Search

Universities and colleges have a rich seam of data, created as students, researchers and staff interact with the systems and services across their campuses. The potential for this data to transform the student and researcher experience, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the institution, is currently locked away in the diverse and complex data sets and systems employed by each institution. Even where these data sets are available, making sense of them can be difficult and resource intensive. This article describes the efforts of the Library Analytics and Metrics Project (LAMP) to develop a shared, national service to enable institutions and libraries to make sense of their disparate and diverse data sets and enable them to spend their precious time and resources acting upon it to improve the student and researcher experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – It is clear that libraries consider the use of data to inform decision making a top priority in the next five years. JISC's considerable work on activity data has highlighted the lack of tools and services for libraries to exploit this data. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of a shared analytics service for UK academic libraries and introduce the JISC Library Analytics and Metrics Project. The project aims to help libraries effectively management collections and services as well as delivering pre-emptive indicators and “actionable insights” to help identify new trends, personalise services and improve efficiencies, economies and effectiveness (student attainment and satisfaction and institutional reputation, for example). The project builds on the Library Impact Data Project at the University of Huddersfield and the work of the Copac Activity Data and Collections Management tools. The paper will deliver a case study of the project, its progress to date, the challenges of such an approach and the implications the service has for academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach – The paper will be a case study of the project and its institutional partners and early adopters work to date and explore both the technical and cultural challenges of the work as well as its implications for the role of the library within the institution and the services it provides. Specifically the case study will comprise of the following aspects: a brief history of the work and the context of library analytics services in the UK (and internationally). A description of the approach adopted by the project, and the vision and goals of the project. Exploration of the challenges associated with the project. Outline of the implications of the project and the resultant service. Findings – This paper will report on the initial findings of the project, which will run from January to December 2013. In particular it will consider the issues surfaced through the close engagement with the academic library community (through the projects community advisory and planning group) and the institutional early adopters around data gathering and analysis. Practical implications – Data accumulated in one context has the potential to inform decisions and interventions elsewhere. While there are a number of recognised and well-understood use cases for library analytics these tend to revolve around usage and collection management. Yet, the potential of a shared analytics service is in uncovering those links and indicators across diverse data sets. The paper will consider a number of practical impacts: performance – benchmarking, student attainment and research productivity; design – fine tuning services, personalised support; trends – research landscape, student marketplace, utilisation of resources. The case study will explore these practical implications for libraries and what they mean for the future of the library within the academy. Originality/value – The paper will present a case study of a unique service that currently fills an important gap within the library analytics space. The paper will focus on the services potential to transform both the way the library works and how it is perceived by its users, as well as its role and relationship within the broader institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data usually lies hidden beneath the myriad systems which it powers; like electricity it is only visible through the things it makes possible. Yet, data has the potential to transform the services and systems that institutions rely on to deliver world-class teaching, learning and research. In this article, the opportunities of adopting what might be termed a data-driven approach to library systems and services are explored. What this approach means for libraries and how it can help transform and improve the services and support libraries provide to their users are also considered. In exploring the potential of a data-driven approach to library infrastructure and the benefits it has for libraries (as well as publishers, system vendors and third parties), it is clear a new information ecosystem begins to emerge. The library finds itself transformed, effort is redistributed and the library's services and systems become more agile and take on an entrepreneurial flair. This emerging information ecology is, arguably, the study of the future of the academic library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]