----------(1)
>From dgoodman@Princeton.EDU Fri Aug 11 12:39:35 2000
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 17:09:30 -0400
From: David Goodman <dgoodman@Princeton.EDU>
Subject: Re: Electronic journals usage statistics (Priscilla A. Crane)

As a start, you will need to monitor all traffic from all your ip
addresses, since the users can and will frequently or even usually access
the journals without going through your server. (And if users can access
the journals from off-site, even that will not work.)

There is no reason to suspect any relationship between surveys of
electronic journal use and actual electronic journal use. In my
experience, users respond to all library use surveys by saying what they
think they are supposed to be using, not what they actually use.

The only practical method is to insist on statistics from the vendors. How
to accomplish this is another matter--even if it's required in the
contract they will not always be forthcoming.

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 15:18:27 -0400
> From: Priscilla A Crane <pcrane@WAM.UMD.EDU>
> Subject: Electronic journals usage statistics
>
> Hello,
>         I am a graduate student at the University of Maryland. I am
> researching methods that libraries are currently using to acquire usage
> statistics on electronic journals when none are being provided by the
> vendor. The library I am working with offers over 400 titles and would
> naturally like to know how they are being used. They are a federal library
> serving the on site scientific community. The journals can be accessed by
> any of the hundreds of computers that are on site. I am particularly
> interested in finding out more about software that could discriminately log
> the access through the server, but am also interested in the use of
> surveys - electronic and otherwise.
>         I would appreciate any input about methods that you are aware of
> and any leads that may guide me to more information.
>
> Thank you,
> Priscilla Crane
> University of Maryland
> College of Information Studies

--
David Goodman
Biology Librarian, and
Co-Chair, Electronic Journals Task Force
Princeton University Library
dgoodman@princeton.edu         http://www.princeton.edu/~biolib/
phone: 609-258-3235            fax: 609-258-2627

----------(2)
>From srais@LLU.EDU Fri Aug 11 12:39:35 2000
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 16:37:45 -0700
From: Shirley Rais <srais@LLU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Electronic journals usage statistics (Priscilla A. Crane)

Please summarize your responses to the list or I would like to know what
you discover--this is an interesting and timely research process.

Thanks, Shirley Rais

----------(3)
>From paul-soderdahl@UIOWA.EDU Fri Aug 11 12:39:35 2000
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 08:43:16 -0500
From: Paul Soderdahl <paul-soderdahl@UIOWA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Fwd: Electronic journals usage statistics (Priscilla A. Crane)

We try to have a very crude approximation of getting this usage data.

We've set up a persistent URL (PURL) server, where we assign an arbitrary
local URL to every electronic resource we license.  A user who goes our
PURL server is automatically / instantly redirected to the remote site.
At the time of the redirection, an entry is created in our PURL log file.
Then we only advertise the PURL address to our users -- the PURL is what
always appears in our OPAC, our database of databases gateway, and any
links to electronic journals.

This only logs one hit when the bounce from our PURL server to the remote
resource, but cannot track their activity on the remote resource any
further.  It also only catches people who come in through our front doors;
anyone who bookmarks the site will get there directly without our
knowledge.

For us, the PURL server has other advantages too, and was primarily
created in order to complement our proxy server as a way to "self-market"
the proxy server.

Paul A. Soderdahl
Coordinator, Information Systems and Technology
Acting Team Leader, Information Arcade
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City, Iowa 52242 USA

e-mail: paul-soderdahl@uiowa.edu
phone: 319.335.5963
fax: 319.335.5900
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