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Evaluation of the impact of library d iscovery technologies on usage of academic content

UKSG Webinar – 14 th May 2014. Evaluation of the impact of library d iscovery technologies on usage of academic content. Valérie Spezi, LISU ( Loughborough University, UK). Why this study?. Commissioned by UKSG/ Jisc in July 2013 Lots of interest in library discovery technologies

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Evaluation of the impact of library d iscovery technologies on usage of academic content

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  1. UKSG Webinar – 14th May 2014 Evaluation of the impact of library discovery technologies on usage of academic content Valérie Spezi, LISU (Loughborough University, UK)

  2. Why this study? • Commissioned by UKSG/Jisc in July 2013 • Lots of interest in library discovery technologies • Questions about whether libraries, publishers and other stakeholders should be engaging with those technologies • Small-scale study • A UK perspective • No previous usage data analyses at the time - fills in the gap • Complements the 2 other studies that are currently taking place • Report available on UKSG website (Dec 2013)

  3. Objectives of the research • Evaluation of the impact of library discovery technologies on usage of academic resources • Provide evidence to determine if there is a case for • Investment in library discovery technologies by libraries • Engagement with library discovery technologies by publishers and other stakeholders in the information supply chain • Provide recommendations for stakeholders to best support the discovery of academic resources • Identify additional research, data, discussion and initiatives that will support the findings of the study

  4. Methodology Phase 1: survey of UK HE libraries • Objective: determine the current RDS landscape • Online questionnaire to UK HE library directors – 62 respondents Phase 2: case studies of libraries and publishers • Objective: collect usage data + views and perceptions on the impact of library discovery technologies • 8 publishers and content providers; 6 case study libraries; Data received from 6 libraries & 4 content providers - COUNTER JR1, BR2 and DB1 or close equivalent (2 years pre and post-RDS implementation) Phase 3: interviews with stakeholders • Objective: obtain a bigger picture on the perceived impact of library discovery technologies and an insight of where the sector is going

  5. Findings • UK RDS landscape (survey findings) • Libraries – usage trends & experiences • Publishers and content aggregators – usage trends & perceptions

  6. RDS landscape • 77% of UK HE libraries already using an RDS at their institution • A further 11% are in the process of implementing an RDS • RDS implementation in HE libraries had probably reached its peak in the last 12 months • Summon, Primo and EDS – 76% of systems in use

  7. LIBRARIES –usage data and experiences Multi-dimensional environment ***** Difficult to isolate the sole effect of RDS ***** Multitude of other factors at play? • Journals – mixed picture, possibly some positive influence to varied extent • E-books – positive correlation • Database results were inconclusive • Improved user experience through a single search interface linked to full-text – high level of satisfaction • One stop shop experience for users • Better use of subscriptions – no silos • Possibly a positive influence of RDS on content usage, most visibly for e-books

  8. LIBRARIES –usage data and experiences Perceived challenges *********************** • Lack of clarity in coverage - RDS coverage of subscribed resources ‘believed’ to be 50% or more – gaps in some disciplines • Lack of cooperation between some vendors is a concern – not helpful according to libraries • Interoperability between library systems – ‘ecosystem’ • No routine analysis of the RDS usage data (yet) • RDS searching aimed at undergrads? • Starting point? • Can researchers benefit from RDS too?

  9. Engagement - can publishers afford to wait and see where this is going? PUBLISHERS –usage data and experiences Key motivation - improving discoverability & visibility of content • Publishers have no clear evidence of their usage is being affected by RDS • difficult to isolate traffic mediated by RDS • Still low traffic compared to search engines • Our usage study shows a very mixed picture for publishers • Some publishers may benefit more from RDS than bigger publishers Perceived challenges: • Metadata –compatibility and optimisation for improved discoverability • Dilution of the publisher’s brand within the RDS • Lack of feedback/communication from RDS suppliers • Lack of clarity and understanding of how data are used • Relevancy ranking

  10. Conclusions • There is a lot of dataout there but it is imperfect • Fantastic tool for library end-users but more work needs to be done to take full advantage of RDS technology • Collaboration is key to success

  11. What next? Recommendations

  12. Recommendations

  13. Recommendations

  14. THANK YOU! Report available on the UKSG website: http://www.uksg.org/researchstudy Get in touch with us! v.c.l.spezi@lboro.ac.ukorlisu@lboro.ac.uk

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