E-Assessment:Evaluating

Resources in a Digital World

Bonnie Tijerina, E-Resources CoordinatorGA Tech Library & Information Center

Cory Tucker, Business LibrarianUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries

Overview

• What are we assessing• Why is assessing critical• Challenges of e-collections• New opportunities in the e-

environment• Effective Assessment

What are we assessing?

Resources with a cost involved• Databases,

Abstracting/Indexing tools• Electronic Journals• Digitized Newspapers• Electronic Books• E-Reference Material• Open Access publications• Born Digital Resources

Why is Assessing Critical?

• Budget • The constantly

changing/increasing cost of many e-resources

• Lack of a a baseline for a resources

• Justification• New users, new user needs• New Products, New Platforms• Cooperative Purchasing

Challenges of Assessing

Content• Overlap of content• Packages are interdisciplinary• Bundles may have

unnecessary material• Authority and stability of

content

Challenges of Assessing, cont.

Format• E-only? Print + Online?• Technical issues• Unique features• Equity of Access• What hardware/software is

needed?

Challenges of Assessing, cont.

Access• Response time from vendors• Technical issues with product• Customer service• Effective use of technology

Opportunities/Challenges

More Data• Attempts at standardized use

data• Transaction data• User behavior on our local

resources

Effective Assessment

“Collection Analysis is an ongoing process defined both by individual analysis projects and constant attention to collection quality and its responsiveness to the user community” – Peggy Johnson,

Fundamentals of Collection Development & Management, 2004

Effective Assessment, cont.

Assessment• How does the

resource/collection support our local users?

Evaluation• Is this a quality resource?• How does a resource or

collection compare against another resource or collection?

Effective Assessment, cont.

• Library-Driven Analysis• Use- and User-Centered

Analysis• Quantitative• Qualitative

• Collaborative e-resource management

Conclusions

• Many assessment & evaluation tools

• Involving others in/outside the library

• Constant change, constant assessment

• User’s Needs are central• Format & Content

Assessment of Electronic

Resources for Business

Cory Tucker, Business Librarian

Library-driven E-resources Assessment

• Budgetary constraints requiring cancellation of e-resources

• Increased funding providing opportunity to add e-resources

• Changes to curriculum requiring new or different e-resources

• Changes to database interface or platform

• Changes to database content

1. The Association of College and Research Libraries, Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, 2000.

User-drivenE-resources Assessment

• Usability• Content• Information Overload• Information Literacy

Access the needed information effectively/efficiently

Evaluate information and sources critically

Electronic Databases in Business

• Periodical databases – journals, including abstracts and full-text resources

• Reference databases – company, industry and market research resources

• Statistical databases – statistical data

2. Bick, Dawn and Reeta Sinha. “Maintaining a high quality, cost-effective journal collection. C&RL News. September 1991: 485-490.

Evaluation/Assessment Project

Utilizes: • objective and subjective

evaluation factors• Value Analysis (matrix)2

• weighted evaluation factors• Cost/Benefit ratio (actual cost &

perceived benefit to users)

Phase 1Establish Evaluation Criteria

Determined four broad categories to establish list of evaluation criteria:

• Usability• Content• University curriculum• Special features• Other factors (local, product-specific,

etc.)

Assessment Criteria

Access/Usability• IP-access• EZProxy (or other proxy server)• Interface design• Help & Training (tutorials and

context-specific help)

Assessment Criteria

Journal Content Currency Backfiles Embargo Subject Coverage Length (backfiles, from Vol. 1) #Full-text vs Abstract-only Source and Authority

(Publishers) Rank and Impact Factor # Peer Reviewed

Assessment Criteria

Content:

• Other publications (books, dissertations, Gov. Docs., etc.)

• Case studies• Company information• Industry information• Market Research information• Economic data

Assessment Criteria

University Curriculum & Research:

• Core subjects (curriculum)• User information need• Programs offered• Academic Level

undergraduate Graduate (Master’s and PhD)

• Special Areas of Research/Study

Assessment Criteria

Special Features:

• Compatibility with link-resolvers (Open URL)

• Export options• Available formats• Compatibility with RefWorks

or similar software• Integration with e-learning

software such as WebCT or Blackboard

Assessment Criteria

Other Factors:

• ABLD List• Peer Library Holdings• In line with Library’s collection policy• License terms• Consortial subscriptions• Pricing• Vendor relations• Usage stats• Network connection

(speed/reliability)

Phase 2Value Analysis

Value analysis is An organized effort directed at analyzing the

function of systems, products, specifications, standards,

practices, and procedures for the purpose of satisfying the

required function at the lowest total cost of effective ownership consistent with the requirements for

performance,reliability, quality and maintainability.

• Uses a matrix to rank evaluation criteria by importance (defined locally by library)

• Ranking of helps to establish weighted value for each criterion

• Weighted value helps to establish a ‘score’ for each e-resource = perceived benefit

• Enables calculation of a cost/benefit ratio for each resource

Value Analysis Matrix

Value Analysis Matrix

• Pairs of evaluation criteria are compared to determine which of the two is more important to the library

• For each pair, rank the difference in importance as: Major = 3 Medium = 2 Minor = 1

• Once ranked, assign weights to each of the criterion (percentage)

Phase 3: Worksheet

Phase 3 Assessment Worksheet

• Complete worksheet for each database to determine its ‘score’ according to weighted criteria

• Score incorporates subjective evaluation (e.g., content created by local faculty may trump non-core subject focus)

• May add common research question(s) to measure how effectively database provides relevant information [results?]

Phase 4 Calculation of Cost/Benefit Ratio

For each worksheet:• Sum the weighted values for

criteria to obtain database Score• Multiply Score for each database

with its Annual Use to obtain Value– (Database Score) X (Annual Use) =

Benefit = perceived value of database

• Divide Annual Subscription Cost by Benefit score & multiply by 10– (Annual Cost)/Benefit x

10=Cost/Benefit Ratio

Electronic Resources Evaluation

• Very time consuming• Continuous process• When to do this:

Annually? (near renewal time) Bi-annually? Up to library due to staff and

time constraints