This document summarizes a presentation about measuring the impact and quality of online resources for libraries. It discusses challenges libraries face related to budgets, suppliers, technologies, politics, usability, and users. Two case studies are presented: a small UK higher education institution that implemented a local authentication solution to reduce administration burden and increase electronic resource use, and a commercial research library that renegotiated subscriptions, implemented identity management, and saw increased downloads and reduced costs per download. The presentation emphasizes negotiating with suppliers, using technology solutions, understanding user environment and behavior, and using traditional and social media to market libraries.

1. Measuring impact and quality
Workshop: Measuring the use of online resources
Tom Edmonds
OpenAthens Product Manager

2. Maximising the ROI for library budgets
• Lightening demo!
• Where does your library budget go?
• What challenges do you face?
• Some solutions
• YOU
• Case studies

3. Eduserv - OpenAthens
1994 2000 2008 2009 2010 2011 Today…
• Athens • Athens • Athens • 33% of the • US • US Navy • > 4,000
developed & adopted by became Australian Department of Medicine customers
first web NHS England OpenAthens healthcare Veteran Information use
service in the UK market adopts Affairs adopts Systems OpenAthens
launched OpenAthens OpenAthens Support • > 4 million
- SAH Agency users
- DoH Victoria adopts worldwide
OpenAthens
www.eduserv.org.uk
[Lightning demo]

4. Identity & Access Management - markets
Public
Academic Healthcare Publishing Sector Commercial
[Lightning demo]

5. Some library stats.
www.eduserv.org.uk

6. Library developments
1999
Print
Print and online
2007
Online
2009
100%
Source: Ebsco
www.eduserv.org.uk

7. Where does your library budget go?
Resources
Personnel
Buildings
Other
www.eduserv.org.uk

8. Where does your library budget go?
23%
13%
Resources
Personnel
25% 39% Buildings
Other
www.eduserv.org.uk
Source: commercial research company

9. Where does your resources budget go?
e-Journals
68%
Online databases
2% Print
2%
Magazines & newspapers
10% Books
3%
15% e-Books
www.eduserv.org.uk
Source: commercial research company

10. Where does your e-resources budget go?
www.eduserv.org.uk
Source: Bath Spa University (2010)

11. JISC Activity data programme
Looking for the link between library usage and student
attainment
“There is a statistically significant correlation across a number of
universities between library activity data and student attainment”
- thank you to the JISC & Huddersfield University
www.eduserv.org.uk

12. www.eduserv.org.uk

13. www.eduserv.org.uk

14. 1 2:1 2:2 3
70.0
59.3
60.0
56.8 56.4
53.1
50.3
50.0 53.1
50.9
49.5 49.8
48.5
40.0
39.2
36.4 37.2
36.1
34.3
30.0
26.1
20.0 22.8 23.0 22.3
21.1
www.eduserv.org.uk
10.0
2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10

15. www.eduserv.org.uk

16. What are the challenges?
…for optimizing your library spend
www.eduserv.org.uk

17. Challenges…
• Budgets
www.eduserv.org.uk

18. Challenges…
• Budgets
• Suppliers
• Increasing subscription costs
• Lack of flexibility.
www.eduserv.org.uk

19. Challenges…
• Budgets
• Suppliers
• Technologies
• IP address management
• Authentication steps for both the library and publisher
• User ID setups
• A to Z list management
• OpenURL management
• Licence compliance policy management
• Support: troubleshooting, downtime, usage monitoring, training etc.
www.eduserv.org.uk

20. The challenges…
• Budgets
• Suppliers
• Technologies
• politics
Source: stus.com
www.eduserv.org.uk

21. The challenges…
• Budgets
• Suppliers
• Technologies
• politics
• Usability
www.eduserv.org.uk

22. www.eduserv.org.uk

23. www.eduserv.org.uk
23

24. www.eduserv.org.uk
24

25. www.eduserv.org.uk
25

26. www.eduserv.org.uk
26

27. www.eduserv.org.uk
27

28. The challenges…
• Budgets
• Suppliers
• Technologies
• politics
• Usability
• Users.
www.eduserv.org.uk

29. The “Path of least resistance”
“...an information [seeker] will
tend to use the most convenient
search method, in the least
exacting mode available.
Information seeking behaviour
stops as soon as minimally
acceptable results are found.”
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
www.eduserv.org.uk

30. Principle of Least Effort
“...numerous studies have shown users
are often willing to sacrifice information
quality for accessibility. This fast food
approach to information consumption
drives librarians crazy. ‘Our information
is healthier and tastes better too’ they
shout.”
- Peter Morville (“Ambient Findability”, 2005)
www.eduserv.org.uk
30

