Learning Outcomes

Session attendees will: Grapple with the complexities of documenting library impact on faculty research and scholarly activities. Understand the opportunities and limitations inherent in the Library Cost Study approach to demonstrating library impact. Identify additional strategies that might complement the approach taken in the Library Cost Study.

Key Topics

Demonstrating Library Impact—What has the library field accomplished in this area? Considering the typical tri-partite mission of higher education (teaching, research, service; patient care is also captured where and when applicable), how mature are library efforts in addressing each of the areas? What have been the challenges in assessing impact on faculty research and scholarly activities? Library Cost Study— What is the Library Cost Study and how did it come to be? As a longstanding approach to documenting library use, what are the limitations and challenges libraries face with implementing it? How could it be updated to reflect contemporary library services and evaluation methodologies? Other Strategies—What other examples are there of documenting library impact on faculty research and scholarly activity? How can libraries partner with other units (e.g., Office for Research, Institutional Research, etc.) to obtain data that will help strengthen their demonstration of impact on faculty research? What opportunities do you see to enhance efforts in this area?

Plan for attendee engagement

Before the dialogue among panelists begins, attendees will be asked to reflect on their experiences with demonstrating the impact of the library on faculty research and scholarly activities. This activity allows for “settling in” and gaining focus on the topic at hand. After the initial panelist discussion, participants will be prompted to identify at least one take-away from the session thus far and at least one question they have. This pause technique ensures that everyone has the opportunity to formulate a question, not just those who are often first to the microphone. Attendees will then ask questions and Lisa will moderate with the panel. At least 15 minutes will be allocated to this dialogue to ensure high levels of participant engagement. To close the session, attendees will be asked to identify one “next step” for themselves with respect to documenting library impact on faculty research.