ARL invites participation in the MINES for Libraries survey in 2015–2016. Measuring the Impact of Networked Electronic Services (MINES for Libraries, or MINES) is an online, transaction-based survey that collects data on user demographics and the purpose of use of e-resources. The MINES project utilizes a point-of-use survey technique and integrates usage data about such electronic resources as digital collections, open access journals, pre-print and post-print servers, and institutional repositories to provide an inclusive picture of the library’s supported networked e-resources. MINES has been administered at more than 50 North American libraries since 2003, surveying more than 100,000 networked services users.
The survey employs a web-based methodology that “mines” digital content usage to determine users’ demographics, location of virtual library use, and purpose of use. A short survey, three to five questions in length, is delivered at the point of use of an e-journal, database article, or digital collection or service.
Benefits of Participation
MINES collects valid survey data not available through vendor-supplied statistics to help libraries:
- Measure the value and impact of digital content
- Determine how specific user populations apply digital content to their work, based on demographic and purpose-of-use analyses
- Identify where library use originates in the networked environment and tailor services accordingly
- Gather usage data about digital collections to justify increased funding for digital content and to make informed collection development decisions
- Assess the impact of networked electronic resources and services on teaching, learning, and research
- Assign a monetary value for the amount of an academic library’s networked service costs that support funded research, instruction, patient care, public service, and other activities
The fee for MINES for Libraries is $7,000 for a user-survey analysis alone or $10,000 with an additional analysis of the costs of networked services by type of use.
More Information
A detailed description of the survey protocol and background is provided on the MINES for Libraries website. For more information or to express interest in participating in 2015 or spring 2016, please e-mail Martha Kyrillidou.
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 124 research libraries in the US and Canada. ARL’s mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the web at https://www.arl.org/.
