Surveys, Statistics, Narrative: Communicating Library Value to Administrators

1. Surveys, Statistics, Narrative: Communicating Library Value to Administrators

2. What is value?

3. What is value? ‘Part of the issue is to figure out how to best express – how to define – what value means. Value to what? Value to faculty research success? Value to student success? Value to student learning? Because all of those have very different definitions, and use different metrics and tools to describe them. So, how you express value, in many ways, depends on who you’re talking to and what you’re talking about.’

4. How is value perceived in a library: creating a successful library service

5. How is value perceived in a library: administrators

6. Usage Statistics

7. COUNTER Usage Reporting on Different Platforms This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Are we comparing apples to oranges? This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

8. Differing platform journeys Journals Example PDF format Platform A counts 2 against article usage HTML format Platform A Click here to view article Platform B User chooses preferred format Platform B counts 1 against article usage

9. Improvements with Release 5 Journals Example New metrics to address this: total_item_requests all article full-content views across all formats unique_item_requests unique article full-content views regardless of format

10. Improvements with Release 5 Journals Example Platform A total_item_requests = 2 unique_item_requests = 1 HTML format PDF format Platform A Click here to view article Platform B total_item_requests = 1 unique_item_requests = 1 User chooses preferred format Platform B

11. Differing platform journeys eBooks Example Example: An eBook is downloaded as one entire PDF. The book has 10 chapters. Platform A: 1 book download (BR1) Platform B: 10 chapter downloads (BR2)

12. Improvements with Release 5 eBooks Example Example: An eBook is downloaded as one entire PDF. The book has 10 chapters. Platform A Unique_Title_Requests: 1 Platform B Unique_Title_Requests: 1

13. Improvements with Release 5 eBooks Example Example: An eBook is downloaded as one entire PDF. The book has 10 chapters. Platform A Total_Item_Requests: 1 Unique_Item_Requests: 1 Unique_Title_Requests: 1 Where section type = book Platform B Total_Item_Requests: 10 Unique_Item_Requests: 10 Unique_Title_Requests: 1 Where section type = chapter

14. Other Release 5 changes • Terminology: • Requests - viewing or downloading full content • Investigations - actions in relation to a content item or title, including requests • Master reports: • filter and configure reports to create customised views

15. Transition between Releases

16. Preparing for the future • Consider when using new metrics: • Re-baselining • Informing senior stakeholders • More on COUNTER: https://www.projectcounter.org

17. Other means of capturing value Resource integration into course curriculum Entry & ID Badge Data Fulfilment of research requests from collection and IL Loans of physical books Use of spaces (e.g. group study areas) #Instruction sessions taught and students taught Number of active patrons Effect of library usage on student GPA Qualitative data (stories, examples) Focus groups

18. Value in supporting research

19. Demonstrating value to library users ‘My campus is growing, it’s diversifying, its metrics are soaring, everything is positive, but our readership is declining. We have more data now to assess the kind of resources that we have. There’s a marketing piece that’s obviously missing. But the libraries are packed and full, and all the channels are operating full-service…’

20. How do you know you are meeting expectations when there are gaps?

21. Communicating value: understanding the audience

22. Communicating value: mediums of communication How do librarians communicate the value of the library within an institution?

23. Communicating value to drive results: Have you ever used data as an evidence base to win funds for a new project in your institution?

24. Communicating value to drive results ‘We recorded student feedback about library space: positive, negatives, ideas, needs; these drove changes to the library space.’ ‘We know for instance that noise is a problem for us and we used student provided data to argue for more enclosed study spaces. ‘

25. Stats into stories

26. Conclusion

27. Acknowledgements Thank you to: INTERVIEWS Jeffrey Matlak, Collection Development & Electronic Resources Librarian, Western Illinois University Mark McCallon, Associate Dean for Librarian Information Services, Abilene Christian University Library Luke Swindler, Collections Management Officer (Davis Library), University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Alison Scott, Associate University Librarian for Collections & Scholarly Communication, University of California, Riverside Maria Atilano, Marketing and Student Outreach Librarian, University of North Florida Lisa Blackwell, Director of Library Services, Chamberlain University ACRL CONFERENCE FOCUS GROUPS Zoe Unno, Science and Engineering, University of Southern California Jessica Whitmore, Archives Manager and Research Assistant, Mount St. Mary’s University Charles Gallagher, Special Collections Librarian, Mount St. Mary’s University Julie Shenk, Information Technology Librarian, Mount St. Mary’s University Emily Mross, Business and Public Administration Liaison Librarian, Penn State University at Harrisburg Jennifer Dean, Dean of University Libraries and Institutional Technology, University of Detroit Mercy Ryan Johnson, Head of Collections, Research, and Instruction, Georgetown University Cynthia Thomes, Reference and Instruction Librarian, University of Maryland University College Linda Kopecky, Head of Research Services, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Julia Gelfand, Applied Sciences, Engineering & Public Health Librarian, University of California, Irvine Sherry Tinerella, Public Services Librarian & Liaison for Education, Physical Science & Professional Studies, Arkansas Technical University Teresa Slobuski, Academic Liaison Librarian , San Jose State University Christine Menard, Head of Research Services, Williams College Belinda Ong, Director of Reference and Information Services, The University of Alabama in Huntsville Rachel Cannady, Research and Education Services Librarian, University of Texas at Antonio Rebecca Graff, Humanities Research Librarian, Southern Methodist University Brittany Dudek, Instructional Online Librarian, Colorado Community College

28. Thank you! Harriet Joyce: harriet.joyce@tandf.co.uk Caroline Blake: caroline.blake@tandf.co.uk