Southeastern Library Assessment Conference

Using Culture to Cultivate Conversations: Lessons Learned from Whiteboard Ethnographic Research

This presentation will report on the outcomes of a longitudinal collaboration between the University of Richmond and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville libraries to create, scale, and sustain an ethnographic research project utilizing open-ended questions posted on whiteboards. Presenters will highlight methods of coding and communicating large amounts of data to disparate communities and share lessons learned regarding participatory assessment projects, space usage and the ways in which culture should inform the creation of strategic ethnographic projects.