Digital Common+ Great Lakes User Group 2015
Type of Program
Presentation
Location
Bernath Auditorium, Undergraduate Library, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Start Date
31-7-2015 11:00 AM
End Date
31-7-2015 11:30 AM
Program Description
The collection, analysis, and reporting of metrics is a valuable tool for repository managers in measuring and assessing the growth and usage of their institutional repositories. These metrics are varied in nature and purpose, and can include download counts to measure readership of repository materials, numbers of uploaded items to measure repository growth, sources of inbound visitors to determine the success of search engine optimization, and names and numbers of contributing authors to measure faculty uptake.
The stakeholders in an institutional repository extend beyond the library to include university administration, academic departments, research centers, professors, staff, students, and alumni. These stakeholders, in turn, are accountable to granting agencies, students, the taxpaying public, etc. These stakeholders may be interested in increasing the university's reputation, ensuring that the university is conducting research in an effective and ethical manner, and/or determining whether tuition and taxpayer dollars are being put to good use. An effective use of repository metrics requires an understanding of each stakeholder's interests. Identifying those needs, and the metrics that measure the repository's usefulness in meeting those needs and interests, and reporting these metrics in a clear and understandable manner, is essential for operating a successful repository.
This session discusses the identification of stakeholder needs (including a results analysis of the Faculty Digital Needs Survey conducted in Spring 2015 by Eastern Illinois University (EIU) and Bepress), and successful use of repository metrics as an outreach tool at EIU and Iowa State University: Publications of annual reports, support for assessment and accreditation efforts of academic departments, the application of the Digital Commons Network to engage faculty competition, and highlighting faculty members¹ repository successes. These methods have led to increased faculty participation in repositories, efficient measuring of research outputs for university accreditation self-studies, and funding from the provost's office to increase repository staffing.
Beyond Assessment: Using Metrics to Make Institutional Repositories Indispensable
Bernath Auditorium, Undergraduate Library, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
The collection, analysis, and reporting of metrics is a valuable tool for repository managers in measuring and assessing the growth and usage of their institutional repositories. These metrics are varied in nature and purpose, and can include download counts to measure readership of repository materials, numbers of uploaded items to measure repository growth, sources of inbound visitors to determine the success of search engine optimization, and names and numbers of contributing authors to measure faculty uptake.
The stakeholders in an institutional repository extend beyond the library to include university administration, academic departments, research centers, professors, staff, students, and alumni. These stakeholders, in turn, are accountable to granting agencies, students, the taxpaying public, etc. These stakeholders may be interested in increasing the university's reputation, ensuring that the university is conducting research in an effective and ethical manner, and/or determining whether tuition and taxpayer dollars are being put to good use. An effective use of repository metrics requires an understanding of each stakeholder's interests. Identifying those needs, and the metrics that measure the repository's usefulness in meeting those needs and interests, and reporting these metrics in a clear and understandable manner, is essential for operating a successful repository.
This session discusses the identification of stakeholder needs (including a results analysis of the Faculty Digital Needs Survey conducted in Spring 2015 by Eastern Illinois University (EIU) and Bepress), and successful use of repository metrics as an outreach tool at EIU and Iowa State University: Publications of annual reports, support for assessment and accreditation efforts of academic departments, the application of the Digital Commons Network to engage faculty competition, and highlighting faculty members¹ repository successes. These methods have led to increased faculty participation in repositories, efficient measuring of research outputs for university accreditation self-studies, and funding from the provost's office to increase repository staffing.