COUNTER: current status and advice to users]

[Liblicense-L Listowner <liblicen@pantheon.yale.edu>]

Of possible interest, further to recent postings on this list. 
Ann Okerson

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Peter Shepherd <pt_shepherd@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: USAGE@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2007 09:29:11 +0000
Subject: COUNTER: current status and advice to users

*COUNTER: current status and advice to users

There have been several exchanges on various aspects of COUNTER 
in this and other discussion groups in recent weeks. It is clear 
from some of these exchanges that there are some 
misunderstandings about where COUNTER is and where we are going; 
I thought it would, therefore, be timely to provide a definitive 
statement here.

*COUNTER: current status*

There are currently two COUNTER Codes of Practice, one covering 
Journals and Databases (Release 2), the other covering Books and 
Reference Works (Release 1). The full text of both Codes of 
Practice is available, together with other supporting 
information, on the COUNTER website 
(www.projectCounter.org<http://www.projectcounter.org/>).

*Journals and Databases (Release 2):* there are currently 57 
vendors/products compliant with this Code of Practice, including 
most of the major journal publishers and aggregators; the number 
of compliant vendors continues to expand steadily.

*Books and Reference Works (Release 1)*: since it was published 
in March 2006, 3 vendors have become compliant with this Code of 
Practice. Implementation by vendors has been slower for several 
reasons, the most important of which is the fact that demand from 
librarians for COUNTER compliant usage statistics is, as yet, 
much less strong for books than it is for journals. This is, 
however, beginning to change as both supply of and demand for 
e-books is starting to accelerate, and we expect a rapid 
expansion in the number of vendors compliant with this Code of 
Practice in 2007.

We are aware that the assimilation and management of COUNTER 
usage reports can present a challenge to librarians; the volume 
of data can be large and few libraries have dedicated usage 
statistics specialists. For this reason COUNTER actively 
participates in projects such as SUSHI, whose objective is to 
develop tools that greatly facilitate the management of the 
COUNTER usage statistics by automating much of the process. We 
have also worked with UKSG to organize a series of hands-on 
workshops that train librarians on the management and 
interpretation of the COUNTER usage reports. During 2007 it is 
planned to extend this series to the USA, where suitable venues 
are being sought. We are also exploring the development of 
webinar-based training.

We are keen to encourage as many vendors as possible to become 
COUNTER compliant and are happy to advise on how to go about 
this. Librarians and library consortium managers can also play a 
very useful role here, by requiring vendors to provide them with 
COUNTER compliant usage statistics for the online journals, 
databases, books and reference works that they licence. In our 
view, if publishers have the capability to deliver online 
products, they should also be able to provide COUNTER compliant 
usage statistics for those products. If they do not have the 
capability to develop the COUNTER reports themselves there are a 
growing number of suppliers who can do it for them.

*Advice to vendors*

1.  All of the information required for COUNTER compliance is 
contained in the Codes of Practice that are freely available on 
the COUNTER website. If any vendor has questions not answered in 
these documents they should contact the COUNTER office directly 
(*pshepherd@projectCounter.org*); we are always happy to answer 
questions and provide guidance.

2.  For those vendors who do not themselves have the resources to 
generate COUNTER compliant usage statistics, there are a number 
of suppliers, listed in the Register of Compliant Vendors on the 
COUNTER website, who can provide this service.

3.  A number of vendors that were compliant with Release 1 (now 
superseded by Release 2) of the Code of Practice for Journals and 
Databases are not yet compliant with Release 2. The modifications 
made for Release 2 were not major and several were designed to 
make the requirements for vendor compliance clearer and therefore 
easier. The main changes from Release 1 to Release 2 are itemized 
in the *Introduction to Release 2*, available on the Code of 
Practice page on the COUNTER website. Again, we are happy to 
advise those vendors who have queries about this.

*Advice to librarians and library consortium managers*

1.  There have recently been several instances of vendors 
claiming to be COUNTER compliant when they are not. There is no 
room for ambiguity here. *Only those vendors listed in the 
Registers of Vendors on the Compliant Vendors page of the COUNTER 
website are COUNTER compliant.* Any instances of non-compliant 
vendors claiming compliance should be reported to the COUNTER 
office at (pshepherd@projectCounter.org ) and appropriate action 
will be taken.

2.  While COUNTER actively encourages vendors of online products 
to become COUNTER compliant, it is also very helpful if 
librarians and consortium managers require vendors, as part of a 
licence agreement, to provide COUNTER compliant usage statistics. 
A standard clause covering this requirement is available in 
Section 7.2 of the Code of Practice.

We are always happy to provide advice to vendors, librarians or 
library consortium managers on the implementation of COUNTER.

Peter Shepherd
Director
COUNTER






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