[Nhcoll-l] Value and success metrics for NH collections

[Trina Roberts]

Hi Tiffany and all,

I also use whatever metrics I can get easily from our external data-sharing
partners.  Right now, that means I'm regularly reporting an estimate of
download events and records downloaded from iDigBio and GBIF (the two of
them don't report quite the same things, so I have to do some estimating
to mash them together).  I'd previously also included VertNet, but their
use metrics seem to be defunct.  I hope to be able to expand this someday
to include BHL, MorphoSource, Calisphere, Internet Archive ... but I don't
know yet what will be possible.  Because we do spend a good bit of effort
on digitization, it's been helpful to have use metrics to report for the
digital collection, alongside those for loans and use of actual physical
objects that our board was already more familiar with.

I have been reporting loans closed as well as new loans opened, to try to
capture some sense of the whole loan life cycle in the metrics.  Plus,
sometimes tracking down and closing old loans takes quite a lot of effort,
and that activity wasn't otherwise clear in our reports.

--Trina


--
Trina E. Roberts, Ph.D.
Associate VP, Collections
Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County
213-763-3330
troberts at nhm.org
she, her, hers


On Fri, Nov 15, 2024 at 8:08 AM Adrain, Tiffany S <tiffany-adrain at uiowa.edu>
wrote:

> Hi all, As part of my strategic planning for the University of Iowa
> Paleontology Repository, I'm looking to expand "success" and "value"
> metrics to continue to advocate for support of collections. Anyone willing
> to share
> 
> Hi all,
>
> As part of my strategic planning for the University of Iowa Paleontology
> Repository, I'm looking to expand "success" and "value" metrics to continue
> to advocate for support of collections.
>
> Anyone willing to share your metrics here? We've traditionally used yearly
> metrics such as:
>
>    - Number of loans/loaned specimens/geographic coverage of borrowers
>    - Number of specimens donated
>    - Number of published specimen citations
>    - Number of visitor days
>    - Number of student interns supported
>    - Number of specimens/lots catalogued/digitized
>    - Number of ID and research enquiries (in-person and online)
>    - Number of outreach events attended
>    - Amount received in grant funding/financial donations
>
> What other metrics can I include, especially relating to use and value to
> institutional parent?
>
> Looking forward to your ideas - thanks!
>
> Tiffany
>
> Tiffany Adrain (pronouns: she/her/hers)
> Collections Manager, Paleontology Repository
> Instructor, Museum Studies Certificate Program
> Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences
> University of Iowa
> 115 Trowbridge Hall
> Iowa City, Iowa, 52242
>
> phone: 319 335 1822
> fax: 319 335 1821
> email: tiffany-adrain at uiowa.edu
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