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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe bibliometrics as an emergent field for academic libraries. There is a constant need to adapt to the ongoing changes and new demands of today's information environment, and the increasing importance of bibliometrics certainly presents a great opportunity for librarians to broaden their horizon.Design/methodology/approachThe ideas outlined here are based on supporting information derived from literature and on practical experience gained at the Vienna University Library, Austria. A rationale is given why libraries should provide bibliometric services followed by a short overview of how the Bibliometrics Department in Vienna came into being. The focus of the paper is set on a detailed description of its practices and activities.FindingsBibliometrics is ideal for librarians to develop and provide innovative services for both academic and administrative university staff. In doing so they make sure to actively participate in the development of new strategies and in fostering innovation. Peer‐review is increasingly complemented by quantitative methods like bibliometrics, and librarians are predestined to fill this role and strengthen their on‐campus position. Furthermore bibliometrics is an emerging field in “Information Science”, thus librarians should make use of their experiences gained from bibliometric services provided or projects engaged in and disseminate their findings in the scientific community.Practical implicationsThe case study of the Bibliometrics Department in Vienna can be useful for other academic libraries who wish to become more engaged in this field or even plan to implement according services.Originality/valueThis is an original paper, which has been presented at the QQML 2011 in Athens. It provides useful information on how an academic library can adopt bibliometrics as a core role.

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This paper shows how bibliometric assessment can be implemented at individual level. This has been successfully done at the University of Vienna carried out by the Department for Bibliometrics and Publication Strategies of the Vienna University Library. According to the department's philosophy, bibliometrics is not only a helpful evaluation instrument in order to comManuscript received on 22-10-2016 Accepted on 28-10-2016 Juan Gorraiz, Martin Wieland and Christian Gumpenberger 902 El profesional de la información, 2016, noviembre-diciembre, v. 25, n. 6. eISSN: 1699-2407 plement the peer review system. It is also meant as a compass for researchers in the 'publish or perish' dilemma in order to increase general visibility and to optimize publication strategies. The individual assessment comprises of an interview with the researcher under evaluation, the elaboration of a bibliometric report of the researcher's publication output, the discussion and validation of the obtained results with the researcher under evaluation as well as further optional analyses. The produced bibliometric reports are provided to the researchers themselves and inform them about the quantitative aspects of their research output. They also serve as a basis for further discussion concerning their publication strategies. These reports are eventually intended for informed peer review practices, and are therefore forwarded to the quality assurance and the Rector's office and finally sent to the peers. The most important feature of the generated bibliometric report is its multidimensional and individual character. It relies on a variety of basic indicators and further control parameters in order to foster comprehensibility. Researchers, administrative staff and peers alike have confirmed the usefulness of this bibliometric approach. An increasing demand is noticeable. In total, 33 bibliometric reports have been delivered so far. Moreover, similar reports have also been produced for the bibliometric assessment of two faculties with great success. KeywordsIndividual bibliometric assessment; Publication strategies; Citation analysis; Individual evaluation; Bibliometrics. ResumenSe muestra cómo se puede implementar la evaluación bibliométrica a nivel individual, lo que se ha hecho con éxito en la Universidad de Viena, a cargo del Departamento Bibliometría y Estrategias de Publicación de la Biblioteca. De acuerdo con la filosofía del Departamento, la bibliometría no es más que un instrumento de evaluación útil con el fin de complementar el sistema de revisión por pares. También se entiende como una brújula para los investigadores en el dilema "publicar o perecer" con el fin de aumentar su visibilidad y para optimizar las estrategias de publicación. La evaluación individual se compone de una entrevista con el investigador evaluado, de la elaboración de un informe bibliométrico de las publicaciones del investigador, de una reunión y de una validación de los resultados obtenidos con el investigador, así como análisis adicionales opcionales. El...