Transcript Slide 1
Measuring (and Increasing) the Value of Academic Libraries
Carol Tenopir
University of Tennessee [email protected]
ALPSP February 2011
Center for Information and Communication Studies
Center for Information and Communication Studies
Value can be measured in many ways:
1) Implicit value (i.e., usage, downloads) 2) Explicit value (i.e., interviews) 3) Derived values (i.e., ROI)
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% change in ave # of Article Readings/Year & Ave Minutes/Reading by University Faculty in the US 100 80 60 40 20 0 -20 -40 1977 1993 2000 2003 2004 2006 Readings Minutes per Reading Center for Information and Communication Studies
Going beyond implied value to show…
• Purpose • Outcomes • Return on Investment (ROI)
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Methods for measuring value
Experiments Critical incident
Usage
Citations Contingent valuation
Focus groups
Observations Return on Investment Conjoint measurement Perceptions Interviews
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Series of studies
Surveys by Tenopir & King , 1977 Present using critical incident of last article reading ROI in grants, Phase 1: case study at University of Illinois, completed 2008 ROI in grants, Phase 2: expanded to 8 countries, completed 2010 Value and ROI (2010-2012) ( Lib-Value )
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Critical incident of last reading
“The following questions in this section refer to the SCHOLARLY ARTICLE YOU READ MOST RECENTLY, even if you had read the article previously. Note that this last reading may not be typical, but will help us establish the range of patterns in reading.”
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Principal purpose of reading
(Faculty in U.S. and Australia, 2004-2006, n=1433)
11% 9% 9% 51% 20% Research Teaching Current Awareness Proposals Other Center for Information and Communication Studies
Source of reading by purpose of reading
5% 5% 11% 5%
by faculty (Faculty in U.S. and Australia, 2004-2005, n=1412)
3% Library provided 9% 7% 38% 14% 50% Personal subscription Open Web 18% 37%
Research
Colleagues 3% 3%
Teaching
10% 30% 7% 47% School department subscription Other
Current Awareness
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Readings for research or writing
• More likely to be rated “absolutely essential” • More likely to be found by searching • More likely to be from e-sources • More likely to be after the first year of publication • More likely to be from the library
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Outcomes of reading in order of frequency of responses
(n=880) • Inspired new thinking (55%) • Improved results (40%) • Changed focus (27%) • Resolved technical problems (12%) • Saved time (12%) • Faster completion (7%) • Collaboration (6%) • Wasted my time (<1% of readings)
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E-Collections improve efficiency, writing, and research
“E-access is essential for scientific writing” “I could not do the kind of research or teaching I do without these resources.” “[e-access] saves me a lot of time which can be used for more extensive reading.”
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Derived measures
Return on Investment (ROI) is a quantitative measure expressed as a ratio of the value returned to the institution for each monetary unit invested in the library.
For every $/ €/£ spent on the library, the university received ‘X’ $/€/£ in return.
Demonstrate that library collections contribute to income-generating activities
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ROI Phases 1 and 2
Faculty Grant Research Cycle Conduct Research Write Articles
LIBRARY
Obtain Grants Write Reports & Proposals
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ROI for University of Illinois grants (Phase 1)
$4.38 grant income for each $1.00 invested in library (% of faculty who rated citations in proposals from library as important x % of proposals funded/library budget) Center for Information and Communication Studies
Phase 2: grants only 8 institutions in 8 countries
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Phase 2: ROI findings
Research STM • 13.2:1 to 15.5:1 Research and Teaching STM/Hum/SS • 1.3:1 to 3.4:1 Research and Teaching • Under 1:1
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Administration values: Measuring up
1) Attract outstanding faculty • Faculty who publish more read more • Faculty who receive awards read more • Library is main source of article readings 2) Retain outstanding faculty •
“I would leave this university in a microsecond if the library deteriorated”
- U.S. University
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Administration values: measuring up
3) Foster innovative research •
“I am now able to explore and trace back topics and check the developments that arose along the topic history making connections that were only dreams a few years ago.” -
Western European Research Institute • For every article cited, 27-40 more are read 4) Build research reputation of institution • In 2 universities, over 10 years an increase in library budget correlates with an increase in grant funding • – Faculty with more publications and citations obtain more grants .* *Ali & Bhattacharyya, “Research Grant and Faculty Productivity Nexus: Heterogeneity among Dissimilar Institutions.” Academic Analytics
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Administration values: Measuring up
5) Promote seamless integration of the library with institutional research activities •
“With the current workload, I could not continue with research without the convenience of access from my own computer”
– South African University • A doubling in article downloads, from 1 to 2 million, is statistically associated with dramatic increases in research productivity** **Research Information Network. 2009. E-journals: their use, value and impact. Report prepared by Research Information Network.
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Lib-Value: Multiple institutions using multiple methods to measure multiple values for multiple stakeholders
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Current Projects
Ebooks Special Collections Information Commons Journal Collections Value and ROI Teaching and Learning Reading and Scholarship Tools Website and Value Bibliography Center for Information and Communication Studies
Anticipate change..
New Scholarly Endeavors That Cut Across the Library’s Functional Areas
Teaching / Learning Research Social / Professional E-science Collaborative Scholarship Institutional Repositories Functional Areas Center for Information and Communication Studies
What we can show so far…
• Academic library e-collections help faculty be productive and successful • Libraries help generate grants income • E-collections (books, journals, etc.) are valued by faculty and students • ROI varies by mission and location of institution • Learning/information commons are reflecting changes in student work habits
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Some final thoughts on measuring value
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For further information: [email protected]
http://libvalue.cci.utk.edu
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Tenopir, C., King, D. W., Edwards, S., Wu, L. (2009a). Electronic journals and changes in scholarly article seeking and reading patterns.
Aslib Proceedings, 61
(1), 5-32.
Tenopir, C., King, D. W., Spencer, J., Wu, L. (2009b). Variations in article seeking and reading patterns of academics: What makes a difference?.
Library & Information Science Research, 31
(3), 139-148.
Tenopir, C. (2010). University Investment in the Library, Phase II: An International Study of the Library’s Value to the Grants Process. Report prepared for Elsevier LibraryConnect. http://libraryconnect.elsevier.com/whitepapers/roi2/lc wp021001.html.
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