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2. Overview What are major non-journal research databases? Institutional and consortial overview Threading the needle of assessment what getsthrough and why? Intellectual thread Structural support thread Business case thread Observations Conclusion 3. University of Ottawa Premier bilingual (English-French) university in NorthAmerica Comprehensive doctoral institution: 9 Faculties:Arts, SocialSciences, Science, Engineering, Law, Management,Education, Health Sciences and Medicine Recently admitted to ARL (125th member) 40,000 students, 4,000 faculty; programs across mostnon-professional and professional disciplines; Students and faculty from 150 countries Among the top ten institutions in research intensity inCanada 4. Library snapshot Three libraries: Arts & Sciences, HealthSciences, and Law Collection budget: 13.6M (2011-12) ~145FTE; bilingual service Print books (volume equivalent) ~2M Ejournal subscriptions 24,524 Print journal subscriptions 3,839 Accessible ejournals 70,000 Ebooks 405,000 Research databases 550 5. Non-journal research databases Are primary source or raw content; in variousmedia including text, image, audio, video, etc Historical, social, economic, business or legal innature Typically vetted by editorial board composed ofrecognized scholars; lengthy gestation & qualitycontrol Often provides critical apparatus somewhatanalagous to print resourcesbut used verydifferently 6. What is evidence anyway? Evidence is shown to us every single day - as wepractice our profession, we learn what works andwhat doesnt in certain situations. We havepractical, real-life experiences to draw upon thatare wrapped in different contexts.- Denise Koufogiannakis, Evidence-Based Libraryand Information Practice 2011, 6.2http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/10245/8126 Trial and error No uniform approach Context is everything 7. Consortial landscape National consortium: CRKN (Canadian ResearchKnowledge Network 75 universities) Regional consortia, eg OCUL (Ontario Council ofUniversity Libraries 21 universities) Subject or program-based consortia, eg HealthSciences; Maps ; Data services; Law Language-based: CREPUQ (Quebec universities); CIFNAL (Collaboration on French languagecollections CRL initiative) 8. Intellectual thread Institution ConsortiaNon-journal research Of high importanceSamematerialCoverage Could be broad or Same niche-basedUnique value May complementCritical mass of content existing resourcesto address many needsInterdisciplinarityImportant for Samebut greater strengthening value savings expected propositionPrioritization Balancing of differentBalancing of different interests among faculty interests among are we democratic? If institutions from small not, why? to very large - flexibilityExisting evidenceInput from faculty; trial Member surveys/wish use; perhaps reviewslists are critical 9. Structural Support Thread Institution ConsortiaDiscoverabilityMetadata in local Diffuse need to take discovery systeminto account various (webscale)systemsIntegration with Focus on local toolsFocus on a range ofresearcher workflows and workflows tools, eg citation management softwareMobile accessBecoming critical SameFunctionality/platform Core functions; bells & Same whistles not essentialCompatibility with Important for managingImportant butstandards, egthe resources institutions haveCOUNTER, SUSHI,different needs &KBART, etc infrastructuresIndexing Important for precision Same & efficiencyTrials Can be valuable not Same 10. Business case thread InstitutionConsortiaCost modelsAffordabilityCost-sharing is critical;perception of equity isessentialFinancingSelf-financing. Cost-Multiple approaches to sharing among funds or cost-sharing disciplinesScale of costs All products, small to Products with small large in costs costs not worth theeffortSustainability Recurring costs aLowering recurring challengecosts overhead aswellValue proposition (ROI) Associated with Associated withinstitutional strategic consortialperformance measuresgoalsLicensing issues, eg InstitutionalBargaining power as 11. Charleston Conference Theme:Somethings Gotta Give Where do we cut corners in assessing evidence? If we know the vendor, and we know the platformand business model, we can be more efficient inour evaluation What breadth of interest is necessary for apurchase decision? Much depends oncost, impact, and degree of interdisciplinarity. In general, one-time purchases will not elicit thesame scrutiny as ongoing commitments 12. Observations Libraries are faced with an explosion of scholarlyresources, challenged budgets, emergingneeds, and chronic lack of time Consortia face longer processes and timelinesthan institutions. Is there an opportunity cost? For consortia, the multi-faceted evidence isfiltered through the prism of strategic goals Dynamics of decision-making in consortia and ininstitutions affect the forms of evidence that areused political aspects 13. Observations ( a few more) Tools to analyze non-journal scholarly resourcesare difficult to come by no easy equivalent tothe standard unit of the journal article as vehiclefor scholarly communication. Comparing digital resources to print equivalent isa dubious proposition: differing content, uses, andinteractions Institutions are focusing on quantitative and nowqualitative measures of value can we link theseresearch databases to learning outcomes, toresearch outcomes? What happens when evidence is contradictory orinconclusive? 14. Conclusion Evidence for non-journal databases is multi-layered and multi-faceted Weighting the evidence we need to prioritize thedifferent threads, and this will vary depending onthe product More than ever, libraries have an obligation tospend their monies as wisely and effectively aspossible. Libraries and consortia apply different butoverlapping strategies to evidence-gathering Understanding & sharing best practices can be ofmuch value 15. Thanks!Tony [email protected](613) 562-5800 ext 3645