In today’s climate of shrinking budgets and the ongoing misperception that “everything is available on the Internet”, it is increasingly important for librarians to demonstrate the value of their libraries and the impact of their services. But, these outcomes remain challenging to document and evaluate.
This workshop will review past research into the value and impact of libraries and library services, particularly in the context of health sciences libraries. Discussion topics will include: the importance to librarians of demonstrating the value and impact of their libraries, what outcomes/factors demonstrate value and impact, and how value and impact are assessed and/or measured. We will also discuss how librarians have applied the findings to support and promote their libraries.
In small groups, participants will discuss how they could apply the research findings to evaluating the value and impact of their own libraries and services.
Outcomes:
– Identify indicators of the value and impact of libraries and library services.
– Discuss approaches to studying value and impact.
– Reflect on how to study value and impact of your own library.
