Hi Holly:
I found your email quite interesting and was wondering if this project
is something we could use to get a Virginia preservation cooperative
started. I looked at your Balanced Scorecard Metrics and think that
GMU probably does something similar, at least we seem to collect a vast
amount of statistics that are probably organized into something
enabling us to take a unified look at the library system. Since our
preservation program is still in the initial stage, I cannot offer any
insight into how we're measuring anything, but maybe we could all share
the information you have (or will have in the future) to learn from
each other and maybe work on setting the same or similar standards.
>From the ARL statistics it looks like Va. Tech. has a preservation
program, you at UVA do, and JMU and GMU are working on it. I have also
been in touch with Valinda Carroll at Hampton U. who responded to my
inquiry about surveying collections at multiple campuses. She is a
one-person preservation department there, but at least they have
something in place. If VIVA is not interested in doing anything with
preservation, maybe we could contact the 15 4-year public colleges and
universities to see if there is any interest. Or maybe I'm going too
fast, and we should start by contacting someone at Va.Tech. to see if
they would be interested in joining you, Julia and me in cooperating
with preservation issues. I really like your idea of developing metrics
to support funding and personnel requests and would like to do so here
also, and if we develop similar standards we can gain strength through
numbers. Please let me know what you think and good luck with getting
your information.
All the best,
Lene
Holly Robertson wrote:
Hi all,
The University of Virginia Library uses Balanced Scorecard
Metrics to provide a view of the organization from four perspectives:
user, internal processes, financial, and learning growth / potential.
For example, a metric in our internal process perspective measures
processing time for routine acquisitions against two targets: 1)
process 90% of in-print books from N. America within one month or 2)
process 80% of in-print books from N. America within one month (last
year we hit just below target 1 at 87.5%). If you're interested in the
wide range of activities we measure annually, you can find more
information -- and the results -- at < http://lib.virginia.edu/bsc/index.html>.
I'm working to develop metric(s) to measure the progress of our
developing Preservation program by examining input (funding allocated
to the program, number of staff, salaries, etc. -- basically items that
fall under the expenditures area of the ARL Preservation Statistics)
vs. output (conservation treatment, binding, reformatting -- again,
based on ARL Preservation Stat reporting). The goal is not only to
prove that increased investment will yield increased output; it is also
to provide annual targets for success which often translate into
keeping Preservation on the Library's radar and goals list.
How do you measure the success or progress of your Preservation
programs? Do any of you use similar metrics to account for your
Library's commitment to Preservation or the annual productivity of your
operations? Are these based on year-to-year comparisons of ARL Pres
Stats or other metrics?
Feel free to respond to the list or to me individually.
Thanks,
Holly
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Holly Robertson
Preservation Librarian
University of Virginia Libraries
mail: Alderman Library - Rm 113
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4105
phone: 434.924.1055
fax: 434.243.7756
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