Center for Information and Communication Studies Measuring Value and ROI of Academic Libraries: The IMLS Lib-Value Project Carol Tenopir University of Tennessee Northumbria August 2011

Center for Information and Communication Studies

2 Value Studies Lib-Value Scholarly Reading and Value of Library Resources Aim: Develop models for assessing value and ROI for academic libraries. Aim: examine the value UK academics place on having access to scholarly materials. End Result: An international perspective on the role and value libraries and their resources bring to individuals and institutions.

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

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 1)Implicit value (i.e., usage, downloads) 2)Explicit value (i.e., interviews) 3)Derived values (i.e., ROI) Value can be measured in many ways:

Center for Information and Communication Studies University of Tennessee-Knoxville Downloads UTK Article Downloads

Center for Information and Communication Studies Article Readings Over Time Average number of article readings per year *2011 (UK), n=1013; 2005,n=932; , n=397; 1993, n=70; 1984, n=865; 1977, n=2350 *

Center for Information and Communication Studies Average Readings Per Month: U.K. Faculty, 2011 n=2117, June , 6 UK universities

Center for Information and Communication Studies  Purpose  Outcomes  Return on Investment (ROI) Going beyond implied value to show…

Center for Information and Communication Studies Multiple institutions using multiple methods to measure multiple values for multiple stakeholders LIB-VALUE:

Center for Information and Communication Studies Readings for Work Related Purposes

Center for Information and Communication Studies Reading and Scholarship Surveys (Tenopir & King, 1977-present)  Measure explicitly purpose, outcome, and value from scholarly reading by focusing on critical incident of last reading, with open-ended questions  Include all reading (from library and not)  Exchange and use value  Method can be used for other services

Center for Information and Communication Studies “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.” Critical incident of last reading

Center for Information and Communication Studies Articles

Center for Information and Communication Studies n=1189, June 9, 2011, 6 U.K universities Percent Source of Article Readings

Center for Information and Communication Studies Percent n-=1047, June 9, 2011, 6 universities Article Readings from Library by Age of Reader

Center for Information and Communication Studies Where did you read this last article? (Articles from library only) n=764, June 9, 2011, 6 U.K universities

Center for Information and Communication Studies Preliminary Faculty Survey Results Activity Average last 30 days % of respondents Physical Visits2.9 visits73% Remote Visits14.2 visits88% Average Total Resources Used: in-person visit to the library7.3 uses80% remotely online14.9 uses89%

Center for Information and Communication Studies Use of Library Collections for Articles n=775 June 9, 2011, 6 U.K universities n=562

Center for Information and Communication Studies Principal Purpose of Reading n=1433 U.K, 2011U.S, Australia, n=1161

Center for Information and Communication Studies Source of Reading by Purpose of Reading: Faculty in U.K n=1161, 2011 Teaching Research Current Awareness

Center for Information and Communication Studies Readings for Research or Writing (2011) 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 “inspire new thinking” More likely to be read with great care

Center for Information and Communication Studies Outcomes of Journal Article Reading st Inspire new thinking or ideas55%54% 2 nd Improve results40%38% 3 rd Narrow/broaden/change the focus27%28% 4 th Resolve technical problems12%10% 5 th Save time or other resources12%10% 6 th Aid in faster completion7%5% 7 th Assist or result in collaboration/joint research 6%4%

Center for Information and Communication Studies n=1203, June 9, 2011, 6 U.K universities Time Spent Per Article Reading: Faculty in U.K, 2011 Percent Mean time is 44 minutes; median time is 30 minutes

Center for Information and Communication Studies Books or Book Chapters

Center for Information and Communication Studies n=931, June 9, 2011, 6 U.K universities Percent Source of Book Readings

Center for Information and Communication Studies Percent n=863, data as of June 9, 2011, 6 U.K universities Book Readings from Library by Age of Reader

Center for Information and Communication Studies Time Spent on Book Readings n=932, June 9, 2011, 6 UK universities Mean time spent reading is 1 hour and 33 minutes; Median: 1 hour. Percent

Center for Information and Communication Studies Other Publications Includes: conference proceedings, government documents, and trade journals or magazines

Center for Information and Communication Studies Other Readings n=735, data as of June 9, 2011, 6 U.K universities Percent

Center for Information and Communication Studies n=730, data as of June 9, 2011, 6 U.K universities Percent Source of Other Readings

Center for Information and Communication Studies Time Spent Reading Other Publications n=588, data as of May 1, 2011, 5 U.K universities Percent Mean time spent reading is 35 minutes; Median: 30 minutes

Center for Information and Communication Studies Time Spent (Exchange Value) Reading from Library Article 55 min/article X 25 read per month X 12 months X 67% from library= 184 hours a year per academic staff member Book 123 min/book X 8 per month X 12 months X 27% from library= 53 hours a year per academic staff member Other Publication 51 min/publication X 11 per month X 12 months X 15% from library= 17 hours a year per academic staff member

Center for Information and Communication Studies What role do scholarly articles play in your research, teaching, and other activities? ” Absolutely essential. They form the basis of my work. A great deal—they are the foundation. A central one for both teaching and research…inseparable in any true university despite the current climate. A great deal—they are the foundation.

Center for Information and Communication Studies Portrait of a successful faculty member… ” Publishes more Wins awards Reads more Reads more from the library For every article cited, reads additional articles

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 received ‘X’ $/€/£ in return. Demonstrate that library collections contribute to income-generating activities

Center for Information and Communication Studies Return on Investment is also… …values of all types that come to stakeholders and the institution from the library’s collections, services, and contribution to its communities.

Center for Information and Communication Studies Value is demonstrated by time invested in reading, by purpose of reading, by value to purpose, by outcomes of reading, and by how library services contribute to the income and mission of the institution

Center for Information and Communication Studies More details and searchable Lib-Value bibliographic database available on the project website: