Free Webinar: If It's Not in the Data, It's Not in the Decisions: Learning Analytics for Academic Librarians

[Becky Croxton]

Passing along information about a free upcoming webinar that I will be co-presenting, along with my colleague, Megan Oakleaf, If It's Not in the Data, It's Not in the Decisions: Learning Analytics for Academic Librarians. You do not have to work in libraries or be a member of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) to attend.

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Registration is now open for ACRL's Value of Academic Libraries (VAL) Committee's upcoming free webinar: If It's Not in the Data, It's Not in the Decisions: Learning Analytics for Academic Librarians, on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Central Time.

Academic libraries contribute meaningfully to student success, but if that contribution isn't captured in institutional data systems, it's invisible to the people making decisions about resources, programs, and support. Institutions are increasingly relying on learning analytics augmented by artificial intelligence to make exactly those decisions, and libraries that aren't in the data risk being left out of the solutions. This introductory webinar walks academic librarians at any role level through what learning analytics is, why library data is often missing from institutional systems, and how to engage with campus data conversations to make library contributions visible and valued. Participants will also explore how to connect library work to the outcomes institutions care about, communicate evidence effectively to decision-makers, and understand what AI acceleration means for the stakes of library inclusion.

Presented by ACRL's Value of Academic Libraries (VAL) Committee and featuring speakers Dr. Rebecca (Becky) Croxton, Strategic Assessment Librarian at Colorado State University Libraries, and Dr. Megan Oakleaf, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor in the Syracuse University iSchool.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Define learning analytics in a higher education context in order to prepare for, ask questions about, and/or engage in learning analytics work at their institutions.
• Initiate conversations about learning analytics at their own libraries and across their campuses in order to position libraries as active participants in institutional learning analytics work.
• Describe how AI is accelerating institutional analytics in order to understand the risks and opportunities this creates for library inclusion in data-driven decision-making.
• Apply a structured process to communicate evidence of library contributions to student success to key campus audiences in order to position libraries as essential partners in institutional problem-solving and decision-making.

Speaker Bios: 

Dr. Rebecca (Becky) Croxton is Strategic Assessment Librarian at Colorado State University Libraries, where she leads assessment initiatives and co‑leads strategic planning to support data‑informed decision‑making and demonstrate library impact. She holds a PhD in Educational Studies, a doctoral minor in Educational Research Methods, and a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Becky has over a decade of experience in higher education assessment, data analysis, and data visualization, including extensive work with ACRL and ARL data reporting and benchmarking. She is a leader in the national Grand Challenges in Assessment initiative, serving on the Data Visualization Implementation Team and helping to develop and launch the online data visualization toolkit. Becky has published and presented nationally on topics including academic library value, online learning, data visualization, and student information‑seeking behaviors, with presentations at conferences such as ACRL, ALA, the Assessment Institute, and other assessment-focused venues. Her work has been recognized with the 2023 UNC Charlotte Excellence in Planning and Assessment Award, the 2023 UNC System Learning and Technology Symposium Best in Track Award, and the 2020 UNC Charlotte Excellence in Assessment Award. Her research areas include library assessment, data‑informed decision‑making, and demonstrating the impact of libraries on student success.

Dr. Megan Oakleaf is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor in the Syracuse University iSchool. The author of ACRL's The Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report, Academic Library Value: The Impact Starter Kit, Library Integration in Institutional Learning Analytics, and Connecting Libraries and Learning Analytics for Student Success, she has published in top library journals including College and Research Libraries, JASIST, and Journal of Documentation. Megan has presented at numerous conferences, including ALA, ACRL, AAC&U, and AALHE national conferences, the IUPUI Assessment Institute, and EDUCAUSE. Megan won the 2021 ALA LIRT Librarian Recognition Award, the 2019 Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award, the 2011 Ilene Rockman Publication of the Year Award, and the 2014 Jeffrey Katzer Teacher of the Year award. Her research areas include library value, learning analytics, and assessment.

Register to join the conversation!

Questions? Reach out to Ari Zickau (ACRL) at azi...@ala.org

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Becky Croxton, Ph.D.

Pronouns She/Her Strategic Assessment Librarian

Colorado State University Libraries 

Morgan Library | 1019 Campus Delivery | Fort Collins, CO 80523 

Phone: (970) 491-1116 

Email: becky....@colostate.edu