ERIC Number: EJ1306153
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jul
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1531-2542
EISSN: N/A
The Associations between University Rankings and Resource Sharing among Academic Libraries
Kabo, Felichism
portal: Libraries and the Academy, v21 n3 p619-640 Jul 2021
The academic library plays multiple roles in the university, making even a nuanced analysis of service numbers inadequate for assessing the complexity of the library's value and contributions to the university's mission and success. This exploratory study uses social network analysis and a unique interlibrary loan (ILL) data set to examine associations between a library's centrality in ILL networks and the performance of its parent university in "U.S. News & World Report" (USNWR) rankings. The study findings show that two types of network centrality, "outdegree" and "betweenness," are significantly and positively associated with USNWR rankings. Resource sharing, such as ILL, is not only an essential but also an overlooked function of an academic library that, moreover, relates to a university's ranking and prestige. University administrators should therefore reconsider the "library-as-cost-center" budgetary approach.
Descriptors: Achievement Rating, Institutional Characteristics, Reputation, Shared Resources and Services, Academic Libraries, Library Services, Social Networks, Foreign Countries, Network Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States; Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A