Best of Core Forum: Library Collections Alignment with Research

This study aims to investigate the alignment between a university (UW-Madison) library’s resources and the research outputs of the university’s scholars. By comparing citations in university publications with the library collections, we seek to quantify the degree to which the library supports academic research at the university. This analysis will involve comparing research outputs, extracting cited references, and assessing the library collections of overlaps and gaps. This study will rely on data from popular bibliographic databases such as Web of Science, and the library cataloging records. The project’s merit lies in providing evidence-based insights for library collection management, enhancing support for academic research, and optimizing resource allocations in university libraries. Findings will inform strategic decisions in collection development, ensuring resources are closely aligned with the university’s research needs. This endeavor will not only improve library services but also contribute to the broader scholarly communication field, offering a replicable model for similar assessment at other institutions.

This webinar was previously presented in-person as a session at the 2024 Core Forum. We are hosting this webinar, with the session adapted and presented live as a virtual event, to extend its reach.

Learning Outcomes:

The goals of the webinar are:

• Set a bench mark for collection alignment with research needs on campus;
• Offer a semantic model for collection assessment; and
• Offer data for subject specialist for further collection analysis.

Who Should Attend: Academic library and collection development staff.

Presenters:

Xiying Mi is the Head of Resource Description at UW-Madison Libraries.

Anlin Yang has been serving as the East Asian Studies Librarian at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 2020. In this role, Anlin specializes in selecting both physical and digital resources for Chinese and Korean Studies, alongside offering instructional and reference services related to these areas on campus. Prior to joining UW-Madison, Anlin held the position of East Asian Cataloging Librarian at the University of Iowa. Additionally, Anlin has extensive experience in providing metadata and cataloging services in East Asian and English languages, as well as some responsibilities encompassed public service in Chinese Studies across several federal government departments, including the Library of Congress, National Library of Medicine, and Department of Transportation.

Weiye Gu is a Ph.D. student in Library and Information Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in information science. His research focuses on science of science, with a particular interest in the societal impact of academic research.