INTERNATIONAL COALITION OF LIBRARY CONSORTIA
(ICOLC)
REVISED GUIDELINES
FOR STATISTICAL MEASURES OF USAGE OF WEB-BASED INFORMATION RESOURCES
October 4,
2006
(Initially
released in November 1998, revised December 2001, September 2006)
With the continuing
endorsement of 83 consortia from around the world (see list page 6), this
revision reflects the ICOLC’s previous endorsement of Project COUNTER and
the ICOLC community’s new endorsement of NISO’s
Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative (SUSHI) protocol and
reliance on XML as the standard delivery format for usage statistics.
Background
The
use of licensed electronic information resources will continue to expand and in
some cases become the sole or dominant means of access to content. The electronic
environment, as manifested by the World Wide Web, provides an opportunity to
improve the measurement of the use of these resources. In the electronic arena
we can more accurately determine which information is being accessed and used.
Without violating any issues of privacy or confidentiality we can dramatically
enhance our understanding of information use.
The participating consortia
of the ICOLC have a responsibility to ensure that their library members receive
usage information for licensed electronic resources. Information providers
should want the same information to better understand the market for their
services as well as to create an informed customer base. These mutual interests
can be best met by defining and creating a common set of basic use information
requirements that are an integral and necessary part of any electronic product
offering. These requirements apply to vendor operated web sites and to software
provided to libraries or consortia for local operation. Information providers are
encouraged to go beyond these minimal requirements as appropriate for their
specific electronic resources.
The ICOLC Guidelines for
Statistical Measures are designed to provide consortia administrators with the
information needed to effectively carry out their responsibilities and to
provide vendors a practical framework in which to deliver usage statistics in
the current environment. The 2001 revision simplified the data elements to be
reported and also strengthened the administrative aspects of confidentiality,
access, delivery, and report formats.
Additionally
in March 2003 ICOLC issued a Statement Of Support For Project COUNTER (Counting
Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources). It said:
ICOLC expresses its appreciation to Project COUNTER
for the significant progress it made with its Code of Practice (Release 1)
toward the development of "credible, compatible, consistent
publisher/vendor-related statistics for global information." As an independent organization, ICOLC has no
position on the specific solutions that have been developed to date. However, Project Counter's efforts thus far
are in alignment with the intent of the ICOLC "Guidelines For Statistical
Measures Of Usage Of Web-Based Information Resources." We heartily support the process and
initiatives that Project Counter is undertaking to standardize and make
operational statistical measures of usage of web-based information resources
for use within the library and information community. ICOLC looks forward to work with Project Counter
to continue to advance these important goals.
1. MINIMUM
REQUIREMENTS
- Each data
element defined below should be delineated by the following subdivisions:
- By each
specific database of the provider
- By each set
of institutional IP addresses or other special data element (e.g., account
number), using the institutional name as specified by the institution or
consortium.
- By overall
consortium, aggregated at the consortium level
- By time
period, with a month as the primary coverage unit, aggregated annually as
appropriate. Vendor should also provide summary usage data by hour of the
day. Dynamic aggregation of multiple months or other time periods should
be possible, with no limitation to preset annual or other collective
periods pre-determined by the vendor.
Data
elements that must be provided are:
- Number of Sessions (logins)
must be provided in order to satisfy reporting requirements of government
agencies and professional organizations. ICOLC recognizes that the
definition, collection, and reporting of this measure are subject to
interpretation. In the stateless web environment, statistics gathered as
"sessions" can provide only a rough indication of the number of
actual sessions conducted, thus limiting the overall meaningfulness of
this particular indicator.
- Number of Queries (Searches)
categorized as appropriate for the vendor’s information. A search is
intended to represent a unique intellectual inquiry. Typically a search is
recorded each time a search form is sent/submitted to the server.
Subsequent activities to review or browse among the records retrieved or
the process of isolating the correct single item desired do not represent
additional searches, unless the parameter(s) defining the retrieval set is
modified through resubmission of the search form, a combination of
previous search sets, or some other similar technique. Immediately
repeated duplicate searches, double clicks, or other evidence indicating
unintended user behavior should not be counted.
