gratifying experience that each
institution has had with its board is witnessing
the conversion of board members to active
Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 2016, 11.2
38
advocates for the library. Advocates help close
the assessment loop by supporting the programs
and enhancements suggested by assessment
results, through invaluable word-of-mouth
publicity and through support of funding
initiatives that enable these improvements.
Boards are not a shortcut to obtaining
qualitative assessment information. If done well,
everything takes time: recruiting the right
students, preparing agendas, distributing
minutes. Student advisory boards are only one
tool in an assessment portfolio.
Conclusion
Our students can inspire us. The unique
relationship fostered by the advisory board
environment enables libraries to use direct
student feedback to confirm what we have
learned from surveys, focus groups, and
observations. A strategic relationship with a
student board can enable us to refine our
methods of obtaining information, or it can
cause us to view information we have collected
in a different way.
Although managing a library student advisory
board is time-consuming, it can be part of an
effective and sustainable assessment plan. More
importantly, the outcomes of this investment in
leveraging student wisdom can pay dividends
in a multitude of ways.
References
Carter, T. (2003). Customer advisory boards: A
strategic tool for customer relationship
building. New York: Best Business
Books.
Geehan, S., & Sheldon, S. (2005). Connecting to
customers. Marketing Management, 14(6),
36-42.
Ross, J. A. (1997). Why Not a Customer
Advisory Board? Harvard Business
Review, 75(1), 12.
Thompson, B., Cook, C., & Heath, F. (2000). The
LibQUAL+ gap measurement model:
the bad, the ugly, and the good of gap
measurement. Performance Measurement
and Metrics, 1(3), 165-178.
