2016 Charleston Library Conference

Demonstrating the value of humanities research databases and special collections for researchers on teaching and research outcomes is a known challenge for libraries globally. There is an increasing need for libraries to understand and communicate the research and teaching value of investment in content, as well as the impacts the content can be shown to have on the quality and quantity of research outcomes.

This talk will share the methods, results and implications for libraries and humanities funding bodies of a joint research project recently commissioned by Jisc, the UK higher education, further education and skills sectors' not-for-profit organisation for digital services and solutions, and ProQuest. The presentation will share usage and citation data across a range of disciplines from long term investments in Early English Books Online (EEBO), the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers, and The New York Times.

Conference participants will also be provided with concrete advice on how to undertake similar studies into their own digital resources.

The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) carried out the work using the methodologies OII developed for the Jisc-funded Toolkit for the Impact of Digitised Scholarly Resources (TIDSR). Quantitative methods of analytics, bibliometrics, and an in-depth survey of researchers were used to build a detailed picture of the use and profile of these resources. This research was complemented by qualitative data gathered through focus groups and individual interviews.