Medical Library Association | Research : Value of Library and Information Services

Value of Library and Information Services

Request for Proposals

Request for Proposals on "The Value of Using Library and Information Services: Return on Investment in Health/Hospital Libraries"

Project Purpose

Since the early 1990's, health care institutions have faced economic problems resulting in downsizing or outsourcing of services. Many hospital libraries have been closed and others have been merged with other hospital or academic libraries to cut costs in hospitals and health care institutions. Additionally the advances in information via the Internet and WWW have changed the way libraries provide services, but, we believe, have not eliminated the need for services provided by libraries and professional librarians or health information professionals. The objectives of the proposed research project is to address the following questions:

1. What is the value of using library and information services to the hospital/health care institution?

2. What kinds of information does management recognize as valid measures of the contributions which librarians through the provision of services make to the bottom line (i.e., cost-based accounting, return on investment)?

Target Audience

The primary target audience for the project is upper management in hospitals/medical centers; the secondary targets are practitioners in health sciences librarianship.

Deliverables

A project report covering the following activities:

Review value, cost-benefit or return-on-investment measurements used by other service fields and evaluate their applicability to library services. (See Saracevic, T. and Kantor, PB. Studying the Value of Library and Information Services. Part II. Methodology and Taxonomy. Journal of the American Society for Information Science: 48(6):543-563, 1997.)
Collect and present data, which assess the value of library and information services as defined by librarians to the bottom-line of their organizations.
Identify indicators of value and presentations methods that are meaningful to upper management in health care institutions including a model that can be replicated by health sciences librarians in various settings.

Style and Length of the Report

The project report will be written in a narrative form, with necessary graphics, that will make it accessible to a broad audience of upper management and information professionals. The document must be written in clear, easy to understand language, free of technical and research jargon. Receipt in electronic form is required.

Criteria for Selection

Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Degree to which purpose and objectives in RFP are met.
Quality of project design and scope, including coverage of all required activities as listed.
Appropriateness and rigor of methodology.
Qualifications of staff.
Appropriate budget and timeline, including cost effectiveness of activities outlined in the proposal and feasibility of timeline.
Clear writing style free of jargon, and understandable to practitioners.

Contents of the Proposal

All applications must be submitted in the following order:

1. Cover sheet

2. Abstract of research project (one page maximum).

3. The proposal narrative

a. Outline how the project you propose will integrate the body of knowledge on value and measure the impact to organizations' bottom lines. (2 pages maximum)
b. Describe the methods you will use and the specific steps that you will take to accomplish this project. Include a list of the services to be studied or how you will identify which services to cover. (3 pages maximum)
c. Describe how your methodology will address both hospital and medical center libraries and information centers. (2 pages maximum)
d. Provide a detailed timeline for the project not to exceed 18 months. (1 page maximum)
e. Provide a budget and budget narrative for the project. (1 page maximum with a maximum budget of $50,000)
f. Describe the project director and staff's qualifications, including evidence of previous relevant work. (1 page maximum)

4. Appendices

a. Resume or curriculum vitae for major project staff members.
b. The names, professional affiliations and telephone numbers of three people who can provide professional recommendations relevant to this project.
c. A brief writing sample. (no longer than 10 pages)

Right of Rejection, Withdrawal, or Adjustment

MLA reserves the right to withdraw this RFP at any time, for any reason.

MLA reserves the right to revise any section of the RFP, should it become necessary.

MLA reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal, or any portion of the proposal for any reason.

Ownership of Materials

Any information presented by MLA either in this RFP or subsequent verbal or written communications shall be considered confidential and for express use only in connection with proposal preparation.

All data collected and resulting publications are the exclusive property of the Medical Library Association. The research team will be appropriately credited on any resulting publications.