DREaM 5: Building evidence of the value and impact of library information services

DREaM Project Conference British Library, 9th July 2012Opening keynote presentation Carol Tenopir University of Tennessee, USA Center for Information and Communication Studies

Building evidence of the value and impact of library and informationservices: Methods, metrics, and ROI Carol Tenopir University of Tennessee ctenopir@utk.edu DREaM Conference July 9, 2012 Center for Information and Communication Studies

Center for Information and Communication Studies

Today‟s topics…• Lib-Value project overview• Defining value in the library and information context• Techniques and examples: – Critical incident – ROI and contingent valuation – Qualitative and personas Center for Information and Communication Studies

Lib-Value: Multiple academic institutions usingmultiple methods to measure multiple values for multiple stakeholders Center for Information and Communication Studies

Current projects Special Information Ebooks Collections Commons Methods for Journal Teaching and MeasuringCollections Learning Value Website andReading and Digitization ValueScholarship Bibliography Center for Information and Communication Studies

In the information context economistMachlup described 2 types of value:1. purchase or exchange value: what one is willing to pay for information in money and/or time, and2. use value: the favorable consequences derived from reading and using the information. Center for Information and Communication Studies

Lib-Value comprehensive library value study (Bruce Kingma)• Economic (private) – What is the value to an individual to use the library resources?• Social (public) – What is the value to the institution of the library?• Environmental (externality) – What is the value of the environmental savings of library provision of electronic resources? – Have libraries gone green without knowing it? Center for Information and Communication Studies

Value of reading can be measured in many ways*1) Implied value (i.e., usage, downloads)2) Explicit value (i.e., outcomes, critical incident)3) Derived values (i.e., contingent valuation, ROI)*These methods are useful in any type of library, but most of my examples are from academic libraries Center for Information and Communication Studies

Implied value: Downloads UTK Article Downloads Center for Information and Communication Studies

Article readings 1977 to present by scientists and social scientistsReadings per year * *2011-2012 (UIUC) n=639, (UK),n=1013; 2005,n=932; 2000-03, n=397; 1993, n=70; 1984, n=865; 1977, n=2350 Center for Information and Communication Studies

Going beyond implied value to show…Exchange Use/Outcomes Center for Information and Communication Studies

Tenopir & King scholarly reading studies, 4 types of questions:1. Demographic2. Recollection Therefore, insights into both READERS and3. Critical Incident READINGS4. Comments Center for Information and Communication Studies

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.” Center for Information and Communication Studies

Time spent (exchange value) reading•Article •49 min/article X 22 read per month X 12 months = 216 hours•Book •106 min/book X 7 per month X 12 months= 148 hours•Other Publication •42 min/publication X 10 per month X 12 months= 84 hours U.K. academics spend on average per year nearly three months of their work time reading scholarly material. Center for Information and Communication Studies

A majority of articles are from the library:PercentUK, n=1189, June 2011;UIUC, n=256 April 4, 2012 Center for Information and Communication Studies

Use of library collections for articlesN=775, 6 UK universities, June 6 2011 Center for Information and Communication Studies

Environmental and exchange value Average last 30 % of Activity days respondents Physical visits 2.9 visits 73% Remote visits 14.2 visits 88%Average total resources used: in-person visit to the library 7.3 uses 80% remotely online 14.9 uses 89% Center for Information and Communication Studies

Source of reading by purpose of reading: Faculty in UK Teaching Research Current Awarenessn=1161, 2011 Center for Information and Communication Studies

Outcomes of journal article reading1st Inspire new thinking or ideas 54%2nd Improve results 38%3rd Narrow/broaden/change the focus 28%4th Resolve technical problems 10%5th Save time or other resources 10%6th Aid in faster completion 5%7th Assist or result in collaboration/joint 4%research n=2117, 6 UK universities, June 2011 Center for Information and Communication Studies

Return on investment in a strict sense……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 receives ‘X’ $/€/£ in return. Demonstrate that library collections contribute to income-generating activities Center for Information and Communication Studies

Library‟s value to the grants process 9 institutions in 8 countrieshttp://libraryconnect.elsevier.com/whitepapers/roi2/lcwp021001.html Center for Information and Communication Studies

