"The Library as Strategic Investment: Results of the University of Illinois ""Return on Investment"" Study"

Kaufman, Paula T.; Walter, Scott

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/8768 Copy

Description

Title

"The Library as Strategic Investment: Results of the University of Illinois ""Return on Investment"" Study"

Author(s)

• Kaufman, Paula T.
• Walter, Scott

Issue Date

2008-07

Keyword(s)

• Return on Investment
• Academic Libraries
• Academic Library Value
• Academic Library Assessment
• Accountability
• Higher Education

Abstract

In an era of increased concern about accountability in higher education, it is critical for the library director to be able to effectively demonstrate the library’s value to the parent organization. Discussions of the University’s “return on investment” (ROI) for the funds provided to the library must be made in easily-articulated, quantitative terms that focus on outputs and results, rather than on our traditionally-reported input measures. In this presentation, we will present the findings of a study undertaken at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to report on the return on the University’s investment in its library by developing a quantitative measure focused on the library’s impact on campus-wide initiatives, as represented by the contribution of access to digital content to the successful application for extra-mural (i.e., grant) funding. The study confirmed the benefits of using electronic resources and demonstrated their impact on research productivity over a 10-year period. The results of this study, believed to be the first of its kind, represent the first piece of the answer to the challenge of demonstrating quantitatively the university’s total return from its investment in its library.

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/8768

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