Hi,

One of the issues here seems to be inconsistencies in the way different services are recording usage. Some services seem to only show our subscribed usage e.g. NPG whereas others seem to show all usage including non-subscribed usage that may include trials, free issues, free backfiles etc. However, there are some services where one doesn't see the usage of e.g. free backfiles unless one has a subscription to those resources.

Whilst it maybe relatively easy to identify/isolate such non-subscribed usage for  "small/medium" publishers it is not as easy to isolate this data from "big deal" publishers.

Whilst I take Matthew's point that it offers a useful window on possible new subscriptions I would prefer that this usage didn't dirty the usage I am primarily interested in especially when different services have different interpretations of what usage should appear in a COUNTER report.

I'd be interested to know how services such as 360 COUNTER deal with this non-subscribed usage.

Cheers
Lesley


Lesley Crawshaw
Knowledge &  Business Intelligence Consultant
Information Hertfordshire
University of Hertfordshire
Tel: 01707 285508

Joint List Owner: [log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dyer, Renata
Sent: 04 September 2009 00:40
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [lib-stats] RE: Usage stats for non subscribed-to services [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Hi Sarah,
We just recently discovered that Palgrave recorded our subscription to one of their publications online against another account in their system. I am assuming that this other client would subsequently get our subscription included in their usage stats.

This has been rectified now but it took a while to get diagnosed.

The subscriptions was done through EBSCO and I am not sure what went wrong but I thought I'll share this particular scenario with you as one way to interpret incorrect usage report coverage.

Cheers,
Renata Dyer
Systems Librarian
Information Services - Treasury
Langton Cres, Parkes, ACT, Australia
ph: +61 2 62632736
e: [log in to unmask]


-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Taylor, Sarah
Sent: Thursday, 3 September 2009 11:35 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [lib-stats] Usage stats for non subscribed-to services


Hi all,

Apologies for may seem like a really odd question, but I've been
noticing a few strange things in some of our usage stats reports and
wondered if anyone had any words of wisdom!

Sometimes, when I request a report from a provider from whom we have a
number of services, I seem to have usage stats for services that we
don't actually pay for, nor do we think we have any access. I queried
this with Ebsco once, who wondered if we'd had a trial to something (a
sensible explanation), but we hadn't to the products in question. I
suppose there's really a whole other issue here of getting access to
things we should be paying for but haven't, but I did wonder if anyone
else had found this, and if so, do you do anything with the information?
Could it inform future decisions?

Like I said, a strange one, but all thoughts greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

Best wishes,

Sarah



Sarah Taylor
Electronic Resources Librarian
Library
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton
BL3 5AB

01204 903099
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