A New Paradigm for Assessing the Potential of a Digital Resource: The Paid Trial Lee A. Pedersen, Scholarly Resources Librarian, Brown University, Sasha Gurke, SVP & Co-Founder, Knovel Corporation, ASEE 2007 ELD, Poster Session June 27, 2007

Lessons Learned One month - inadequate timeframe to capture chemistry and engineering interest One semester - too long to provide free access by the vendor Compromise of paying for a trial - gamble that paid off in internal support to fund the subscription Cost of paid trial – reasonable Effort to promote - continuous

Benefits of the Collaboration Reliable data for a big investment Incentive to budget for promotion on campus $2000 invested to have time to Promote among end-users Round up a budget Collect and analyze usage data Immediate access for constituents

Summary of Usage Stats Time Period User Sessions* Secure Title Visits* Session Length* (min.) Jun 2005 (Free trial) Sep – Dec 2005 (Paid trial) 140 (19% growth) 105 (32% growth) 5 Sep – Dec 2006 (Subscription) 228 (63% growth) 149 (42% growth) 3 * Monthly average

User Sessions: 2005

User Sessions: Fall 2005 vs. 2006