- Number of Menu Selections categorized
as appropriate for the vendor’s system. If display of data can be
accomplished by browsing (the use of menus), this measure must be
provided. (e.g. an electronic journal site provides alphabetic and
subject-based menu options in addition to a search form). The number of
searches and the number of alphabetic and subject menu selections should
be tracked.
- Number of Full-Content Units examined,
downloaded, or otherwise supplied to user, to the extent these are
recordable and controlled by the server rather than the browser.
- Journal
articles – by journal title with ISSN and title listed
- E-Books –
by book title with ISBN and title listed
- Reference
materials – by content unit appropriate to resource (e.g. dictionary
definitions, encyclopedia articles, biographies, etc.)
- Non-textual
resources – by file type as appropriate to resource (e.g. image, audio,
video, etc.)
·
Number of Turn-Aways, peak simultaneous users, and any other
indicator
relevant to the pricing model applied to the library or
consortium.
2. PRIVACY AND
USER CONFIDENTIALITY: Statistical reports or data that reveal personal information
about individual users will not be released or sold by vendors without the
permission of that individual user, the consortium, and its member libraries.
3. INSTITUTIONAL
OR CONSORTIA CONFIDENTIALITY: Providers do not have the right to
release or sell statistical usage information about specific institutions or
the consortium without permission, except to the consortium administrators and
other member libraries. Use of institutional or consortium data as part of an
aggregate grouping of similar institutions for purposes of comparison does not
require prior permission as long as specific institutions or consortia are not
identifiable. When required by contractual agreements, information providers
may furnish institutional use data to the content providers.
4. ACCESS: Consortium
administrators must have access through a single access method to usage
information for each institution covered by the consortium license. Usage data
for all consortium member libraries should be available to all other member
libraries, unless an individual member library requests that its usage data not
be made available to other member libraries. In the latter case, all usage data
must be reported in the consortium summaries.
Access
to usage information should be entirely separate from access to administrative
functions such as default settings, display options, and time out limits.
Access to institutional usage data should be controlled via either IP address
or password, at the option of the individual institution.
5. DELIVERY: Usage reports
must be delivered via an interactive web-based reporting system preferably on a
real time basis, but at least within 15 days after the end of the month. Report
content should be customizable, as specified in the Requirements section. Information
providers are also encouraged to present data as graphs and charts. Vendors should maintain a minimum of three
years of historical data. These data also should be available in flat files
containing specified data elements that can be downloaded and manipulated
locally. The preferred format is XML through the web services protocol
described in the documents available from the NISO Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative
(SUSHI) <http://www.niso.org/committees/SUSHI/SUSHI_comm.html>.
6. DEFINITIONS: Definitions and
/ or other explanatory material must be provided for each data element
supplied.
7. REPORT FORMATS: (see next page)
Sample summary formats for a consortium, an individual library, and titles are
provided. These are intended as illustrative of possible presentations of
minimum data requirements. They do not illustrate all aspects of these
guidelines. Vendors are encouraged to provide additional data pertinent to
their individual products and services.
Sample Report
Formats
These
report formats are intended as illustrative of possible presentations of
minimum data requirements. They do not illustrate all aspects of these
guidelines. Vendors are encouraged to provide additional data pertinent to
their individual products and services.
Adopters of This Statement
This statement
was adopted in principle by member representatives of the "International
Coalition of Library Consortia" (ICOLC) whose institutions are listed
below. This statement does not necessarily represent the official views of each
consortium listed.
