Establishing Standards for Usage Statistics COUNTER: an international initiative Peter Shepherd Project Director COUNTER

Overview zLibraries need online usage statistics zPublishers need online usage statistics zSTM Publishing is global zHow can we move from usage statistics Babel to a common core of statistics we can trust and compare?

Publishers need usage statistics zTo support library efforts to procure funding* zTo demonstrate that reduced usage of print issues has been compensated for by increased online usage zTo assess the relative importance of the various routes via which information reaches its market* zTo experiment with new pricing models zTo provide editorial policy support zTo obtain improved market analysis/demographics* zTo inform authors where and how articles are used* zTo improve site design and navigation* zTo plan infrastructure, eg mirror sites/caches*

Online usage statistics need to be……. zCredible zConsistent zCompatible

zLibraries access their licensed content through multiple services zPublishers deliver their content via multiple channels z So in measuring usage they both need to compare… with Compatibility

zLack of standards now means they currently are comparing… with Compatibility

zWe conclude that it is largely impossible to compare data across vendors, and we recommend that comparison be limited to data from the same vendors We believe that the comprehensive standardisation of usage statistics and data delivery methods cannot be easily achieved in the short term ARL E-Metrics Phase II Report, Oct 2001

So how do we get there in the medium term? zICOLC Guidelines for statistical measures of usage of web-based information resources zARL E-metrics project zNational Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) Electronic access and use related measures zNISO – revision of of Z39.7 (Library Statistics) zISO – revision of 2789 (library statistics) and (library performance measures) zCowhig proposal for auditing usage data zPALS usage statistics working group

Collaboration zTo get credible, consistent, compatible usage statistics, we need ONE internationally accepted code zA selection of several codes is not a practical alternative zTo move forward effectively, we need a new multi-agency, international project that builds on work done already

... the answer is…...

COUNTER - supported by… zAAP, Association of American Publishers zALPSP, The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers zARL, Association of Research Libraries zASA, Association of Subscription Agents and Intermediaries zEDItEUR zJISC, Joint Information Systems Committee zNCLIS, National Commission on Libraries and Information Science zNISO, National Information Standards Organization zPA, The Publishers Association zSTM, International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers zUKSG, United Kingdom Serials Group

Dedicated resource zVolunteer effort alone can provide us with the relevant expertise and skills zBut it wont deliver our goals in an acceptable time zOn 5 March 2002, COUNTER announced the appointment of Peter Shepherd as a dedicated Project Director

International Steering Group zChair: Richard Gedye, Oxford University Press z30 members zEurope: xPA, ASA, ALPSP, JISC, STM, UKSG, Blackwell Publishing, British Library, Elsevier, OUP zUSA xAAP, ACS, ARL, NCLIS, NFAIS, NISO, EBSCO Publishing, Wiley

Our brief zTo develop a code of practice giving guidance on:- yData elements to measure yDefinitions of these data elements yAccurate, complete, and consistent measurement of user activity yReport formats, frequency and granularity yReport delivery methods

Progress Report - 1 zReviewed existing projects and established dialogues zOrganised an international vendor forum to:- yAssess the degree of concern and commitment yCatalogue areas of agreement yFlush out areas of complexity and differences in practice yIdentify unresolved issues needing further work

Progress Report - 2 zInternational task forces established to address:- yGateways and hosts yAuthentication yMarket elements yData model yData processing yTypes of reports

Progress Report - 3 zThree levels of compliance envisaged y* (Minimum), ** (Intermediate), *** (Highest) zE.g. Page view data elements to collect yPublisher name * yReferring gateway service ** yProduct name * yJournal title* yArticle identifier* yPrint ISSN * yOnline ISSN **

Timeline zMarch 2002 yProject Director appointed yMulti-agency steering group formed zJune 2002 yDraft code of practice completed and circulated to Steering Group and selected reviewers in vendor and library world zNovember 2002 yRelease 1 of the code published and available for use

Timeline and beyond A programme of:- zPromotion zMonitoring zRevision and development

Vital factors for a successful implementation and uptake zStart small, test often….develop a modest core Code and build out incrementally zBuild continuous development capability into the support structure zPool our collective wisdom and work together zCompatibility is vital zOne Code - parallel codes will attract minimal buy-in

COUNTER is important to publishers zLex Lefebvre, Secretary General of STM, has commented: STM welcomes, and is pleased to fully support and actively participate in COUNTER. STM sees this project as an excellent opportunity for both librarians and publishers to jointly develop an International Code of Practice on usage statistics that will be useful for both vendors and purchasers of online information products

For more information…….. zVisit the site and join the USAGE listserv to be kept up to date with further developments.