Description : Ce document est la traduction d’un rapport publié en mars 2011 par le Research Information Network (RIN) et Research Libraries United Kingdom (RLUK) du Royaume-Uni. Ce rapport présente les conclusions d’une étude sur la valeur des services des bibliothèques aux chercheurs et à la recherche au Royaume-Uni. L’étude repose sur :
-une analyse quantitative des données statistiques disponibles sur 67 institutions d’enseignement supérieur du Royaume-Uni pour déterminer s’il existe une corrélation entre l’activité de la bibliothèque et les performances en matière de recherche ;
-une analyse qualitative menée auprès des bibliothécaires et chercheurs de neufs institutions d’enseignement supérieur du Royaume-Uni, aux caractéristiques variées, entre avril et septembre 2010, par le biais d’entrevues et de focus groups.
Résumé en anglais :
Aim and approach
This report presents the findings of a systematic study of the value of the services that libraries in the UK provide to researchers, and of the contributions that libraries from a wide range of institutions make to institutional research performance. The aim was to identify the key characteristics of library provision to support research in successful UK universities and departments. The approach comprised two main elements: quantitative analysis of statistics – from SCONUL, HESA, and the RAE, along with bibliometric data - to investigate correlations between the characteristics and behaviours of libraries in 67 UK HE institutions, and the research performance of those institutions; and gathering and analysing a large tranche of qualitative information from nine institutions with a range of characteristics.
Statistical and qualitative evidence
Our initial hope was that analysis of statistical trends and correlations would provide evidence and suggest avenues to explore in the qualitative phase of the project. The limitations of the available statistical data on library provision and characteristics, however, mean that our statistical analyses have been of limited utility. Executive summary This report is therefore based on a large weight of qualitative evidence, gathered from interviews and focus groups with a range of stakeholders – researchers, PVCs Research, the Research Support Office, Graduate Deans and Finance Directors as well as librarians - across nine institutions, and carefully analysed and cross checked. Such evidence is based on individual perceptions and experiences, but we believe that in the aggregate, the evidence on the value of libraries set out in this document is robust and unequivocal. Libraries contribute to the research performance of individuals and institutions in many different ways, even if the nature and extent of that contribution is not well understood by researchers and senior managers. Our findings are summarised in the form of map which sets out the key characteristics and behaviours of libraries, and the links between them and the performance of individual researchers and institutions. Libraries have changed and are changing, developing new roles and services. Our detailed findings are thus presented in the form of ten stories – summarised in the map - about the different kinds of value that libraries provide in supporting both individual researchers and the research performance of their host institutions.