Library Web site ROI

[Dan Barkey]

Mr. Lepkey's research objectives are not as ludicrous as Mr. Gray's
"tirade" would seem to suggest.  I work at an academic health sciences
library where answers to Mr. Lepkey's questions are extremely valuable.
Our library is not  about seeing a "beautiful sunrise," [Gray] but rather
meeting the specific information needs of our research and clinical
community.  Our collection development methods are very much concerned with
cost per use. The management of our "digital library" is predicated on
return on investment.

An example of ROI thinking is building a system that meets the journal
article needs of our community.  The measure of a good health sciences
library is not necessarily what you "own" but rather what you can get
access to, and how quickly you can get access to it.  Journal articles feed
medical research and help clinicians make decisions about treatment.  We
have focused much effort in building web-based systems that reduce cost and
provide better service.  Is it a good return on investment?  Are we getting
more medical breakthroughs?  Are patients being treated better?  We'd like
some answers.  Medical School administration knows you have to have a
library, but how much money do you spend?  Where do you spend it?  Where do
you get the greatest ROI?  We are very much beholden to the "bean counters"
and we need to find ways to defend our budgets and our decisions.  ROI
research in this area would be extremely valuable to us.




 
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Daniel C. Barkey					d-barkey at nwu.edu
Head, Information Systems				312.503.0421
Galter Health Sciences Library
Northwestern University