Case Study: Research Study to Define an Open Library Assessment Dashboard & Toolkit

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Client: University of California, Davis in collaboration with the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford; and the Staats und Universitätsbibliothek, Göttingen, Germany

Funder: Mellon Foundation

The University of California (UC), Davis is one of the world's leading cross-disciplinary research and teaching institutions and part of the much larger University of California system, which has 10 campuses, 5 medical centers and 3 national laboratories. In 2016, UC Davis hired Athenaeum21 with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to lead the research and strategic recommendations for a six-month scoping study in collaboration with the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford; and the Staats und Universitätsbibliothek, Göttingen, Germany. At the heart of this project was an international research study which identified the need for a common framework and a standardized dashboard that would allow library (and possibly university) executives to access data about their institution and its performance on a regular basis. The study examined whether there was a need for such a dashboard and whether that need was fully realized by the target users. The research uncovered the opportunities for such a dashboard, as well as the priorities for the target audience. The need was found to be the same across the US, Canada, UK and western Europe, indicating both that there was a large market and a strong desire to standardize the framework across many countries. The research team interviewed library assessment leaders and practitioners across diverse institutions and geographies, including leading initiatives in the UK to link library performance measurement with higher education learning outcomes. We also reviewed the current landscape of technology, tools, and services addressing these institutions’ libraries’ assessment needs. The final report included a detailed, prioritized, and costed roadmap for the development of the product. 

Services Provided:

  • Local and International Market Research

  • User Needs Research & Analysis

  • Technology Analysis & Planning

  • Competitor Analysis 

  • Roadmap Development

Methods Used

  • Interviews (in person and via telephone)

  • Focus Groups 

  • Online Surveys

  • Online Focus Groups

  • Desk Research

  • Competitor Analysis

Links:

Final Report

libraries, assessment, case studiesA21 US