2015 Charleston Library Conference

Traditionally, usage figures for electronic serials have lumped all years of publication together. New tools allow librarians to distinguish usage according to the year of publication. This allows us to analyze the usage of current material separately from usage of content published in prior years. The relative value of current subscriptions and backfiles has important collection development implications. For example, many libraries subscribe directly to titles that are offered in aggregated databases, but with embargoes. The relative value of current content distinguished from prior years may be useful in re-evaluating such subscription decisions.
This session will discuss tools and techniques for analyzing usage by year of publication according to several measures – including COUNTER’s JR5 report, citation analysis, Google Analytics, ILL statistics, and cost-per-use, and will discuss how librarians can use these tools to aid in decision-making about new purchases and cancellations.