Metrics of library value

Steve O’ConnorUniversity Librarian

Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Conventional measures of value

• Size of Library• Numbers of volumes• Numbers of book and serial titles• Size of budget• Budget splits

– Staffing – Materials– Other

Per Capita Consumption 2005

Hong Kong

Taipei

Singapore

Brunei

Macau

Mainland

Cambodia

Laos

NepalAs measured in HK dollars

What is an even measure?

• The Digital Library metric is yet to emerge

• The Physical Library metric was never very clear– Always tied to ‘Mine is bigger than

yours’– ‘I have more than you’

Grappling with a new order

• How to measure the digital world– Downloads – Ratio of use

• Uses to titles subscribed ?• Uses to FTE ?

– Cost per article downloaded– Cost per article per FTE

• Per research staff member

Fudging of the figures

• Use of print journals• In-house usage of print materials• Number of volumes includes many

multiple copies• Numbers of e-journals includes

multiple copies in different silos• E-journals are ‘collected’ not by

interest but by silo

Education18.com Ranking

Includes multiple copies

Includes Chinese Million Book collection

Ratio is determined by adding UNEQUALS and dividing by Student numbers

• Education18 assessments amateurish and meaningless… but very public!!!– What is the value of print titles (paid or

unpaid) versus duplicate e-titles?– What is the relevance of the collections to

information need?– How do these assessments relate to

teaching or research value?• If Libraries matter, then benchmarking

and value determination really matters!

E-books in Hong Kong Libraries 2006

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

HKU

HKIED

HKBU LU

CUHKPol

yuCitu

HKUST

e-books

E-Books in Hong Kong Libraries 2006

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

HKU

HKIED

HKBU LU

CUHKPol

yuCitu

HKUST

e-books

ADJUSTED

Growth of Digital… 增长的数字化资源

0%

20%40%60%

80%100%

04 06 08 10 12

Year

Information delivered into Library

Web

Digital

Print

0%

20%40%60%

80%100%

04 06 08 10 12

Year

Information delivered into Library

Web

Digital

Print

Growth of Digital… 增长的数字化资源

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

04 06 08 10 12

Information Delivered into Library

Web

Digital

Print

Growth of Digital… 增长的数字化资源

Like and unlike

• How does one compare– Web growth– E-book and e-journal growth– Print growth ??????

• Depends on purpose– Illustrative– Institutional comparisons– To stimulate debate

• Application of consistent, detailed and agreed statistical definitions

• Decisions on the purpose of the statistical count outcomes

• Development of validly-based weightings for different factors

high low

low

high

stewardship

uni

que

ne

ssBooksJournals•Newspapers•Gov. docs•CD, DVD•Maps•Scores

Special collections•Rare books•Local/Historical newspapers•Local history materials•Archives & Manuscripts, theses & dissertations

Research and learning materials •ePrints/tech reports•Learning objects•Courseware•E-portfolios•Research data

Freely-accessible web resources•Open source software•Newsgroup archives

Collections as a measurement of value ??

With thanks to Lorcan Dempsey

high low

low

high

stewardship

uni

que

ne

ssBooksJournals•Newspapers•Gov. docs•CD, DVD•Maps•Scores

Special collections•Rare books•Local/Historical newspapers•Local history materials•Archives & Manuscripts, theses & dissertations

Research and learning materials •ePrints/tech reports•Learning objects•Courseware•E-portfolios•Research data

Collections as a measurement of value ??

With thanks to Lorcan Dempsey

high low

low

high

stewardship

uni

que

ne

ss

BooksJournals•Newspapers•Gov. docs•CD, DVD•Maps•Scores

Special collections•Rare books•Local/Historical newspapers•Local history materials•Archives & Manuscripts, theses & dissertations

Research and learning materials •ePrints/tech reports•Learning objects•Courseware•E-portfolios•Research data

Collections as a measurement of value ??

With thanks to Lorcan Dempsey

high low

low

high

stewardship

uni

que

ne

ssBooksJournals•Newspapers•Gov. docs•CD, DVD•Maps•Scores

Special collections•Rare books•Local/Historical newspapers•Local history materials•Archives & Manuscripts, theses & dissertations

Research and learning materials •ePrints/tech reports•Learning objects•Courseware•E-portfolios•Research data

Freely-accessible web resources•Open source software•Newsgroup archives

Collections as a measurement of value ??

With thanks to Lorcan Dempsey

Principles within the institution

• Linked to learning outcomes• Linked to research outcomes

• Another possibility is Grade Average Achievement, or

• Grade Average Improvement

Principles for benchmarking

• Common definitions as to journals/e-books/duplicate subscriptions

• Agreed timeframes or point-of-reference for measurement

Print Licensed Digitized Research&

learningoutputs

…

Catalog MetasearchResolver

Repositories …

Repositories …ILS ERMKnowledgebase

Systems and servicesUser environment

Management environment

www.lib.polyu.edu.hk

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