This paper describes a survey of data practices given to the Purdue College of Agriculture. Data practices are a concern for many researchers with new governmental funding mandates that require data management plans, and for the institution providing resources to comply with these mandates. The survey attempted to answer these questions: What are…

Academic and library administrators are increasingly required to demonstrate efficiency in programs, services, and operations as well as effectiveness. An important component of efficiency measurement is identification of a relevant peer group against which to compare the administrative unit to determine relative efficiency. The two-fold purpose…

Higher education libraries have traditionally sought to be able to demonstrate the impact their services have on student attainment. This is particularly important in the current economic climate where libraries frequently have to defend their budgets in the face of financial constraints, whilst needing to demonstrate better value for money to…

Big data sets and powerful computing capacity have transformed scholarly inquiry across many disciplines. While the impact of data-intensive research methodologies is perhaps most distinct in the natural and social sciences, the humanities have also benefited from these new analytical tools. While full-text data is necessary to study topics such…

The University of Westminster began collecting and analyzing vendor usage reports since starting their e-book collections in 2004. They have used the results both to monitor the use of the collections and to calculate basic cost-per-use metrics that have informed decisions on whether to renew particular resources. In 2008, they sought to extend…

Describes an investigation that was conducted to show the feasibility of spectral methods in information science, particularly for analyzing academic library circulation data. Signal analysis methods were used to detect periodicity, and spectral methods show promise for analyzing time series and other signals in information science. (Author/LRW)

Describes practitioner-researchers and uses 24 articles from "Journal of Academic Librarianship" by academic librarians to illustrate research methods and a set of seven steps common to research that are also applicable to practice-based problem solving and project work. Highlights include action research; case study research; evaluation…

This paper reports on a consortial attempt to overcome the high costs of scholarly journals and to study the roots of the cost problem. A multi-discipline study of the impact of electronic publishing on the pricing of scholarly periodicals is discussed. A brief overview of the pricing issue comparing print and electronic publishing is followed by…