Library Assessment Forum

ARL will host a Library Assessment Forum at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, featuring research on the value of e-books in academic libraries conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as part of the LibValue project. The forum is open to all who are interested and no registration is necessary to attend.

The UIUC Library has conducted research on e-book value as part of the LibValue grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The data collected from these studies include (1) longitudinal e-book use and cost data, (2) logbook diaries of e-book users, (3) data on patron-driven acquisition in humanities subject areas via short-term loan and purchase on demand, and (4) perspectives of UIUC humanities faculty and graduate students in architecture, art, art history, classics, music, and religion/theology. Overall, these multiple data sets have shown positive e-book engagement, and the library has gained insight into how users want to access, read, download, and browse e-book collections.

The panel of presenters from UIUC will include Paula Kaufman, dean of libraries and university librarian; Tina Chrzastowski, chemistry librarian and professor of library administration; and Lynn Wiley, head of acquisitions and associate professor. Plan to attend the forum for a lively discussion!