Quantitative study of the value of research libraries: A foundation for the evaluation of digital libraries

Abstract

In anticipation of the explosive growth of digital libraries, a complex study was undertaken seeking to evaluate 21 diverse services at 5 major academic research libraries. This work stands as a model for evaluation of digital libraries, through its focus on both the costs of operations and the impacts of the services that those operations provide. The data have been analyzed using both statistical methods and methods of Data Envelopment Analysis. The results of the study, which are presented in detail, serve to demonstrate that a cross-functional approach to library services is feasible. They also highlight a new measure of impact, which is a weighted logarithmic combination of the amount of time that users spend interacting with the service, combined with a Likert-scale indication of the value ofthat service, in relation to the time expended. The measure derived, incorporating simple information obtainable from the user, together with information which is readily available in server/client logs, provides an excellent foundation for transferring these measurement principles to the Digital Library environment.