Building Assessment Capacity in Academic Libraries: Lessons Learned and Leadership Implications

Library leaders are increasingly expected to use data-driven decision-decisions to demonstrate library value, optimize services, and support institutional goals. In response, academic libraries hire either assessment professionals or form committees in which multiple librarians engage in assessment-related activities to support decision-making. However, involvement in assessment does not necessarily correspond to adequate preparation, and assessment capacity varies widely across librarians. To address this gap, our project team developed a seven-workshop series, funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant (2024), to build academic librarians’ capacity to implement assessment tools. The series, offered between April and June 2025, focused on research design, analysis, and dissemination, and engaged about 100 librarians from 55 institutions across the United States. This column reports lessons learned from the workshop series, provides evidence of its impact, and highlights how library leadership can support staff development, build assessment capacity, and strengthen data-informed decision-making across institutions.