The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has announced the release of the final report by its Statistics Revision Task Force. The task force, which began its work in the spring of 2022, was charged with reviewing the ARL Statistics survey and recommending improvements to make the data collected more valuable to ARL member institutions.
The task force engaged in regular meetings, reviewed the ARL Statistics survey and related past revisions, and consulted with current and former members of the ARL Research and Analytics Committee. Their work, which was centered on ARL values, led to several key findings and lessons learned, as detailed in the report:
• The areas of inquiry framing the ARL Statistics survey align with previous efforts and are rooted in current research library values.
• Certain areas may be more appropriate for inclusion in the survey than others.
• Some existing elements of the survey remain valuable today.
• The task force model may not be ideal for addressing this type of work.
Considering diverse perspectives is crucial but also presents challenges.
Despite the extensive review, the task force concluded that no immediate changes to the ARL Statistics survey are necessary. The report suggests that ongoing dialogue with ARL members about data issues is needed to address the complex task of updating the survey.
Rather than forming another group to undertake this challenge, the report recommends that the ARL's Research and Analytics (R&A) Committee engage members in an iterative discussion about library assessment, data, and analytics. This approach could help identify impactful metrics for future surveys. The R&A Committee and ARL staff may then introduce potential modifications gradually. If more substantial changes are required in the future, the report suggests involving a third-party partner to lead the effort.
The ARL encourages its members to download and review the full ARL Statistics Revision Task Force Final Report to understand the findings and recommendations in greater detail.
Click here to read the original press release.
