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Measuring Library Value
Interview with Carole Moore, Chief Librarian, University of Toronto, ON, Canada

One theme we are hearing this year is that of "Measuring Library Value." Librarians are interested in how to make better "value arguments" to their administrations to justify funding and support. Carole Moore, Chief Librarian at the University of Toronto, and a participant in our Strategic Partners Program, took a little time out of her busy schedule to share her perspective with Library Connect.

LC: Tell us a little about yourself and your role at the University of Toronto.

Moore: I have served as Chief Librarian at the University of Toronto since 1986. In that capacity I am responsible for libraries and academic computing support services for students and faculty centered in our Information Commons and Resource Centre for Academic Technology. The University is large and operates in a decentralized mode, and the Library services reflect this system.

LC: In these difficult budget times, university libraries are spending more and more time making arguments to their administration to maintain (let alone increase) the library budget. Can you tell us about the situation at the University of Toronto?

Moore: We, too, are experiencing budget reductions and difficult choices. For some years we have concentrated more and more on analysis of use of our collections and other services. This process has definitely guided our own planning and helped us make the case for support to our administration and wider university community.

LC: How do you work with the university administration to define the mission, services, and objectives of the library?

Moore: We have had the good fortune to be involved in a university administration which valued longer range planning, even though this can be extremely difficult in a public university environment. Having this larger framework of planning makes it possible for the library to define its contribution to the overall mission and objectives, and to articulate clearly the library's role. At present we are just beginning a new five-year planning effort.

At the University of Toronto all academic divisions are reviewed on a five to seven year basis. These are wide-ranging external and internal reviews and very helpful in setting the course for the future. The Library has undergone two such reviews since I have been Chief Librarian. In addition, there is a university Advisory Committee on the Library System, which advises both the University Provost (Vice President, Academic) and the Library. This committee also makes a strong contribution to determining the priorities and securing the budgetary resources for the Library.

LC: Businesses are held accountable by various metrics by which value is measured. "Profit" of course is a primary value metric in the corporate sector. What in your opinion should be the primary value metrics for libraries? Can library values be measured?

Moore: This is a difficult question. The measures we use require interpretation, in terms of our local goals and values. We do look at many types of use statistics as I have mentioned and we also compare these with other institutions as much as possible. Increasingly, we conduct user surveys and focus groups to elicit feedback from various user groups. I would say that use is the primary metric, but that use must be evaluated in terms of the local institution's short and longer term objectives. For example, if the institution considers it has an important role in the preservation of knowledge, it may value activities that are not currently in high use.

LC: With the availability of online journals, a lot of attention is focused on the quantity of article downloads. How do you evaluate and use this information at the University of Toronto?

Moore: We do look at this data in a general way to determine what our users find of value. In some cases, this information has shown us whether our users even know about electronic journals and where we need to get the word out about new electronic resources. We also have looked at when our users are using electronic resources. For example, at least 25% of the use is between midnight and 8:00 a.m., when most of our libraries are closed. How soon after publication users look at electronic materials is also of interest and not surprisingly, varies among subject disciplines.

In the past, with print journals, we had only very limited information about these use patterns. The overall patterns are helping us to adjust our priorities to provide the services our users’ need - in terms of what we make available and how we deliver services.

LC: Is usage and value analysis purely academic or do you feel this kind of work has become a necessity in running a university library these days?

Moore: It is definitely necessary for determining priorities effectively and for making the wider university community aware of how others are utilizing library resources. Most faculty and students have a very narrow view based on what they do in a particular field. The picture shown by the analysis is both interesting and convincing. Much of the information is not really surprising once you have seen it, but few, even staff in the library, could have guessed or predicted what the data shows. For example, we have demonstrated to our scientists how much they depend on library resources.

LC: When it comes to your library patrons, do you think they even care about the value metrics used by the library?

Moore: For individuals, it is most important that they get what they need, when they need it. However, I do think that all of our users want to feel that we are managing our resources effectively even if they are not personally interested in the details of how we do so.

LC: How do you promote the value of the library to your patrons?

Moore: We do try to reach new patrons, faculty and students, when they arrive to make them generally aware of our services. We try to update them through our website, newsletters and articles and ads in university news media. Some of the most successful outreach activities are the special electronic newsletters that our subject specialists send to users in their disciplines. We also do a lot of instruction for students. The most successful instruction is closely integrated with the course curriculum. We try to work with the faculty directly in all of the large classes and as many others as possible.

Perhaps the most effective way to promote the value is to improve the services. For example, what users want is to be directly and conveniently linked to the full text of the material they need. As we make that possible more and more by integrating information systems, they do find it valuable. Frequently, faculty stop me to thank us for what has been accomplished in service to the desktop over the last few years. That did not happen in the past.

LC: Do you have any advice to other librarians who are struggling with their administrations right now?

Moore: Get to know what issues their administration is struggling with and make it clear how the library can help advance the overall priorities. Be willing to adjust library practice in creative ways. Also, have as much concrete evidence as possible about the real impact of potential budget cuts before they happen, and try to communicate this information in constructive ways.

Contributed by Chrysanne Lowe, VP Account Development & Channel Marketing, Elsevier, San Diego, USA