ROI from access to journal articles cited in grant proposals Research • 13.2:1 to 15.5:1 STM Research and Teaching • 1.3:1 to 3.4:1 STM/Hum/SS Research and Teaching • Under 1:1 Center for Information and Communication Studies

ROI through contingent valuationan economic method of evaluation of servicesand goods which looks at the implications ofnot having the services. Center for Information and Communication Studies

National Network of Libraries ofMedicine: Retail Value Calculator• http://nnlm.gov/mcr/evaluation/calculator.html• How much would it cost to replace your library services on the retail market?• Calculate what it would cost to buy library services - at a book store, through pay per view for articles, from an information broker - if you and your library werent there. Center for Information and Communication Studies

National Network of Libraries ofMedicine: Library value calculator • http://nnlm.gov/mcr/evaluation/roi.html • How much benefit does your institution, your user, receive for every dollar spent by the library? • Value of benefits and costs for each service • Total value of your library use Center for Information and Communication Studies

Measuring the ROI of Today‟s Libraries: About the study:•Part of a grant to assess thevalue and ROI of academiclibrary services (Lib-value)•Assesses theuse, value, and ROI of 77academic library services•This data is from BryantUniversity•Similar project underway atDrexel University (May2012). Center for Information and Communication Studies

Readings from the Library Total Number of Readings from Library per yearNo. of readings from library Center for Information and Communication Studies

Purchase Value of Some Services:• The hourly rate of users: – Faculty: $56.20 per hour – Staff: $36.00 per hour – Students: $34.60 per hour Center for Information and Communication Studies

Contingent Value• The cost of not having access to library- provided articles.• Faculty-only (students not asked)• Total cost: $408,600• Cost per Faculty: $1,200• Cost per reading: $27 Center for Information and Communication Studies

Return on investment is also……values of all types and outcomesthat come to stakeholders and theinstitution from use of the library‟scollections, services, andcontribution to its communities. Center for Information and Communication Studies

Academics praise the library for its long-term outcomes Electronic access to the university library system from off- site is crucial for swift access toThe journal articles to support my teachingcollection at and research activities.my institutionis excellentandscholarshipis all thericher for the Library resources havecontribution been essential to myfor easy work for the past 20access to years.journals andprintpublications. Center for Information and Communication Studies

What a „successful‟ academic looks like: •Has won an award in the last two years. •Publishes four or more items per year. •Reads more of every type of material. •Spends more time per book and other publication readings. •Uses the library for articles •More often buys books and obtains other publications from the Internet. •Occasionally participates and creates social media content. Center for Information and Communication Studies

Persona: “Akrum Patel” • Key Facts:I would like my library • Associate professor in physics.to have subscriptionsto more journals and • Reads 30 articles, 2 books, and 11 otherfor longer periods of publications per month.time. • What he needs: • Current issues of articles. • Off-site access to collections. • Access to search engines and online resources without a distinction between library and non-library resources. • Factors: • Reads seminal books. • Wants to see trends over time. • Has not visited a physical library for many years. Center for Information and Communication Studies

Persona: “Sally Fitzgerald”My research and teaching • Key Facts:cannot exist without – Spends majority of time on research[library‟s e-collections]…and and teaching.not finding them right awayis heavily disruptive on my – Reads 30 articles and 15 books perwork. month. • What she needs: – Older articles in addition to new publications. – Frustrated when can only find abstracts and not full-text. • Factors: – Library doesn‟t always have the books she needs. – Needs wide range of material. Center for Information and Communication Studies

Value is demonstrated by timeinvested, by value to purpose, by outcomes of use and by ROI.Multiple methods should be used to measure value. Center for Information and Communication Studies

Some final thoughts on measuring value• Tie what you measure to the mission• Quantitative data can show ROI and trends• Qualitative data tell a story• No one method stands alone• Measure outcomes, not inputs• The further downstream the value, the more challenging to measure, but perhaps the most important. Center for Information and Communication Studies

More details and searchable Lib-Valuebibliographic database available on the project website: http://libvalue.cci.utk.edu Center for Information and Communication Studies

For further information: ctenopir@utk.edu Center for Information and Communication Studies

Center for Information and Communication Studies

DREaM 5: Building evidence of the value and impact of library information services

by Library and Information Science Research Coalition on Jul 06, 2012

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