Traditional usage metrics and tools are no longer fit for purpose, as libraries and publishers adapt to open-access paradigm shifts. Downloads do not sufficiently express the value of research endeavors to the public. Usage analytics can be seen as an invasion of library/patron privacy.

Next week, at the Charleston Conference, a panel representing publishers, librarians, and analytics providers will take on these provocative statements and debate how to best measure the societal impacts of scholarly publishing. In particular, our industry must understand and express the impacts of open access (OA) publishing to the wider public as well as stakeholders, such as authors, research organizations, policymakers, and institutional funders.

In response, publishers and libraries need new ways to measure impact that can indicate how research publications benefit communities and understand how to integrate them alongside traditional measures. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to impact – it’s a multifaceted challenge and different institutions and funders bring different contexts to the meaning of impact.

Featuring our own Michelle Urberg (moderator) and Lettie Conrad (panelist), this session will explore the implications of this new world with an institutional publisher and a librarian. We’ll be inviting the audience to engage in a thoughtful discussion about what impact means, and how we can effectively measure and communicate it in support of open access publishing. If you’re in Charleston next week, please join us!