31. www.eduserv.org.uk
31

32. Marketing your library
www.eduserv.org.uk

33. Social media
“I found out all my students were looking
at material in the VLE but going straight
to Facebook to use the discussion tools
and discuss the material and the
lectures. I thought I might as well join
them and ask them questions in their
preferred space.”
- What is Web 2.0? Ideas, technologies and implications
for education. Paul Anderson. A JISC report
www.eduserv.org.uk

34. Mobilise your library…
www.eduserv.org.uk

35. Market your resources
Source: Gungahlin Library, Australia
flickr.com/photos/silversprite/5120507383
www.eduserv.org.uk

36. Library portal
www.eduserv.org.uk

37. Over to you...
What have you done/are doing to get more from your library budget?
www.eduserv.org.uk

38. Case Study 1:
www.eduserv.org.uk

39. Small UK HE institution
Objectives: to implement Shibboleth
reduce burden of administering access
increase use of electronic resources
Constraints: no IT resource
Solution: implement a local authentication
solution.
www.eduserv.org.uk

40. Project: duration – 9 months…
www.eduserv.org.uk

41. Small UK HE institution – one year on…
• No access queries
• Handful of Athens queries!
• Integration with Google Docs
• Gmail access for post-graduates
• Increased resource usage
• 20,000 more sessions in 2010/11.
www.eduserv.org.uk

42. Small UK HE institution – number of logins
Year/
January February March
Month
No. % No. % No. %
2009 16,460 8,247 13,860
2010 18,198 11 11,345 37 21,276 54
2011 22,930 39 27,359 232 27,446 98
www.eduserv.org.uk

43. Case Study 2:
www.eduserv.org.uk

44. Commercial research library
Objectives: to simplify working in a fluid environment
manage changing need for information
Constraints: fixed (if not falling) budget
Solution: re-negotiate licences
integrate library services.
www.eduserv.org.uk

45. User behaviour:
Copied in the library
Borrowed
Downloaded
www.eduserv.org.uk

46. What are the consequences?
Subscription cost Number of downloads
60,000 6,000
50,000 5,000
40,000 4,000
30,000 3,000
20,000 2,000
10,000 1,000
- -
2007 2008 2009 2007 2008 2009
www.eduserv.org.uk

47. What are the consequences?
Cost per download
20.00
18.00
16.00
14.00
12.00
10.00
8.00
6.00
4.00
2.00
0.00
2007 2008 2009
www.eduserv.org.uk

48. Three steps to improve ROI
• Re-negotiated subscriptions
• Implemented a local identity and access management
solution (OpenAthens)
• Implemented OpenURL and A to Z list management
using TDNet.
www.eduserv.org.uk

49. Re-negotiated subscriptions
Publisher 1
• No movement on price or licencing terms
• No alternative arrangements available
• From 2010, the complete collection was replaced by a
collection of the most used titles.
www.eduserv.org.uk

50. What were the consequences?
Subscription cost Number of downloads
60,000 6,000
50,000 5,000
40,000 4,000
30,000 3,000
20,000 2,000
10,000 1,000
- -
2007 2008 2009 2010 2007 2008 2009 2010
www.eduserv.org.uk

51. What were the consequences?
Cost per download
20.00
18.00
16.00
14.00
12.00
10.00
8.00
6.00
4.00
2.00
0.00
2007 2008 2009 2010
www.eduserv.org.uk

52. The impact: publisher 1
• End users have less access
• Library service is curtailed
• Publisher loses income.
www.eduserv.org.uk

53. Re-negotiated subscriptions
Publisher 2:
• 2007 ~35 journals, not much used
• 2008 cancelled most of them
• 2010 new arrangement with publisher
o download everything at a fixed price
o subscriptions commence when it is profitable.
www.eduserv.org.uk

54. What were the consequences?
Cost of subscriptions Number of downloads
80,000
6,000
70,000
60,000 5,000
50,000 4,000
40,000
3,000
30,000
2,000
20,000
1,000
10,000
- -
2007 2008 2009 2010 2007 2008 2009 2010
www.eduserv.org.uk

55. What were the consequences?
Cost per download
40.00
35.00
30.00
25.00
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
2007 2008 2009 2010
www.eduserv.org.uk

56. The impact: publisher 2
• End users have more access than they did 3 years ago
• The library service improves
• Publisher regains income.
www.eduserv.org.uk

57. Conclusions…
• Negotiate
• Technology solutions
• Environment
• Social media
• Traditional tools
www.eduserv.org.uk

58. Thank you for listening
Twitter: @edm0nds
Skype: tomedmonds.eduserv
Email: tom.edmonds@eduserv.org.uk
www.eduserv.org.uk