Libraries and big data: a new view on impact and affect

The increasing sophistication of data capture and warehousing capability within contemporary tertiary education institutions has offered new approaches for the examination of data generated from library systems and other university data sources. University of Wollongong Library has, since 2010, sought to integrate Library usage data within enterprise reporting systems to better understand the value and impact for students using Library resources. The development of the Value Cube provided the evidence of positive correlations between use and student performance, i.e. their grades. Subsequent to the Value Cube, the Marketing Cube offers granular, near real-time usage data by a range of student dimensions, capturing patterns of behaviour and new insights into what information resources are being used and by which groups. The third milestone is the harvesting of Library usage data into the Learning Analytics dashboards and reports, creating a multifaceted view of student utilisation of critical learning systems, resources and services