SPEC Survey Webcast on Library Development

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is offering a series of webcasts that present the findings from the latest SPEC surveys and allow webcast participants to discuss trends with the survey authors. A 45-minute webcast will follow the publication of each SPEC Kit in 2018.

The next webcast in this series will cover the Library Development survey (SPEC Kit 359), which gathered information to better understand the supporting structures and resources (personnel, financial, and material) and the activities and expectations associated with library development efforts at ARL member libraries.

This SPEC survey retained some elements of the similar 2006 study for longitudinal comparison of the pre-recession environment and the current, post-recession environment. The 2018 survey included new elements to more broadly depict the current role of library development, including “friend-raising” (efforts intended to generate committed and supportive relationships with outside parties and entities), communication to stakeholders of library value added, and stories and/or descriptive measures provided in these communication efforts. The survey also examined the role of advisory boards in the fund-raising process, capital campaigns, and the renovation of an old library, or construction of a new library.

The webcast will review survey findings reported by ARL member libraries in March 2018. The survey authors will:

• provide data to allow libraries to compare their supports and capacity for development activities, including development staffing and director-effort commitments;
• present findings on fund-raising outcomes that will allow for the assessment of the efficacy of institutional efforts;
• provide a snapshot of reporting structures and evaluation metrics used for those engaged in development, identifying common practices; and
• discuss efforts by libraries, including communication activities, to foster stakeholder and advocacy relationships.

The webcast will also include a discussion of promising trends and conclude with a question-and-answer session. Read the freely available SPEC Kit 359 in advance and have your questions ready.

Webcast Details and Registration

Title: Library Development

Presenters: Brian W. Keith, Associate Dean for Administrative Services and Faculty Affairs, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida; Joseph A. Salem Jr., Associate Dean for Learning, Undergraduate Services, and Commonwealth Campus Libraries, Pennsylvania State University; and Kurt Cumiskey, Associate Director of Development, Duke University Libraries

Date: Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Cost: Free for all

Registration: Register online by Wednesday, August 8, 2018