Library Support for Metrics:

What can and should we do?

November 5, 2015

Christina K. PikasLibrarianInformation & Research Services Manager

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Management and other stakeholders want valid and reliable metrics to use for allocation of funding, making investment decisions, and

evaluation of current programs.

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They may be happy to accept Invalid, improperly applied, or unreliable metrics if

they are easier to come by or are hyped

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Libraries and librarians are ideally suitedto help – but how?

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Agenda

How should libraries support metrics? What services should we offer? What are reasonable questions to answer and for which strategic audiences?

How can we (gently) steer our organizations toward better, more ethical use of metrics?

How can we build expertise before we have the commissioned work?

Example services, questions, & customers

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Benchmarking, Competitive Intelligence

Questions: How do we compare to similar/peer/aspirational organizations

Audience: C-level. Organizational or at least departmental leadership

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Tech Watch & Horizon Scanning

Questions: Who is doing what research? What are the trends in this field? What research groups are using this methodology?

Audience: Business planners PIs Tech Transfer

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Internal/External Collaboration Patterns

Are we siloed or is there collaboration across the organization? Do we collaborate with industry/government/academe

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Collection Development

Questions: What are our users citing that we have/do not have/want to cancel/want to put in off-site storage?

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Promotion/tenure/personnel evaluation

Ethics slides to come. Help prepare grant applications and tenure packages.

Information on the venues and the attention their work has gotten.

Ethical use of metrics

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Impact Factor

Popular because it’s widely available and well-established. Its calculation isn’t completely transparent and

reproducible Definitely field dependent Articles can be cited that are not included in the total

number of articles for a publication (editorials) …

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h-index

Adopted immediately because it’s easy but… Dependent on field Dependent on age (can only get higher) … Modifications take away from the easiness

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For people

Don’t measure people with metrics intended for publicationsDon’t rely on a single number to place a value on someone’s contributions.

Building the service

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Offering services while you learn

Doing bibliometrics and leveraging data requires continuous learning.

Real-world actual problems are necessary to work though complicated steps.

Best to work with trusted customers and iterate. Consider an internal review process.

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Learn together…

Join our Community of Practice (end of the day discussion) Read ASIST’s SIGMETRICS list Attend webinars and events

ASIST SLA Vendor

Teach us in future sessions

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Contact

Christina K. PikasChristina.Pikas@jhuapl.edu

Blog: http://christinaslisrant.scientopia.org Twitter: @cpikas Slideshare: cpikas

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CreditsTim Lang. Collapsible ruler. https://flic.kr/p/57Vwyg

Biking Nikon SFO. Ruler - Wooden. https://flic.kr/p/4YkJYo

Tom Fassbender. Measure Twice. Cut Once. https://flic.kr/p/8HwCen

Bill Selak. Mouse Trap. https://flic.kr/p/DNbeu

Kenny Louie. The Computing Scale Co. https://flic.kr/p/bU9buv

Dennis Jarvis. New Lobster Traps. https://flic.kr/p/aaX9XE

Paul Stainthorp. Rat Trap. https://flic.kr/p/ay37Ug

Timlewisnm. Hanson Bros. Scale. https://flic.kr/p/6drn4X

Carolina Biological Supply Company Solution being stirred in a beaker https://flic.kr/p/99MJmf

Kitty Schweizer. https://flic.kr/p/4jLN3F

Miguel Tejada-FloresToledo Scale. https://flic.kr/p/nJjaDt

Rafal ZychOld weighing scale. https://flic.kr/p/pZXTtL

Michael Allen SmithCoffee Scalehttps://flic.kr/p/76BgMY