cross-institutional repository assessment: a standardized model for institutional research...
TRANSCRIPT
Cross-institutional Repository Assessment:
A Standardized Model for Institutional Research Assessment
Robert H. McDonaldIndiana University
Charles ThomasInstitute for Museum and Library Services
OutlineI. IntroductionII. The Need to Measure & CompareIII. New Candidate FrameworksIV. Representing New MetricsV. Future Evolution of Institutional
Repositories and Evaluation
Institutional Assessment Needs
"We have found a remarkable shortage of clear, accessible information about crucial aspects of American colleges and universities...this lack of useful data and accountability hinders policymakers and the public...and prevents higher education from demonstrating its contribution to the public good.“
A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education (2006) – U.S. Department of Education
Institutional Repositories: A Silver Bullet?
"An institutional repository concentrates the intellectual product created by a university's researchers, making it easier to demonstrate its scientific, social and financial value. Thus, institutional repositories complement existing metrics for gauging productivity and prestige...this demonstration of value can translate into tangible benefits, including the funding...that derives in part from an institution's status and reputation."
Raym Crow (2002). The Case for Institutional Repositories.
Repositories Vary In• what they contain; • who funds and administers each; • underlying legal, social and policy
infrastructure for each repository; • who contributes to the repository; and • motivations for contributing, whether
they be mandates, disciplinary cultural norms, or other incentives
Current Repository Categories• Institutional• Disciplinary • Other (preservation, publishers, etc.) • How do you tell the difference? • How do you know who contributes what
to which?
Need to Evaluate IRs• How do we evaluate IRs?• Institutional, disciplinary, etc. exist for
different purposes, probably need different evaluative frameworks
Need to Evaluate IRs• We can’t just measure our IR as a stand-
alone phenomenon,• We need to be able to compare IRs• We also need to evaluate IRs for their
utility in overall Institutional Assessment
Library Assessment Needs• 20th Century vs 21st Century
– Moving Beyond Silos of Knowledge– Facilities are not an adequate measuring
stick– Qualitative and Quantitative Measurement
Principles are Required
Frameworks for IR Evaluation• Proudman, V. (2008). The population of
repositories.– Policies;– Organization;– Mechanisms and influences for populating repositories;– Services;– Advocacy & communication;
– Legal issues
Frameworks for IR Evaluation• Westell, M. (2006). Institutional repositories:
Proposed indicators of success – Repository mandate; – Integration with institutional planning; – Funding model; – Relationship with digitization centers; – Interoperation; – Content measurement; – Promotion; – Preservation strategy
Frameworks for IR Evaluation• Kim, H. H. and Kim, Y. H. (2007). An evaluation model
for the national consortium of institutional repositories of Korean universities. – Content (Diversity, Currency, Size, Metadata) – System and network (Interoperability, Use of help services like FAQ
and Q&A) – Use, users and submitters (Use ratio, User satisfaction, Submitter
satisfaction, User/Submitter support) – Management and policy (Budget, Staffing, Library awareness of Open
Access and related issues, Copyright management, IR Marketing, Institutional support, Policies and procedures in place, Diversity of archiving methods)
What Are We Seeing?• Lots of Case Studies• Many Qualitative Evaluative Criteria• Tips, Best Practices for Good Repositories• Not Much Quantitative Data –Warning,
Administrators Love Numbers!!!
Library Assessment Needs“Key Aspects of collaborative relations may be described only in qualitative terms in the future.”*
– Cross-Institutional Shared Digital Collections
– Intra-Institutional IR Collection Building IR Assessment Institutional Research Assessment
*From Reshaping ARL Statistics to Capture the New Environment (2008) – Kyrillidou
So How Do We Mix Qualitative/Quantitative?
The Color Palette MetaphorAbsence of color = Absence of Foundations for Success-indication of early forming or orphan IR
The Color Palette MetaphorWhite = max combo of entire spectrum=Ideal IR with full suite of necessary support
The Color Palette MetaphorShades of Gray or other color attributes indicate a rising IR
Future Evolution• Institutional Measurement• Institutional Research a role for Libraries• Libraries as Publisher
From Educause Review 43(1)
Administrative ERP Stack
Fusion or Data Mining• Where does the .EDU stack
come together for analysis?• Can the library play a role in
this analysis?• Needed for owned and
leased assets
Intra-Institutional Assessment
IRStats
Digital Measures – Activity Insight
U Penn Data Farm
Layers of Assessment Comparison• International Comparison• National Comparison• National Accreditation• Regional Accreditation• State and Regional
Collaboration/Funding• Internal Collaboration/Funding
Missing Link• IR Assessment
– Quantitative– Qualitative– Viable or Useful Mixed Visualizations
CONTACT INFORMATION• Robert H. McDonald
– [email protected]– AIM/[email protected]– Skype/rhmcdonald
• Chuck Thomas– [email protected]