Dashboard metrics for scholarly activity at a small university: Open vs. ‘freemium’ vs. premium

Abstract

Vancouver Island University (VIU) is a regional, teaching-focused university in British Columbia, Canada, that features undergraduate research and applied scholarship in a wide range of fields.

The Library can contribute to understanding the influence of scholarship of VIU faculty and students by promoting awareness of non-traditional modes of dissemination and a broad array of indicators of use.

The poster illustrates possibilities for assembling dashboard-style indicators related to scholarly output of the university. Examples are taken from open, 'freemium,' and licensed tools, demonstrating that useful data may be gathered and inferences made, with even a modest investment of effort and cost.