eJournal interface can influence usage statistics: implications for libraries, publishers, and Project COUNTER

The design of a publisher's electronic interface can have a measurable effect on electronic journal usage statistics. A study of journal usage from six COUNTER-compliant publishers at thirty-two research institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom and Sweden indicates that the ratio of PDF to HTML views is not consistent across publisher interfaces, even after controlling for differences in publisher content. The number of fulltext downloads may be artificially inflated when publishers require users to view HTML versions before accessing PDF versions or when linking mechanisms, such as CrossRef, direct users to the full text, rather than the abstract, of each article. These results suggest that usage reports from COUNTER-compliant publishers are not directly comparable in their current form. One solution may be to modify publisher numbers with adjustment factors deemed to be representative of the benefit or disadvantage due to its interface. Standardization of some interface and linking protocols may obviate these differences and allow for more accurate cross-publisher comparisons.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures. JASIST (in press, 2006

Creating and Using an Access Database to Enhance Subject Analysis and Obtain Faculty Input About the Journals Collection

Using Microsoft Access, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library developed a database for all of its title-level journal holdings to assess and enhance its journal collection

Using Traditional Methodologies and Electronic Usage Statistics as Indicators to Assess Campus-wide Journal Needs: Contexts, Trade-offs, and Processes

Building upon what has been learned from earlier collection evaluation studies, this paper provides a contextual basis for evaluation studies in research institutions and discusses the most relevant methodologies typically employed in collection studies as well as a discussion regarding the trade-offs involved while making choices. The goal is to provide a methodology to achieve a broad-based understanding of campus-wide journal needs at a research university rather than the standard focus on just the specific unit or user population that corresponds to a particular subject. Throughout this paper, the Kenan Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the journal collection that supports its faculty and students will be used as an example. When available, the purposed methodology will rely on publisher provided and locally collected electronic journal usage statistics to obtain a comprehensive statistical measure of need by the entire campus population served rather than relying on partial measurements or sampling. In conjunction with global citation data obtained through Journal Citation Reports, when put into practice, the results should provide a library with the information needed to cancel journals that were less relevant or have lower cost/benefit value. As a result, funds may be released to add more relevant titles, while simultaneously identifying needed periodicals not offered locally

Conducting a Journal Assessment Project Using Microsoft Access to Obtain Faculty Input and Promote the Creation of a Cost-Effective Journal Collection

Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library created a database using Microsoft Access to execute a value assessment project of its online and print journal collection. This poster presentation summarizes the process of creating a cost-effective journal collection

Transfer From Print to Electronic Serials

Comparing the average cost per download for electronic journal packages to the average Interlibrary Loan cost can be both grossly inaccurate and wildly misleading. If forces one to accept the following assumptions: 1) aggregate online use can be compared with print use, 2) all journals cost the same and are used the same, and 3) the set of journals requested by Interlibrary Loan are similar to the set of journals subscribed by a library. This letter to the editor refutes each of these assumptions

Skyrockets 24/7: A Response to Flat Budgets, Skyrocketing Serials Costs, and Patron Pressure for Increased Access to Electronic Journals

This poster represents the culmination of a year’s work by the Journals@Himmelfarb committee. This intra-library committee was formed to discuss the critical issues surrounding transitioning print journal subscriptions to electronic access only. In response to these discussions, collection development policies were created to reflect both print and electronic resources, a model electronic license was created, and faculty department heads were surveyed as to the usefulness and format preference for titles in their subject area. This resulted in improved understanding of the existing collection and assisted in developing the first steps for migrating from a print to an electronic collection

The Value of Standards for Teaching, Research, and Facilities Use at Princeton and Purdue

This PowerPoint presentation was delivered as part of the 2019 ASME Library Advisory Board Annual Meeting