SCONUL Statistics: The view from the shop floor

1. SCONUL Statistics:The view from the shop floor JIBS workshop on management data in higher education libraries School of Oriental and African Studies, London 1st June 2009

2. Introduction • Introducing Cranfield University • Our process for the SCONUL statistics • Working with the data • Problems and issues • Looking ahead

3. Cranfield University • Wholly postgraduate • Positioned between traditional universities and business and industry • Specialising in applied sciences, defence, engineering, health and management • Ranked 3rd in the UK for the impact of our mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing research* *RAE2008

4. Cranfield Campus Kings Norton Library Management Information Resource Centre Shrivenham Campus Barrington Library Locations and Libraries

5. Cranfield UniversityLibrary and Information Services • Total catalogued book stock = 438,091 • Number of unique serial titles = 9,605 (92% e-only) • Users entering the library = 385,773 • Number of FTE users = 4,408* • Number of active borrowers = 1,506 • Total number of loans = 270,261 • Total number of staff = 48.1 (55% professional) • Information provision expenditure = 32% of gross Source: SCONUL Statistics 2007-08 *SCONUL Statistics 2006-07

6. Cranfield Defence and Security • Specialises in the research and teaching of Defence Management, Science and Technology • Academic Provider to the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom - College of Management and Technology • Student population of armed forces, civil servants and industry personnel from all over the world

7. Barrington Library • Total catalogued book stock = 156,617 • Number of unique serial titles = 7,291 (97% e-only) • Users entering the library = 70,805 • Number of FTE users = 2,321* • Number of active borrowers = 682 • Total number of loans = 19,804 • Total number of staff = 20 (59% professional) • Information provision expenditure = 30% of gross Source: SCONUL Statistics 2007-08 *Internal data, not FTE

8. My Role • Design and manage the processes and systems to collect the data at the BarringtonLibrary • Collate, review and submit data from all Cranfield Libraries • Produce regular reports on results (and other data sets) to Senior Management • Provide Library data as requested

9. Our Process – Cranfield at Shrivenham

10. Process • Sections 1 – 4: Stock, Clientele, Usage. • Data provided from: • Library Management System • Manual counts • Activity reports • Enquiry tracker • Data provided by: • All Library staff

11. Process • Sections 5 & 6: Library Staff & Staff Expenditure • Staff numbers provided by Library Administrator • Includes vacancies • Staff expenditure provided by Finance • All expenditure over the year • Staff expenditure : staff numbers – inaccurate

12. Process • Sections 7 & 8: Expenditure & Income • Automated process • Cost codes cross-referenced to SCONUL Q’s • Serials breakdown provided by SWETS • Data analysed by me, with input from Finance/SWETS

13. Data Checking • Year-on-Year fluctuations • Number and % • A + B = C • e.g. Number of additions to stock minus number of disposals equals difference in catalogued book stock • Ratios, e.g. • Number of loans : Number of active borrowers • Number of active borrowers : Number of users • Differences between University Libraries

14. Working with the data

15. Working with the data • Limited application for our needs • Provides a good framework for data collection • Supported with qualitative and quantitative data • Resource impact measurement • Usage per target population • Cost per use • Impact rating by target population • User feedback • LibQUAL+

16. SCONUL Statistics on the Web • Excellent resource, if a little clunky… • Ranked list popular with stakeholders • Institutional data & defined groups useful for benchmarking • Time series helped inform stakeholders of changing costs of information provision

17. Problems and Issues

18. Consistency …getting better but still not right • Year-on-Year • Between Cranfield University Libraries • With all SCONUL members Causes of inconsistency: • Isolation of the role • Quiet discussion group • Grey guidelines • No definitive manual

19. eResources Definitions • Is it an eBook? a Database? a Serial? • Definitions do not meet our needs • eMeasures table is not comprehensive • Open for interpretation

20. Number of Unique Serials How many uniqueeSerials do we have in each format? • Publishers cannot tell us how many serials in our packages • SWETS unable to provide report • Annotated each record ourselves • Double counting is currently unavoidable Way forward? • Ex-Libris Advanced Collection Tool?

21. Usage Statistics • Contradiction in the question • “4s: Number of successful requests for full-text articles (journals only)…including serials counted as databases in 2k” • Data Source • Aggregator? • Publisher? • Counter has helped, but usage data for each Library is strategically VITAL

22. Reliability of Systems • Library Management System • Reporting functionality minimal • Verde/SFX • SFX Advanced Collection Tool • Verde reporting functionality still to come online • Finance • Accuracy of cost-codes

23. Looking Ahead • Consistency • Isolated role within the Institution • Quiet discussion group • Grey definitions • Changing face of information provision • Redundant information (e.g. ‘active’ borrower) • Open access • Bibliometrics for REF • Changes in performance measurement • Impact is the new magnitude

24. Conclusions • We’re improving, but we’re not there yet • A useful framework of Library statistics but limited for our needs • Supported with a portfolio of metrics • Benchmarking ability excellent, however consistency could skew results • SCONUL needs to move with the times without destroying the foundations

25. Selena Killick Research & Development Officer Cranfield University s.a.killick@cranfield.ac.uk Tel: 01793 785561