Library Impact Data Project: looking for the link between library usage and student attainment

The Library Impact Data Project was a six month project funded by JISC and managed by the University of Huddersfield to investigate the hypothesis that: ‘There is a statistically significant correlation across a number of universities between library activity data and student attainment’. E-resources usage, library borrowing statistics and library gate entries were measured against final degree award for 33,074 undergraduate students across eight UK universities. The research successfully demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between library resource use and level of degree result; however any conclusions drawn are not indicators that library usage and student attainment have a causal relationship.