Virtual conferences are 5-6 hour conferences held online in webinar-like formats, with occasional breaks in the schedule for participants. The longer length allows the depth of coverage of a conference coupled with the convenience of a webinar.

Date: April 29, 2015

Time: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Eastern

Event webpage: http://www.niso.org/news/events/2015/virtual_conferences/assessment_toolbox/

ABOUT THE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

Every day libraries and publishers are asked to demonstrate the value of the content they provide through quantitative metrics and assessments. Existing metrics, such as the Journal Impact Factor, and tools, such as COUNTER and SUSHI, have proven their worth in providing useful data. But as both the forms of content and the way content is used evolves, alternative forms of assessment are also needed. Data at the container level, e.g., the journal, is no longer sufficient. Downloading full text in a PDF file is no longer the only (or even primary) way that users access content. Citation alone is not sufficient to capture all the new social media ways that content is shared. Traditional assessment techniques are being modified, completely new measures are being developed, and both old and new need to be blended in a meaningful way that creates a trusted system. Both the creation of these new or blended metrics and the information the metrics provide are generating new services and products.

This Virtual Conference will examine some of the innovative ideas and techniques that are being employed in the never-ending struggle to measure how content is accessed and used. It will include discussions related to usage statistics, altmetrics, gaming the numbers, and open access. NISO's Alternative Assessment Metrics Initiative will also be discussed.

NEW: Training Thursday!  All registrants to this virtual conference will receive a login to the associated Training Thursday on Implementing SUSHI/COUNTER at Your Institution to be held on May 7 from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). (Separate registration to the training event only is also available.)  If you are unable to attend the Training Thursday in person, you can view the recording of the session.

TOPICS AND SPEAKERS

• Keynote Address – Megan Oakleaf, Associate Professor of Library and Information Science, iSchool at Syracuse University
• Value in numbers: A Shared Approach to Measuring Usage and Impact – Jo Lambert, Project Manager, Jisc
• Dismantling a Single-Discipline Journal Bundle: A Triangulation Method for Assessment - Diane Dawson MSc, MLIS, Science Liaison Librarian, Science Library, University of Saskatchewan
• E-Journal Metrics: Exploring Disciplinary Differences - Katherine Chew, Research/Outreach Services Librarian, Health Sciences Libraries & Mary Schoenborn, Subject Liaison Librarian, Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
• Brace for Impact: Using Assessment Evidence to Communicate the Value of Your Library SERs - Amanda B. Albert, Distance Learning Librarian, Horace W. Sturgis Library, Kennesaw State University
  
• ‘Good Enough’: Applying a Holistic Approach for Practical, Systematic Collection Assessment - Madeline Kelly, Head of Collection Development, University Libraries, George Mason University
• Gamification in Assessment - Kyle Felker, Digital Initiatives Librarian, Grand Valley State University Libraries
  
•  NISO Altmetrics Project: Update from 3 Project Working Groups
• Mike Showalter, Product Manager, Plum Analytics
• Mike Taylor, Senior Product Manager, Informetrics, Elsevier
• Martin Fenner, Technical Lead PLOS Article-Level Metrics, PLoS
• Roundtable Discussion

REGISTRATION

Registration is per site (access for one computer) and closes at 4:00 pm Eastern on April 28, 2015 (the day before the virtual conference). Discounts are available for NISO members and students. All virtual conference registrants receive access to the recorded version for one year.

Can't make it on the day of the virtual conference? All registrants receive access to the recorded version for one year. Take advantage of the Virtual Conference subscription package (http://www.niso.org/news/events/2015/virtual_conferences/#subscription) for all six of the 2015 Virtual Conferences and save 33%. (Previously held 2014 virtual conferences available in recorded versions.)

For more information and to register, visit the event webpage: http://www.niso.org/news/events/2015/virtual_conferences/assessment_toolbox/