The Association of Research Libraries invites libraries to register for the 2018 ClimateQUAL survey. ClimateQUAL is the only organizational-climate-assessment tool specifically focused on diversity that has been validated in the academic library context.
ClimateQUAL collects information about: (a) library staff perceptions of the organization’s commitment to the principles of diversity, (b) staff perceptions of organizational policies and procedures, and (c) staff attitudes. The survey’s core scales address such issues as demographic diversity across four dimensions; diversity of ideas, values, and experiences; teamwork; learning; fairness; current managerial practices; and staff attitudes and beliefs.
Active participation from 60 libraries since 2007 has enabled the ClimateQUAL research team to investigate the dimensions of organizational culture important for a healthy library. The tool is a must-do during the first 100 days for an organization with new leadership, as it provides useful baseline information.
Register to Participate in 2018
The second ClimateQUAL survey session of 2018 is open through Sunday, December 9, 2018. Participating libraries may schedule and run their survey at any time during this session. Registration for the 2018 survey year will close on Thursday, November 1, 2018.
The registration fee is $5,000 for the traditional and Lite versions of the survey protocol. ClimateQUAL Lite is a shorter form of the ClimateQUAL survey that preserves data integrity while allowing institutions to assess library staff perceptions of many of the same issues covered by the long form of the survey.
New participants may register by sending email to climatequal@arl.org. Please note that participants need to survey at least 50 part-time or full-time employees, possibly including student workers, in order to obtain actionable results from ClimateQUAL.
Past participants may register on the ClimateQUAL website.
Participant Responsibilities
ClimateQUAL participants are expected to do the following:
- Submit the enrollment fee ($5,000).
- Assign a contact person to work with the ClimateQUAL team throughout the three-week survey administration period.
- Commit to repeat the survey periodically to measure the impact of improvement strategies over time.
- Commit to work with ClimateQUAL community members to share strategies for using evidence-based methods as a tool for organizational and service improvement.
More Information
Detailed information about the ClimateQUAL protocol and its background is provided on the ClimateQUAL website, including recent articles, FAQs, a 20-minute video describing the theory behind ClimateQUAL, a sample report, and a bibliography of relevant research publications. For more information or to express interest in participating in ClimateQUAL, send email to climatequal@arl.org.
About the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 125 research libraries in Canada and the US whose mission is to advance research, learning, and scholarly communication. The Association fosters the open exchange of ideas and expertise, promotes equity and diversity, and pursues advocacy and public policy efforts that reflect the values of the library, scholarly, and higher education communities. ARL forges partnerships and catalyzes the collective efforts of research libraries to enable knowledge creation and to achieve enduring and barrier-free access to information. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.
