Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Valuing Libraries - Additional Resources - Blog of Links (US)

From the blog …Here are the links to the value and impact of libraries postings that I wrote this week all in one place. Please feel free to share.” [April 7th, 2010]
Our thoughts … This contains links to lists (divided by subject) of additional reports and resources which includes sections on Public Libraries, School Libraries, Academic and College Libraries, and Special Libraries.  All of them are have a strong North American focus.  For those with patience and a fair amount of spare time.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Valuing Libraries - Additional Resources - Report (UK)

The Value of Libraries for Research and Researchersreport from Research Libraries UK and the Research Information Network.
From the Executive Summary ... “This report presents the findings of a systematic study of the value of the services that libraries in the UK provide to researchers, and of the contributions that libraries from a wide range of institutions make to institutional research performance. The aim was to identify the key characteristics of library provision to support research in successful UK universities and departments.
The approach comprised two main elements: quantitative analysis of statistics – from SCONUL, HESA, and the RAE, along with bibliometric data - to investigate correlations between the characteristics and behaviours of libraries in 67 UK HE institutions, and the research performance of those institutions; and gathering and analysing a large tranche of qualitative information from nine institutions with a range of characteristics.”
Our thoughts ...The most interesting thing about this report is the in the visual diagram (map) that clearly shows how libraries can and do positively impact on Higher Education Institutions.  This diagram is used to as a basis to demonstrate how ten major library behaviours and characteristics affect and/or benefit Institutions.  It is also interesting that the focus is on qualitative responses backed up by quantative data.  This is a thought provoking report with ideas that can be transposed to other library environments as well as an excellent demonstration to show the value of libraries.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Value of Libraries - Knowledge Cafe - Library value versus it is all free on Google

ISSUE:  Library value versus it is all free on Google
v  Somebody usually library provides access to all that is “free”.
v  Who make sure such services work but the library staff?
v  Prove worth by document delivery data.
v  Aggregators have taken over lots of library functions.
v  How to assess quality of Google info.
v  What about preservation everything is not there forever on the internet.
v  What about what is not accessible via Google.
v  Librarians teach effective searching and show what exists that search on Google do not find or know about.
v  Digital divide access for everyone is not there.
v  People overestimate their own information literacy.
v  Library has real people who know who to assist not machine voices or websites.
v  Who select the subscriptions and negotiates for services.
v  Need to understand information needs of the business or organisations.
v  Focus on the skillset not the place not just individual skillsets but the combined skillset of the library staff.

Value of Libraries - Knowledge Cafe - Invisibility of librarian skillset

ISSUE:  Invisibility of librarian skillset
(eg Google Scholar can access articles if library pays subscriptions)
v  Appreciate access –outcome but no recognition of skills that enabled that access
v  Librarianship skills but sold as KM, database, research etc.
v  Rebrand not simply librarianship but KM, database, info, and research
v  Testimonials from people who can quantify/qualify your skillset and demonstrate to other users and potential users their value.
v  Empowerment of clients =training.
Value and solutions
v  Hour with librarian saves hours and hour of library clients’ time
v  Brand access to all electronic and other services as from library
v  Tagging information and embedded into searching with library service branding so users realise skills by making your skillset more visible to users
v  Liaison librarians’ role to interact with users
v  Embed liaison librarian in other areas to promote skills as well as to better understand clients’ needs
v  Recruit a variety of personality types and age groups into library team so different staff can relate to different client groups and sell the library.
v  “Your library service” as distinctive brand.

Value of Libraries - Knowledge Cafe - National approach to research into the value of librarians (all sectors)

ISSUE:  National approach to research into the value of librarians (all sectors)
v  taking in account sectoral variations
v  Peak bodies through ALIA
v  Consortia approach
v  Services rather than sectors (similar to new approach that Australian councils now uses)(
v  Layered approach
v  Longitudinal studies
Is this idea a step too far?

Value of Libraries - Knowledge Cafe - Demonstrating value to organisation / community

ISSUE:  Demonstrating value to organisation / community (original notes are in the form of a mind map)
v  Showing value in an ongoing way – before the threat of closure
o   Impact of not having the library
v  Overcoming stereotypes
v  Linking with organisational / community goals & values
o   Statistics
§  Salaries of professionals in other areas vs. Research staff in libraries
§  Costing
§  Subscription services
o   Highlighting library contribution to major projects – how library work translates to outcome
§  Use of [internal media] & storytelling – tailoring to audience – anecdotes for senior managers (strategic drivers)
§  Executive buy-in
§  Relationship management
§  “Ownership of the library”
§  Targeting services to decision makers
§  How many ministenides {?} (other people keep their statistics)
v  Highlight staff not just resources
v  Training
o   Improving Digital literacy – impact on projects
v  Efficient ways to record & repeat statistics
o   Tools & ways to measure – Templates, EBL
o   Qualitative
v  Understanding of floor space, physicality, physical space vs. digital prescience
o   Space as vulnerable – could this communicate how library is valued or viewed in organisation?            
§  Usability & access – location & how this impacts on usage by demographics
o   Antidote to open plan offices – Explore non library uses
§  “Hook in walls” to link with other services
§  Book clubs / fiction exchange
§  Work-life balance as a quite space.
§  Stress
§  Quiet room or meeting space
o   Accessibility for online material
v  Freelancers Community centre linking people with interests [public libraries as places to meet, build interests or bo quiet!]  vs Business refuge – “vulnerability” or no stupid questions

Value of Libraries - Knowledge Cafe - Why we need to demonstrate our value

ISSUE:  Why we need to demonstrate our value
v  Survival
v  Sharing budgets
v  Justification of existence
v  Demonstrate difference to bottom line
v  Where you value add
v  Accountable for the budgets / inputs
v  Demonstrating relevance to the mission of the organisation
v  Being proactive
v  Competition for resources
v  Should be in the position of “selling solutions” not services
v  Reporting about libraries that have closed then what
v  Declining or closed library stories & outcomes ie Broadband, Treasury, Transport, Medicare, Res Energy & Tourism
v  DIMIA / DIAL
v  Approx 10 libraries in the last 2 yrs
v  People are too much of an overheads
v  Staff / people are undervalued
v  Outsourcing
v  Rochester study – on benefits of lib in the org.

