New Issue Brief From Ithaka S+R: “What Do Our Users Need? An Evidence-Based Approach for Designing New Services”

From an Introductory Post by Roger Schonfeld, Director, Libraries, Scholarly Communication, and Museums Program, Ithaka S+R:

As academic libraries continue to evolve beyond a focus on collections, their leaders have long recognized the importance of developing new services that add value for learners, instructors, researchers, and other stakeholders. Sometimes, the demand for new services is self-evident, but in other cases the library must develop services speculatively and in a competitive environment. In these cases, planning and assessment tools can be of tremendous value in allowing library leaders to focus their new service initiatives most effectively.

Recognizing this need, Ithaka S+R adapted a commercial market research methodology for use in planning new service models for academic libraries. This new tool — service concept testing — is one that we have now piloted with seven institutions, which in turn are rolling out new services. In today’s new issue brief, we describe this methodology and how it can be utilized by any library or group of libraries.

Read the Complete Post

Issue Brief

Title

“What Do Our Users Need? An Evidence-Based Approach for Designing New Services”

Authors

Christine Wolff-Eisenberg
Manager, Surveys and Research, Libraries, Scholarly Communication, and Museums Program, Ithaka S+R

Roger C. Schonfeld
Director, Libraries, Scholarly Communication, and Museums Program, Ithaka S+R

DOI: 10.18665/sr.312092

Direct to PDF Version

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Libraries, New Issue, News, Patrons and Users, Reports