"But What Does It Mean?" Using Statistical Data for Decision Making in Academic Libraries
Steve Hiller · 2002
Academic libraries in North America are turning increasingly to the use of statistical data to assist and support library management decisions. While some library data, primarily operational, have been available for years, the degree to which they have been used in library management varies widely. Recently, there has been a voluminous increase in library-related data, not only in transactional information from online library systems and electronic resources usage, but also from efforts to gain more direct user input through user surveys and focus groups. Libraries are also being asked by funding and accrediting bodies to demonstrate their impact on the user community by employing a series of metrics that are outcomes and data based. As the data turn into a flood, many academic libraries are unsure what the data mean and how to analyse and use this information in library management.