![\"library-professional\"](\"https:\/\/blog.oclc.org\/next\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/library-professional.jpg\")
<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nClickbait headline aside, there really isn\u2019t a compelling reason for some library workers to read the full text of the recently published Academic Library Impact: Improving Practice and Essential Areas to Research<\/a><\/em>\u00a0report from ACRL and OCLC.<\/p>\n For most librarians and educators, the eight-page introduction is all you need. It\u2019s got a quick overview of six priority areas that we suggest as a guide for developing academic services that focus on student success. For each, there\u2019s a short bullet list of actions and questions we\u2019d like to explore further. That\u2019s it. A nice, easy primer for most librarians.<\/p>\n But if you are a library administrator, do marketing for your library, or are directly involved in educational outcomes \u2026 sorry. You need to make time for all 73 pages.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The report\u2019s introduction includes a key question, familiar to librarians:<\/p>\n How well can academic library administrators and staff demonstrate that the academic library is useful to students?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n While the question seems straightforward, librarians know that the answer is anything but. We identified six areas that clarify how to address this question. These areas match well with the roles of library administrators, those doing marketing for their libraries, and those directly involved in educational outcomes.<\/p>\n The areas that we identify as relevant to library administrators are:<\/p>\n If you are a library administrator and your library\u2019s metrics don\u2019t mesh with and complement those of your institution \u2026 you need to get on that today. Colleges and universities are becoming much more competitive and data focused. Your college president, provost or CEO\u2014whatever the title may be\u2014is looking for ways to quantify contributions to student success. Because that\u2019s what their paying customers\u2014parents and students\u2014are demanding.<\/p>\n To quantify and communicate the library\u2019s contributions to student success, you need to be collaborating with other stakeholders. You need to know: what they are measuring; how your library can contribute to their work to make an impact at the institution; and how they can help you.<\/p>\nAre you someone who must read the new ACRL\/OCLC \u201cAcademic Library Impact\u201d report? <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n The areas we identify as relevant to library marketers are:<\/p>\nLet\u2019s connect goals to roles<\/h2>\n
1. Library administrators: match and collaborate<\/h2>\n
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2. Library marketers: quantify and communicate<\/h2>\n