[Lightning Talk] Evaluating Engineering Databases: A Pilot Project

The subject librarians continue to receive requests from faculty about new databases. However, the situation we face is we have to cancel some of our current databases to cover the cost for new subscriptions. In order to make sure the library's collection meets the current needs of our faculty, it is critical for us to evaluate current databases. We finished a project named “Conducting a Faculty-centered Information Needs and Resource Assessment” in 2017. We reached out to six science and engineering departments. Through the project, we have saved $50,758.18 from cancellations and used this savings to subscribe to new journals to meet faculty needs. Based on successful experiences that we had in 2017, we evaluated a different type of resource – engineering databases – for this new project. We analyzed usage data, conducted interviews and collected feedback from all engineering tenure track faculty. As a result, we made recommendations regarding purchases and cancellations.