Use vs. Reuse: Assessing the value of our digital collections
"Content reuse, defined as how often and in what ways digital library materials are utilized and repurposed, is a key indicator of the impact and value of a digital collection. However, traditional library analytics focus almost entirely on simple access statistics, which do not show how users utilize or transform unique materials from cultural heritage organization’s hosted digital collections. This lack of distinction, combined with a lack of standardized assessment approaches, makes it difficult to develop user-responsive collections or highlight the value of these materials. This in turn presents significant challenges for developing the appropriate staffing, system infrastructure, and long-term funding models needed to support digital collections. Developing a Framework for Measuring Reuse of Digital Objects, the IMLS-funded project (LG-73-17-0002-17) by the Digital Library Federation Assessment Interest Group (DLF-AIG), seeks to conduct a needs assessment of the Digital Library community to determine desired functionality for a future reuse assessment toolkit. The end product of the grant project will consist of well-defined functional requirements and use cases, which will serve as the building blocks that will drive the future development of an assessment toolkit. In addition to providing more information on the goals and methods of the grant project, this presentation will: define and offer popular types of digital library reuse; share the results of the project thus far, which includes data analysis from (a) a survey identifying how cultural heritage organizations currently assess digital library reuse, barriers to assessing reuse, and community priorities for potential solutions and next steps together; and (b) in-person and virtual focus groups sessions designed to explore issues regarding reuse. The presentation will conclude with the team’s current understanding of the functional requirements needed for a toolkit focused on assessing the reuse of digital library items and invite the CODE4LIB community’s feedback. Developing a Framework for Measuring Reuse of Digital Objects Project Team: Santi Thompson, Head of Digital Research Services, University of Houston; Elizabeth Kelly, Digital Programs Coordinator, Loyola University New Orleans; Genya O’Gara, Associate Director, Virtual Library of Virginia; Caroline Muglia, Head of Resource Sharing and Collection Assessment Librarian, University of Southern California; Ayla Stein, Metadata Librarian, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Liz Woolcott, Head of Cataloging and Metadata Services, Utah State University "
