Usage and impact metrics for Parliamentary libraries

Summary

Parliamentary libraries are important in supporting informed decision-making in democracies. Understanding
Members’ information needs is important, but the usage and impact of these libraries have been less explored.
A particular example of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords Library is studied, collecting and analysing data
using techniques from the field of data science. These techniques are useful in extracting information from
existing sources that may not have been designed for the purpose of data collection. A number of data sources
available at the Lords Library are outlined and an example of how these data can be used to understand Library
usage and impact is presented. Results suggest that Member usage varies significantly and that there is a small
but significant relationship between usage and making speeches in the chamber. Further work should explore
other indicators of impact, but these methods show promise in creating library metrics, particularly in
Parliamentary settings.