Measuring the impact of special collections and archives in the digital age: opportunities and challenges

Research libraries are faced with a pressing demand to assess the value of their services and evidence their impact. In order to develop a better understanding of how research libraries respond to this demand, the authors collected and analysed case-study and survey data from across the RLUK membership. The authors present some of the key findings, showing the pathways to impact, and reflect on the opportunities and challenges that the digital era presents for increasing and measuring this impact.