Library managers have been reviewing metrics and statistics we keep as part of Operational Plan Goal 4.4 Review metrics and statistics used to describe Library impact and value.

A group of us met in May to discuss what we saw as the priority for addressing in 2015. I gave a presentation as part of the Staff Development Programme in July which covered this in more detail.

Key areas we would like to address in the future are:
1. getting better at telling the Library story and
2. demonstrating value and impact

Work is already underway to improve 1) as part of the monthly reporting we do for the LR managers meeting. Often the narrative behind the statistics is more useful to give Alex and SMT a picture of the work we do in the Library. Ideas from Library staff are always welcome.

Regarding 2), most of the data we keep is what we might call “implied value” data (like usage or downloads). The problem with implied values is that they don’t show purpose, satisfaction or outcomes of use, for example whether what is downloaded is actually read and what benefit or impact that had. More ideas are required in this area and institutions like Wollongong and Huddersfield have led the way looking at the use of library resources services and investigating the impact of that on things like student success. Again, we are really keen to hear your ideas as to how we might do this. If you’re looking for a research project as part of MIS studies for example, there are lots of opportunities within our own Library. Jo and MB are looking into the possibility of doing a study on heritage collections and value for student learning.

One of the most comprehensive studies I’ve come across on this topic is:
Oakleaf, M. 2010. The value of academic libraries: A comprehensive Review and Report. Association of College and Research Libraries

As a result of reviewing the statistics we do keep, the following decisions have been made:

• Statistics we will cease keeping
• CONZUL/CAUL statistics we will continue keeping
• Other statistics we will continue keeping

Just to particularly mention that Access and Collections will cease maintaining database usage statistics in the Wiki, if the data can be obtained from COUNTER reports. This information is available via Serials Solutions/Intota. Access and Collections will continue to maintain the statistics if the usage data is only available from non-COUNTER compliant reports, but will do this at half-yearly intervals instead of monthly. We are happy to provide reports with a monthly breakdown for particular products if required.

Updating the Wiki statistics is time consuming because for a number of the databases the data has been compiled from two or more usage reports. Some of the data seems of limited interest eg the number of searches in a journal package, so this is another reason to reduce the maintenance of these pages.

Access and Collections will also be moving to implement Intota Assessment and eventually Intota version 1 which will replace Serials Solutions. Training will be provided in due course for staff who need to run reports directly from these services.

Tim Stedman

Today Springer and Macmillan Science and Education (including Macmillan Education, Nature Publishing Group and Palgrave Macmillan) finalized our merger and joined together to form Springer Nature. You can read our public announcement at:

se.macmillan.com
springer.com

We are confident that coming together will enable us to do more than we could as separate companies, particularly to meet the needs of you, our customers and partners.

We are bringing the Springer and Nature brands together in our new name to emphasize the rich science publishing heritage that we share. However, our new company is home to a wider range of brands and successful businesses. The Education group is a widely recognized and respected name in global language learning, schools and higher education businesses, whose brands have become household names around the world. The Professional group offers a full range of products, from print to events, aimed at supporting their customers’ professional learning in fields such as medicine, engineering and transport.

We have much to learn from each other and we will now begin our work to create one unified organization. We already have much in common, and with an expanded portfolio, combined competencies and committed staff, we are excited to get started. By bringing together the best of both worlds, we can grow and innovate to better serve academic researchers, students, teachers, institutions, professionals and the wider public, and help them – and you – discover more.

We expect that you will have questions about what this means for you. Your key contacts and contractual relationships with us remain the same. We will continue to sign new agreements, update existing contracts, and work with you on 2015/16 renewals as usual. We will update you on our progress and changes to how we work in the months to come.

We will continue to provide the excellent service, quality content and products you expect from us, and our primary focus is to improve how we meet your needs. We are excited about the opportunity to do much more to meet, and hopefully exceed, your expectations.

As always, we welcome your comments and questions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us through your usual contact, and we look forward to continuing our work with you.

Syed Hasan
Springer
President, Global Sales

Steven Inchcoombe
Nature Publishing Group/Palgrave Macmillan
CEO

Oxford University Press are visiting on May 6th and are offering a training session from 2-3pm in using their online resources. After discussion with a few people we thought this could be useful for front desk staff so I’ve gone ahead and arranged this with OUP. Please book online if you wish to attend, checking with your manager first. Thanks, Tim Stedman

Dear Colleagues,

We have just announced that Nature Publishing Group and Palgrave Macmillan have reached an agreement to come together in a joint venture with Springer Science+Business Media. The announcement has been posted here: http://se.macmillan.com/Media/News/NewsListing/

While we are excited about this new venture and the future opportunities to better meet your needs as our customers, there is no change at this time. The joint venture will only be formed after merger control clearance has been granted from several jurisdictions. It is hoped that this would be in the first half of 2015.

Until then it is very much business as usual – we remain focused on meeting your needs, providing excellent service and meeting our business goals. There are no changes to existing contractual agreements, and we will continue to agree renewals and new contracts. All of our publishing programs will continue to operate as normal.

We expect that you will have questions and will want to know what this means for our products and services. We will come back to you with more information provided merger control clearance has been granted and we can begin to plan for the future in this joint venture.

Nature Publishing Group and Palgrave Macmillan and Springer Science+Business Media are complementary. They are leading academic publishers with a strong commitment to offer high quality and choice to the research community. This includes a broad choice of open research capabilities.

For those we serve, we expect to be able to provide more choice, even better reach, superior global service and enhanced platforms and technological capability. All with the editorial standards and quality you have come to expect from us, consistent with the culture and values we cherish.

I am confident that in the future we will not only continue to provide the outstanding publications and services that you expect from us – but accelerate our plans to exceed your expectations.

Yours sincerely,

Steven Inchcoombe
CEO, Nature Publishing Group & Palgrave Macmillan

For information – the Screenrights licence has been renewed by Universities New Zealand for another 3 years. I have a copy of the licence if anyone is interested. The changes are small. The Screenrights agreement letter also included the following information which may be of interest: “You may be aware that Screenrights provides a free additional service for licensees: a weekly emailed based educational television guide. If you or any of your staff are interested in subscribing to the guide, they can email tvednz@screen.org.nz along with the name of the institution. As many staff can obtain the email as wish it”. Tim S

Just to let everyone know that Access and Collections staff are checking required and recommended texts on the Course Information System and looking for any gaps on Horizon. We will order at least one copy of the book if we find anything we don’t hold. LAC staff may follow up with liaison librarians over any queries or problems that we come across. Thanks, Tim S