Measuring librarian outreach and engagement through a time allocation study

Abstract

Demonstrating academic libraries’ contribution to institutional outcomes and strategic initiatives can be challenging, particularly in determining what library activities can be consistently and accurately assessed in ways that empirically demonstrate library value and impact. To address this challenge, the Indiana University Bloomington Libraries conducted a time allocation study to quantify the activities of public services librarians with the goal of illustrating new ways to measure their contributions that are more standardized and methodologically rigorous. This report gives an overview of the Librarian Activity Project (LAP), including preliminary findings, and offers recommendations for other institutions interested in developing their own study.