A New Lens for Evaluation – Assessing Academic Libraries Using the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Library evaluation has evolved across the decades to take account of the role of services and collections within their institutions. The framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) enables consideration of the value and benefits of libraries within national and international development. Taking this approach, based on the theory of change, provides different insights to the work of libraries. The article provides an overview of library assessment and information on the development of the UN SDGs. Australian academic library activities are assessed using four SDGs to reveal a contribution beyond the walls of their institutions. Methodological comparisons frame a discussion about the nature of value.