Building Without a Plan

How do you assess structural strength?

Yasmeen Shorish (@yasmeen_azadi) Physical & Life Sciences Librarian

James Madison UniversityResearch Data Access and Preservation Summit

2016

Remember yesterday?

• Data services started in an ad hoc manner

• No infrastructure support to help strategically plan

• All individual planning incorporated alongside

existing liaison role

Ad hoc assessment

• Half-time data services = no time to develop

assessment tools

• Catch as catch can

• Time Time Time Time Time Time Time

Demand as measurement

• This is not an ideal metric

• Measures awareness (yay!) and not necessarily

impact/quality ( ¯\_(ツ )_/¯ )

Measuring demand?

• Prior to 2015, no organizational analytic-capture

software. Relied on email records.

• Difficult to untangle multi-topic emails and

categorize

Measuring demand?

• Starting in 2015, began recording data

consultation statistics in LibAnswers

• Outstanding issue – operator negligence

LibAnswers

LibAnswers

Outreach as measurement

• Coordinated with Office of Sponsored Programs to

be notified of upcoming grant submissions

• Email PI with reference to DMPTool and an invitation

to meet to discuss further

Setting up success

• Build intentional, internal networks:

• Liaisons

• Office of Research & Scholarship

Setting up success

• Establish best practices

• Capture multiple metrics

Image by Krista Quiroga

Drawing the plans

• Outcomes:

• Measure needs/demand over time

• Identify service gaps

• Document resource use (time, software,

personnel) Image by Dan Hetteix

Thank You!

Email: shorisyl@jmu.edu

Twitter: @yasmeen_azadi