Utilizing Google Docs as an Assessment Tool for Academic Reference Librarians

Gathering patron feedback is necessary for all reference librarians who wish to understand their strengths and weaknesses as viewed through the eyes of those they assist. Such feedback is especially important for individuals seeking tenure or advancement in places of higher education as it provides evidence of institutional value. However, it can be a daunting task to create an effective means of performance assessment that is easily distributed and palatable to patrons. This paper describes the use of Google Docs to establish an effective method of gathering feedback with a modicum of computer skills.