Abstract
For many years, libraries and publishers have been working with and using usage statistics as core metrics in decision making. Items that have low use are often relegated or discarded and cost-per-use data are frequently used in serials renewals decision making. Usage data on their own, however, give libraries and publishers very little insight into how content is being used or how much it is being looked at. In spite of the huge amount of data that are now available to libraries, it feels as if little progress has been made in developing metrics that may give an indication of how resources are being used and the extent to which library users value the resources provided. These perceived shortcomings in conventional usage data led Nottingham Trent University and Alexander Street to partner in piloting an in-depth view of analytics, demonstrating user engagement and impact of use. This paper shares findings on how e-resources were used, how these analytics can go beyond simple cost-per-use evaluation to support effective decision making on the marketing and promotion of resources, and how they can improve our understanding of how library users are engaging with the resources we provide.
Highlights
Like other academic libraries, Nottingham Trent University (NTU) Libraries and Learning Resources (LLR) has been using COUNTER-compliant usage statistics for many years to help inform and underpin decision making
The Your Books More Books (YBMB) service had two strands: one strand offered an expedited inter-library loan (ILL) service, satisfying requests for items not held in the library by using the quickest and easiest supply route, and the second strand saw the launch of five evidence-based acquisitions (EBA) plans aimed at increasing the number of e-books available to users in the hope this would satisfy some of their information needs and help to prevent the ILL service from being overstretched
The five EBA plans enabled LLR to make an additional 60,000 e-books available, and, at the end of each EBA plan, the usage statistics showed that each one had been used differently, with the initially deposited funds performing in widely different ways
Summary
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) Libraries and Learning Resources (LLR) has been using COUNTER-compliant usage statistics for many years to help inform and underpin decision making They have been the core metrics driving electronic serials and database renewal decisions; have provided evidence to support cancellation decisions; have triggered acquisitions when presented in the form of turnaway and access denial statistics, and are an everyday part of managing electronic resources. The evidence to support this decision making is usually supplied in the form of usage reports, indicating which titles have been the most used within the institution during the trial period These plans proved very popular with NTU customers but created significant challenges for LLR in analysing and understanding the data from different publisher plans. They led to increased interest in other metrics which might provide greater insight into how much customers were engaging with the content provided by the library
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