Correlation Found Between Investment in University Libraries and Grant Awards

Independent International Study, Funded by Elsevier, Finds University Library Collections and Services Lead to Better Research Articles and Grant Proposals

NEW YORK, August 9, 2010 - Elsevier, a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical
information products and solutions, today announced the results of a new
international study that demonstrates the value of the academic library to
the institution in improving grant proposal and report writing and in helping
researchers attract grant income. Of the 8 institutions participating from
around the globe, 6 demonstrated a greater than one-to-one (1:1) return in
grant funding, with results ranging from 15.54:1 to 0.64:1. Equally
significant is the result that 2 institutions showed a significant positive
correlation between an increase in library investment over time and an
increase in grant funding to the university.

Dr. Carol Tenopir, Director of the Center for Information and
Communication Studies at the University of Tennessee
(www.cci.utk.edu/cics/), led a team of investigators over a 16-month
period. "Libraries bring value and returns on institutional investments in
many ways," explains Dr. Tenopir. "Although the exact monetary amount of the
returns in grants varies with the mission of the institution, our research
shows that the collections and services of all university libraries help
faculty write better grant proposals and articles and help them do better
research."

The results of the study, funded by Elsevier, are available through a
newly published Elsevier Connect white paper, University Investment in the
Library, Phase II: An International Study of the Library's Value to the
Grants Process
(libraryconnect.elsevier.com/whitepapers/roi2/lcwp021001.html)
(libraryconnect.elsevier.com).

"The results reinforce the contribution of libraries and information to
the research enterprise," notes Chrysanne Lowe, Elsevier's Vice President of
Customer Development and Engagement. "Universities have always known this,
but it's useful to see value articulated in terms of grant income ROI as
well."

Phased Research Approach

A first phase of the study was conducted as a pilot with the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2008. In the pilot, a model for
calculating a return-on-investment, or ROI, ratio was developed. Phase 2
(results announced today) replicated and then refined the original model. The
research team found that among the participants the ROI return varies
according to the goals of the institution, the funding environment of the
institution's country, and the availability of data provided by the
institution.

Dr. Tenopir and Paula Kaufman, Dean of Libraries at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, are currently leading a team on a third study
phase — a 3 year project to expand on this research to include other aspects
of ROI. This third study phase is being funded through a grant from the
Institute of Museum and Library Services ("Lib-Value," grant number
LG-06-09-0152-09).

"Return on investment in the grants process is one important and
convenient way to quantify the value of the academic library, but it
underestimates the total value of the library to the university," says Dr.
Tenopir.

This next phase of the research will look at ways to measure
the value, outcomes, and ROI for the full range of library products and
services to a variety of stakeholders. The library's contributions to
functional areas of teaching and learning, research, and socialization will
be identified and presented as a series of tools, reports, and literature
reviews which university administrators and library leaders alike will find
of value.

About the Center for Information and Communications Studies

Established in 1989 at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, the Center
for Information and Communication Studies (CICS) is the primary research arm
of the College of Communication and Information (CCI). The Center has a dual
mission. Its first mission is to maintain an active applied research program
in collaboration with private and public organizations, governmental
agencies, and corporations by providing technical solutions, educational
materials, and research expertise in the areas of information systems and
database design/evaluation, cyber security, information usage,
bioinformatics, effective communication, scientific communication, science
publishing, and information management. Its second mission is to support a
research culture within CCI by focusing on assisting CCI faculty in all four
schools of the College (Advertising/Public Relations, Communication Studies,
Information Sciences, and Journalism & Electronic Media) with their
externally funded research grant process, from inception to management.
www.cci.utk.edu/cics/

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and
medical information products and services. The company works in partnership
with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000
journals, including The Lancet (www.thelancet.com/) and Cell
(www.cell.com/), and close to 20,000 book titles,
including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online
solutions include ScienceDirect (www.sciencedirect.com/), Scopus
(www.scopus.com/home.url), Reaxys
(https://www.reaxys.com/reaxys/session.do), MD Consult
(www.mdconsult.com/php/213678814-2/homepage) and Nursing Consult
(www.nursingconsult.com/php/213678850-2/home.html), which enhance the
productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite
(www.scival.com/) and MEDai's Pinpoint Review (www.medai.com/),
which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more
cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam
(www.elsevier.com/wps/find/homepage.cws_home), Elsevier employs 7,000
people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC
(www.reedelsevier.com/Pages/Home.aspx), a world-leading publisher and
information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed
Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London
Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

    Media Contact
    Tom Reller
    Vice President, Global Corporate Relations, Elsevier
    +1-215-239-3508
    T.Reller@Elsevier.com

Media Contact, Tom Reller, Vice President, Global Corporate Relations, Elsevier,
+1-215-239-3508, T.Reller at Elsevier.com