As the NISO Alternative Assessment Metrics (Altmetrics) Initiative develops standards surrounding altmetrics, it is necessary to consider the relevance of altmetrics to the research community, including academic libraries. An emerging method of evaluating and discovering scholarly work through open data and social media, altmetrics represent a new assessment metric capable of capturing social impact trends. This session will give participants a basic understanding of the young and evolving field of altmetrics: what they are, who provides them, and a balanced perspective on their advantages and disadvantages. Beyond understanding the basics of altmetrics, this session will educate attendees about how altmetrics can be used by academic libraries, faculty, and researchers. This session is relevant to librarians regularly interacting with faculty/researchers, those supporting research evaluation projects, and anyone having a general curiosity in non-traditional bibliometrics.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session the participants will:
1. Have a basic understanding of altmetrics;
2. Be able to explore their options for gathering altmetric data on their own;
3. Gain an understanding of how altmetrics can be used in academic libraries.
