Re: Usage Statistics

["Monica Hammes" <hammes@acinfo.up.ac.za>]

Statistics can also be used in the following two settings:

1. To diagnose and solve problems which specific users may encounter and
not report.

2. To sharpen the focus of the library's marketing and promotion of the
product.  One thing that has become clear to me, is that these products do
not always sell themselves as naturally as we librarians expect, resulting
in a rather expensive just-in-case collection. If we went through the
correct motions to select a product in line with the information needs of
our clients, we need to make sure that they are brought together.

Users and user groups who are not using the product or are not using it
optimally can be targeted and a marketing plan can be developed to get a
better return on the investment.

Thus people in marketing/client services should have access to the
statistics at least once a month.

Monica Hammes 

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Academic Information Service
University of Pretoria
Pretoria
South Africa
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From:           	Kimberly Parker <kimberly.parker@yale.edu>
To:             	liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Subject:        	Re: Usage Statistics
Date sent:      	Thu, 27 Aug 1998 19:06:05 EDT
Send reply to:  	liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu

>1. Who within your organisation would be interested in usage statistics
>and what are their roles within your organisation?

The library administration (decision making about how fast to move into
electronic resources/trying to gauge the balance of use between print and
e-materials), the selectors (either arguing for more funding, or deciding
to cancel a print or an electronic resource), and the
reference/instruction staff (assessing which resources need more of their
time, need better guides, which should be highlighted more frequently,
etc., etc.)

>2. Would librarians want to control who has access to this information? -
>and how often would update your records in terms of the individuals who
>have access? 

I think there might be some institutions uncomfortable with other
institutions seeing their use patterns.  There might be some library staff
uncomfortable with patrons or institution administrative staff seeing use
statistics without proper settings or commentary.  For those wanting the
most restricted access, it might be possible to get them to agree to only
changing the access passwords to the stats every 6 months or yearly.
Better would be to allow a "master" person at each institution to
change/add accounts that can see the statistics.  That way it's the
institution's bother.

>3. How often would you like to receive them?

Preferably monthly, but quarterly or every 6 months is acceptable.  

All of the above are statements of my own opinion, and aren't necessarily
those of my employer...

There is a document that was created by the Web Statistics Task Force (a
national group that grew out of a JSTOR users meeting), which while still
undergoing some revisions, should be useful.  It currently resides at:
http://www.library.yale.edu/~kparker/WebStats.html

-------------------------------------------------------------
Kimberly Parker
Electronic Publishing and Collections Librarian
Yale University Library
130 Wall Street              Voice (203) 432-0067
P.O. Box 208240              Fax (203) 432-8527
New Haven, CT  06520-8240    mailto:kimberly.parker@yale.edu
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