Value of Libraries - Knowledge Cafe - How to make ourselves visible – marketing & worth

ISSUE:  How to make ourselves visible – marketing & worth
v  How to demonstrate $ value
v  Uni’s have Facility Liaison Librarians
o   Talk to academics, PGR’s, conduct training
v  Reference Desk
v  Social Media
v  How to engage with UG’s?
o   Perception lib is ‘boring place’
v  Introduce training in areas within gov libs
o   Realization now – ‘there is more than Google’
v  Get away from putting posters on board
v  Problem – how to get ‘quiet librarians’ to have confidence to engage with client group
v  If you promote, do you have support staff for nec. Follow-up services?
v  Negotiate so ALL libraries can offer some level of access to resources
o   Role of National, State & Uni libraries
o   More dominant role of ALIA required
o   Librarians need to be harder negotiators
§  Librarians need training in negotiation, advocacy, marketing & financial planning
v  Look at what is asked for in recruiting
o   Issue – this may be easier in large libraries that allow for specialization
v  Libraries don’t resource marketing activities
o   Conflict between marketing role & other job activities
v  Marketing should be embedded in everyone’s role
v  Training in marketing required
v  Problem with naming – library / knowledge centre / resource centre
v  Set up game environment
o   Use google & eresources
o   Clients see worth of eresources
v  Recognise your client groups – their different expectations
v  Targeted marketing
v  Attend functions in your organisation – visibility!
v  Vary your marketing
v  Marketing never ends – it is ongoing
v  “Elevator engagement”
v  Make sure library staff go to the canteen – engage

Value of Libraries - Knowledge Cafe - How to lobby / communicate with non-stakeholder management

ISSUE:  How to lobby / communicate with non-stakeholder management
v  Develop champions / educate upwards about value, w?? Benefits, outputs etc.
v  Time cost / savings                
o   Efficient research
o   Cost difference between library & other staff
o   Cost saving of shared services
o   Examples of Saving & time saved
v  What meaningful stats should you keep / share
o   Make sure you demonstrate the value outside the library
§  Qualitative results outcomes
v  Be a knowledge base
o   Encourage sharing to avoid “reinventing the wheel”
v  Advocacy as part of Strategic Plan
o   Pre-plan for change in attitude
o   Network
o   Word of mouth
v  Communicate the positivity of being a library
o   Quality information
o   Training
o   Consistency
v  Marketing
o   Not just upwards
o   How can you help all user groups

Value of Libraries - Knowledge Cafe

And now what you have been waiting for ...
... Notes from the knowledge cafe!
Issues include:
·         How to lobby / communicate with non-stakeholder management
·         How to make ourselves visible – marketing &worth
·         Why we need to demonstrate our value
·         Demonstrating value to organisation / community
·         National approach to research into the value of librarians (all sectors)
·         Invisibility of librarian skillset
·         Library value versus it is all free on Google
Each topic has it’s own post so please feel free to add comments.
Thankyou to everyone who was an issue owner.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Value of Libraries - Addition Resources - Australia

To kick off the first of the additional resources here are a few Australian ones (not including the NSW and Victorian Reports of course):

Our thoughts … This is a good starting place for the practical side of demonstrating the values of libraries.  Of particular interest are the links to the “Every member an advocate” kit and the ALIA Guide to Advocacy and Lobbying for Libraries and Information Organisations.

From the abstract ... ‘The University of Wollongong (UOW) has undertaken an innovative and collaborative research project to demonstrate the value that can be provided by academic libraries. The tool developed, the “Library Cube”, is a data warehouse linking student borrowing and use of electronic resources to students’ academic grades and demographic information ... Analysis enabled through the Cube has revealed a very strong relationship between library usage and students’ academic performance. This information will improve UOW Library’s ability to demonstrate value to clients and stakeholders. The Library Cube has also delivered some anticipated and unexpected findings on the relationship between social variables (such as gender, age, and citizenship) and library usage behaviors; and in doing so has also identified potential target audiences for Library promotions and engagement strategies.’
Our thoughts … An interesting approach which is also able to include evaluating the use of electronic resources.  It looks at how different client groups access and benefit from different resources.  There is also a brief section that discusses different ways to demonstrate worth and the implications section asks some important questions.

From the website ... ‘...Now is the time for library managers to be able to translate the value of the services they provide to the community into language able to be understood by politicians and others. To successfully compete for funds with other areas of council, library managers need to develop tools and documents demonstrating the economic benefits which libraries deliver to the community. While there is no international consensus on the most appropriate methodology to apply to calculating the value of libraries, this paper applies a model used in Southwestern Ohio, to the nine libraries of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council in Queensland. The result was a return of $5.45 per dollar invested.’
Our thoughts … This report examines how the Sunshine Coast Libraries demonstrate value in economic and qualitative terms and describe the problems around providing accurate quantitative data.  Another good starting point.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Friday, June 1, 2012

The first question ...

Hi everyone – we hope you enjoyed the Valuing Libraries Symposium J

After attending the symposium yesterday, and having had a little time to reflect, what do you think you will do next?

Me?  Well I’ll be doing some research looking at what advocacy resources are available - in particular which ones need to be created for my organisation.  And then having a long and interesting discussion with my supervisor J