Cracking the Books: Library Data and Learning Analytics

Our new reality has shown us the necessity of connection—particularly interoperability and integration among campus systems. One example of an isolated resource area is the library. Students require library services and resources to achieve curricular and co-curricular learning, yet library systems are generally not integrated into institutional learning analytics ecosystems. How can library systems be incorporated more seamlessly into the institutional digital ecosystem? How can library data be incorporated into learning analytics in sustainable, scalable ways that adhere to best practices on student data privacy? Major challenges for campus integration of library systems include the complexity of the silos within library systems, the technical disconnect between the library and the rest of the institution, and the need to safeguard the privacy of student library data. These challenges may now be easier to crack, given the development of a new library profile for the Caliper Analytics interoperability standard.