The value of library resources is coming under increasing scrutiny as the transition from print to digital text accelerates. As a contribution to the discussion about how to value library resources appropriately, we will bring together a group who are interested in the usage of those resources, particularly of monographs in both print and digital formats. During the session, participants will tackle two objectives.
First, they will consider existing studies of the uses of print and electronic text and the venues, problem formulation, and data collection strategies for a research project that would test two hypotheses:
Hypothesis 1: When a book is fully available online, print circulation will be flat or go down.
Hypothesis 2: When a book is online with limited viewing (e.g., GBS snippet view or search-only), print circulation will be flat or increase.
The results of experiments based on these hypotheses will inform the prospects for large-scale collaboration on the management of print collections as libraries repurpose their spaces and as scholars, students, and publishers take advantage of the affordances of digitized text.
Second, participants will consider more broadly how libraries and publishers measure the usage of licensed e-book collections and the implications of tracking the value of such collections in the context of e-journal as well as traditionally purchased print book collections. As monograph collections show signs of moving more steadily to digital versions, such value calculations are consequential not only to collecting choices but also over time to publishing choices.
Participants will have an opportunity to review current practices and identify future research or standard-setting requirements.
Taking these components together, the session will serve as a milestone in the understanding of usage measurement and value analysis for monographs in an increasingly digital context.
