This post is generously contributed by Dr. Sami ÇUHADAR, Director of Libraries, İstanbul Bilgi University, Turkey.
In the ’90s, when I first began studying librarianship, my professors emphasized that libraries consist of five essential elements: building, budget, staff, users, and collection. Many library science studies I encountered also highlighted these criteria. National and international reports that gather data on academic libraries and assess them, such as ARL, SCONUL, IFLA library performance indicators and the Turkish Council of Higher Education (CoHE) Monitoring and Assessment Report, are also based on these generally five basic elements. While there have been some positive developments in evaluating academic libraries, no fundamental changes have occurred.
Advancements in information and communication technologies have significantly impacted libraries. Printed collections are increasingly being replaced by electronic resources and face-to-face reference services are being supplanted by online reference services or ChatBots.
It is essential to enhance the visibility of academic libraries, review their business processes and revise the evaluation criteria in light of changing conditions. In addition to the current library evaluation criteria, new metrics such as usage, satisfaction, technology, visibility on the web, services/reference and contribution to society should be included to assess academic libraries comprehensively.
Beyond evaluating academic libraries through reports, an international library ranking system would be more comprehensive and beneficial. Ranking is the process of arranging a set of elements based on their degree of success, achievement or competitive outcomes based on specific criteria. Ranking contributes to identifying areas for improvement in institutions, fosters continual improvement and facilitates the development of a competitive environment. Furthermore, it enables institutions to enhance their visibility and allows for the periodic renewal and update of the criteria for evaluation and ranking according to contemporary conditions.
Various rankings are conducted in numerous different sectors. Countries have historically been categorized into developed, developing or underdeveloped based on criteria like GDP, labor force and economic indicators. Organizations such as the OECD assess educational systems through programs like PISA to rank countries by educational performance. Universities worldwide are ranked by multiple institutions using criteria such as academic performance, research output and teaching quality. Scientific journals are also categorized by impact and citations. These rankings are crucial, especially for universities, as they enhance visibility, academic success and competitiveness. The data collected includes international collaborations, research output and student and faculty metrics, influencing strategic planning and decision-making for academics and students choosing institutions.
The creation of a ranking system for evaluating academic libraries would be justified. Academic library ranking systems can make significant contributions by establishing new basic and sub-criteria. The university library ranking fulfills several significant roles:
– It serves as a tool for identifying areas that institutions can improve.
– It fosters ongoing improvement and cultivates a competitive environment.
– It boosts institutional visibility and periodically updates evaluation criteria.
– It enhances the efficiency and transparency of services.
– It reinforces communication channels between libraries and university management.
– It streamlines the collection, analysis and distribution of qualitative data on libraries.
– Ultimately, it contributes to enhancing university library services.
In this context, creating a ranking system for university libraries that excel in providing cutting-edge information services to advance the production of scientific knowledge can elevate the significance of libraries and promote competition by providing access to library-related data and advanced services.
The significance of ranking systems is often emphasized in numerous articles and discussions. According to the European University Association’s report, “Rankings have acted as a “wake-up call” to the higher education community in terms of their competitive position, at national and international level, and the necessity to enhance institutional intelligence and develop an evidence-base for strategic decision-making.” Additionally, Prof. Dr. Ural Akbulut, co-founder of University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP), stated “We cannot achieve our goals without knowing our current position. Rankings provide the coordinates of our current location“.
Ranking university libraries is essential for widespread information dissemination, technology utilization, infrastructure improvement and fostering a collaborative academic community. This approach can significantly enhance the credibility, transparency and global impact of library rankings, leading to continual improvement of library services worldwide and a meaningful impact on the academic landscape.
This topic is open for further discussion and stands to be a new frontier in the assessment of academic libraries.