Consortia
whose member representatives have adopted this statement as of July 25, 2007:
Academic Libraries of
Indiana (ALI) (
The
ALICE (Adventist Libraries Information Cooperative) (International)
Amigos Library Services (
ANKOS (Anatolian
University Library Consortium) (Turkey)
ASERL (USA)
Association of National University Libraries (ANUL) (Japan)
AULC (Arizona Universities Library Consortium) (USA)
ARKLink (USA)
Bibliographical Center for Research (BCR) (USA and Canada)
BIBSAM Sweden: Consortium of Research Libraries (Sweden)
British Columbia Electronic Library Network (Canada)
California Digital Library (USA)
California State University - SEIR (Systemwide Electronic Information
Resources) (USA)
Canadian Research Knowledge Network
Cape Library
Consortium (CALICO) (South Africa)
CAUL (Council of Australian University Librarians) (Australia)
CBUC-Consorci de Biblioteques Universitŕries de Catalunya / Consortium of
Academic Libraries of Catalonia (Spain)
Chesapeake Information & Research Library Alliance (CIRLA) (USA)
CIC Center for Library Initiatives (USA)
College Center for Library Automation (CCLA) (USA)
Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries (CARL) (USA)
Colorado State Library (USA)
Cooperating Libraries
in Consortium (
Coordinamento
Interuniversitario Basi dati & Editoria in Rete (CIBER) (
Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI)
Council of Atlantic
University Libraries (Canada)
Council of Federal Libraries Consortium (Canada)
Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries (COPPUL) (Canada)
COUPERIN (consortium universitaire de publications numériques)
Consortium universitaire des publications numériques (COUPERIN)
CREPUQ (Sub-Committee on Libraries of the Conference of Rectors and Principals
of Universities of Quebec) (Canada)
Danish Electronic Research Library (DEFL) (Denmark)
FCCN / Biblioteca do Conhecimento Online (b-on) (Portugal)
Fenway Library Consortium (USA)
FinELib (Finland)
Florida Center for Library Automation (USA)
GALILEO (USA)
Greater Western Library Alliance (USA)
HEAL-Link (HEllenic Academic Libraries Link) (Greece)
INCOLSA (USA)
JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) (United Kingdom)
Kentucky Virtual Library (USA)
KLN (Keystone Library Network) (USA)
LOUIS (The Louisiana Library Network) (USA)
Maine Info Net Consortium (USA)
MALMAD - Israel Center for Digital Information Services (Israel)
Michigan Library Consortium (USA)
MINITEX Library Information Network (USA)
MOBIUS:Linking Missouri's Academic Libraries (USA)
NC LIVE (North Carolina Libraries for Virtual Education) (USA)
NEFLIN (USA)
NELINET, Inc (USA)
NEOS Library Consortium (Canada)
NERL (NorthEast Research Libraries Consortium) (USA)
Network of Alabama Academic Libraries (USA)
Nevada Council of Academic Libraries (USA)
New England Law Library Consortium (NELLCO) (USA)
Novanet (Canada)
NYLINK (USA)
OhioLINK (USA)
Ontario Colleges Bibliocentre (USA)
Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) (Canada)
Orbis-Cascade (USA)
PALINET (USA)
Pioneer, Utah's Online Library (USA)
PALCI (USA)
QULOC (Queensland University Libraries Office of Cooperation) (Australia)
RBT, Norway: National Office for Research Documentation, Academic and Special
Libraries (Norway)
SCELC (USA)
SCONUL (Society of College, National & University Libraries) (United
Kingdom and Ireland)
SOLINET (Southeastern Library Network) (USA)
Southeastern Wisconsin Information Technology Exchange (SWITCH) (USA)
SUNYConnect (USA)
TENN-SHARE (
TexShare (
Triangle Research Libraries Network (
UKB (Dutch Association of University Libraries, Royal Library and Library of
the
Virtual Academic Library Environment in NJ (VALE) (
VIVA (The Virtual Library of
VOWB (Vlaams
Overlegorgaan Wetenschappelijk bibliotheekwerk vzw) (
Washington Cooperative Library Project (USA)
WiLS (Wisconsin Library Services) (
WRLC (Washington Research Library Consortium) (
About the International Coalition of
Library Consortia (ICOLC)
The International Coalition
of Library Consortia (ICOLC) has been in existence since 1996. The Coalition is an international, informal
group currently comprising approximately 200 library consortia in North and
South America, Europe,
More information
about ICOLC can be found at http://www.library.yale.edu/consortia
or contact Tom Sanville, Executive
Director, OhioLINK,
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE
GUIDELINES, PLEASE CONTACT:
Kathy Perry, Director, VIVA (The Virtual Library of Virginia), MSC 2FL, c/o