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Towards Democratizing Library Data:Data Management and Sharing in the Institutional

Repository

Margaret Friesen, Assessment Librarian

Bailey Diers, Co-op Student and Graduate Academic Assistant

Suher Zaher-Mazawi, Assessment Projects Assistant

Library Assessment Conference, Baltimore, 2010

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• Over 50,000 students

• 2,600 full time faculty

• 9,450 graduate students

• Over 7,000 international students

• 300+ library staff FTE

The Environment: UBC Vancouver campus

Image credit: Peter Fitzgerald, Creative Commons

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The Environment: UBC Vancouver campus

Off-site: 3 hospital libraries, Robson Square Library, UBC Okanagan (Kelowna)

Barber

(IKBLC)

Koerner

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• merge [data + presentation tools]

• democratize [simplify, educate, disseminate]

• raise awareness [broader audience – staff, public]

• engage, learn, communicate

Purpose of Project:

1. Nesstar WebView

2. cIRcle

Cases: Two Tools

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Allows users with or without expert

knowledge of statistical programs to:

• search and browse

• download any statistical program

• create user defined variables

• manipulate data

• customize output

• share access

Purpose of Nesstar

WebView:

http://nesstar.library.ubc.ca/webview/

• data analysis

• training tool

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• scope

• methodology

• deliverables – data sets simplified

• data sets: 2007, 2009, 2010

• data dictionary

Project Management:

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Data Analysis: LibQUAL Data – from SPSS to Nesstar

Example: Nesstar menu for the LibQUAL data sets

and the renamed variables for the 2009 data set

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Nesstar menu for the 2010 survey with the renamed variables

corresponding to the LibQUAL survey questions.

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Metadata for the LibQUAL 2009 Subset record

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Description of the variable “academic discipline”

with response numbers and percentage responses for each discipline

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Example of manipulating data by variables “academic discipline”

and “user group,” presenting the table in column percentage

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Training Tool

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Mission:• Using library data to tell the library story

• exploratory

• accessible

• broad audience

• use/re-use library data

Purpose of project:

: UBC Institutional Repository

http://circle.ubc.ca/

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The broader audience:

For:Audience:

Understanding the value of the libraryPublic

Decision-makingManagers

“Making the case”Development Office

AdvocacyLibrary Administration

LearningLibrary Staff

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• strategic plan goal – cIRcle “showcase for research”

• assessment program – critical enabler

• assessment goals:– move data from desktop

– develop expertise

– communicate

Why the institutional repository?

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• staff intranet?

• audience?

• credibility of information?

• maintenance?

• user-friendly?

From Desktop to Open Access

Differences:

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• Policies

• Tools

• User perspective

Intersections

cIRcle

University Archives

Assessment

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• scope

• method

• deliverable – data dictionary

• deliverable – findings, comparisons

• deliverable – deposit

• evaluate

Project Management

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• Library Assessment: LibQUAL Surveys

• Library Assessment: Publications/Presentations

• Library Assessment: Statistics

Library Assessment Collections in cIRcle:

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LibQUAL feedback

• remote access

• library website

• library as place

Selection of Content: User-perspective

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Accessible

• Explanatory notes (data dictionary)

• Survey findings

• Variables - selected

cIRcle Deliverables: Audience-perspective

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Collection: LibQUAL Surveys

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The StoryHChart 7 – Quiet space for 2007 and 2009 in IKBLC and Koerner

“the mall at

Christmas”

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Collection:

Library Statistics

• Circulation

• Visitors

• Instruction

• Reference

Move data from staff

intranet to open

access:

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cIRcle use statistics – 4 month period

“cIRcle is the perfect place for this data”

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Comparing the two tools: Presentation tools for Library data

Both:

• From desktop to open access

• Use and re-use Library data (add value)

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Summary

• Wider audience

• Non-specialist audience

• Open access

• Value-added

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Challenges

• Limited human resources

• Elusive data repository

Future Steps

• Extend methodologies

• User-centered improvements

• Communications plan

• New tools

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Tools to visualize data Example: mapping the percentage of LibQUAL

respondents with library branches

Undergraduates

Faculty

%

Maps courtesy of Tom Brittnacher, GIS Librarian

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Who gets to view

what data, when, and how?

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Margaret Friesen, Assessment Librarian

Bailey Diers, Co-op Student and Graduate Academic Assistant

Suher Zaher-Mazawi, Assessment Projects Assistant

Library Assessment Conference, Baltimore, 2010

Thank youH

Towards Democratizing Library Data