Usage statistics in Action Lorraine Estelle, Director of COUNTER EIFL General Assembly 2015 THURSDAY, 12 November 2015

Why consistent, credible usage statistics are important Scenario 1 A university purchases two journal subscriptions for 2015: Journal X for £25,000 and Journal Y for £10,000 Journal X is showing 60,000 views and downloads, compared with 200 for Journal Y Journal X £25,000 / 60,000 = £0.42 per use Journal Y: £10,000 / 200 = £50 per use

Why consistent, credible usage statistics are important It is a case of trust

maintains reliable, consistent and credible usage statistics free and open standard for counting the use of electronic resources international initiative aiming to improve bibliometrics community- led initiative supported by member fees

COUNTER Reports JOURNAL REPORTS: The number of full text articles (PDF or HTML) downloaded in a specified period by journal title BOOK REPORTS: The number of books or book chapters (downloaded in in a specified by book title DATABASE REPORTS: The number of Record Views and Record Clicks users have made in a specified period in a database or databases MUTLIMEDIA REPORTS: The number of items downloaded in a specified period in a database or database - Turn-away reports – unsuccessful accesses by your users

How libraries are using COUNTER data As evidence to negotiate better deals with publishers Informing decisions about which journals and resources to subscribe If they are well used continue If they are not well used consider cancellation Informing the faculty about the value of the library and its resources Informing the faculty about the resources students use and which they don’t use

I'm excited about the JR5 because I can finally answer the questions about whether the use is coming from current issues or older ones I like turnaways where I can get them. I’ve used them to answer a query about whether or not having a limit on concurrent use for a particular resource has had an impact We take out any archive/open access usage when looking at cost per use by subtracting JR1a and JR1 GOA from the JR1 figure Let me sing the praises of the JR5 report. So helpful for deciding whether to renew subs w/perpetual access

consultation 357 Responses 30 CountriesPriorities for action! Improving the utility of COUNTER

What libraries want – top three priorities for COUNTER: More Publishers to provide COUNTER dataMore Publishers to implement SUSHIMake the definitions easier to understand SUSHI is important because it enables machine harvesting of usage data!

“Put energy and resources into vendor COUNTER compliance and complete SUSHI implementation. That you for your contribution to librarianship! “

How to know if a publisher is compliant Only publishers or vendors that pass and independent audit The audit report is sent to COUNTER for approval The publisher or vendor is listed on the COUNTER website The publisher or vendor can use the COUNTER logo

Use different languages, not only English! “If you could convince more French publishers to become Counter compliant, that would be great!” The importance of different languages

Demand for advice and guidance “Would be great if you could do some really basic guides that could be given out to decision makers in institutions who are not part of the library services or have a library background.”

Are you aware of Usus, the independent community-run website for those interested in the usage of online content?

Usus is an independent community-run website, building a community engaged in best practice. Since last year, the Usus team has resolved 21 issues and queries about COUNTER usage statistics! You can send the team your comments and questions:

Join COUNTER! Explain to publishers why COUNTER is essential Help us find sponsors for Usus in other languages Share your best practice Helping us to achieve the priorites

Thank you Lorraine Estelle, Director of COUNTER