Guest editorial. Assessing value and impact in academic libraries in the 21st century: personal perspectives and views from the Guest Editors
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-12-2017-0131 |
| Published date | 08 January 2018 |
| Pages | 2-4 |
| Date | 08 January 2018 |
| Author | Graham Walton,Jeremy Atkinson |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library & information services |
Guest editorial
Assessing value and impact in academic
libraries in the 21st century: personal
perspectives and views from the Guest Editors
This Editorial is specificallygrounded in the Guest Editors’personal views and experiences
around value and impact assessment in academic libraries. For this reason, the choice has
been made not to provide citations and context. This substantive and evidence-based
approach will be foundin the papers that make up thisthemed issue.
The two Guest Editors of this themed issue started workingin academic libraries in the
late 1970s when the role of the library and the services providedwere fairly self-evident. The
library, situated symbolically at the centre of the campus and usually a standalone
department, was widely accepted by managers, academics, researchers and students as
being central to the support of academic and student activity. Online searching of remote
databases was in its infancy and, even then, it was rare for the users to do the searching
themselves. If the intentionwas to make full use of its services, the library building itself had
to be visited. Library stock andservices were visible –printed books and journals displayed
on shelves, face-to-faceenquiry services and all loan of items from a staffed desk.
Fast forward to 2018 and it is a very different picture. The move to digital services in
academic libraries has brought huge gains in the access and availability of resources and
services. These improvements have been well received by students and staff, but, at the
same time, it has made the contribution of the libraryand the library staff less visible. From
a user’s perspective, the role of the library is now much less clearly defined, with libraries,
particularly in the UK, often part of a larger department. Access to online library resources
is widely available, but for the user, it is unclear whether the library has had a role in
making the resources available and paying for them.Indeed, the user may not care whether
the library has been involved or not. Users can access these online resources from a
multitude of devices, including desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets. This calls into
questioning the need to visit the librarywhen so many resources can be accessed remotely.
Users routinely and regularly access a wide range of informationonline for work, study and
leisure, particularly through their mobile devices. It is unlikely that they differentiate their
searching techniques when seeking to access online journals and research information.
Users, particularly researchers, will view themselves as self-sufficient with digital services
and feel that they have no need forinstruction in “information literacy”or “digital literacy”.
In the 1980s, both Guest Editors worked in a multistorey library, each floor having its own
enquiry desk, staffed throughout opening hours. In the equivalent library building in 2018,
there may be a single enquiry desk,staffed for only some of the library’s long opening hours.
Users are now encouraged to borrow items themselves. It is not obvious what library staff
do and why they are neededand, again, users may not know or care.
The above position fundamentally influences why librarians need to be concerned and
focused on impact and value assessment. Academic librarians in 2018 need to be
increasingly proactive, to make themselves more visible within their institution and to
demonstrate that theirlibrary provides value for money. Value and impact assessment work
can help to provide theevidence. Funding is tight –senior university managerswill want to
see clear evidence for the benefits of investingsignificant resources in libraries. A university
education is no longer a cheap option –students(and parents and others advising them) are
ILS
119,1/2
2
Informationand Learning Science
Vol.119 No. 1/2, 2018
pp. 2-4
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-12-2017-0131
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