Findings, Discussion, and Recommendations

Examining inherent challenges with interpreting usage from different vendors' reports leads to the authors' reflections on how to deal with the challenges of comparing “apples” with “oranges” in different types of usage reports and look for possible solutions. The case study intends to help librarians make sense of usage reports provided by e-book vendors and to introduce library science students to benefits and challenges of usage reports. Chapter 7 summarizes findings of the author's research on COUNTER and non-COUNTER reports and vendor practices. The authors hope to share with vendors and the standards community librarians' perspectives and their experiences with vendor-provided usage reports. The chapter concludes with the following recommendations for best practices in dealing with vendor usage reports: 1) read and become familiar with the COUNTER Code of Practice; 2) observe terminology used to describe data categories in COUNTER reports; 3) consult vendor documentation to understand exactly how data are counted; 4) find the unique data that are offered in non-COUNTER reports; 5) gain perspective on overall usage by cross examining data between COUNTER and non-COUNTER reports; and 6) contribute to the ongoing process of improving usage reporting.

Case Study Part 3

In addition to their COUNTER reports, ebrary, EBSCO, and Safari provide their own custom reports. Vendors' non-COUNTER data, which are unique and more detailed, provide librarians with a potentially deeper perspective of overall usage. Chapter 5, the third part of the case study, evaluates vendor non-COUNTER reports against the same principles; it examines in detail what unique data these “local” reports provide, as well as identifies potential issues in interpreting these reports. The chapter addresses several issues and questions while exploring the uniqueness of the data contributed by the non-COUNTER reports. The chapter also looks at the challenge of comparing variant terminology used to describe data categories among the vendors, and whether, despite their differences, the non-COUNTER data are compatible with COUNTER data. The goal of this chapter is to help the customer sort out the data, interpret their meaning, and find the value of each report.

Case Study Part 2

Apart from the overall success of COUNTER Release 4 in further enabling e-book vendors to provide standardized usage reports, some major “roadblocks” remain. The fact that publishers and vendors of e-books deliver their products differently led to COUNTER's development of book reports to cover the diversity of e-book platforms. Consequently, COUNTER allows vendors to choose between BR1 and BR2, and other “alternatives.” What are the consequences when COUNTER provides vendors with choices among the standard book reports, while the “alternatives” are not quite the same? Chapter 4, the second part of case study, examines COUNTER data in detail. It explores the implications of the fact that vendors do not provide same COUNTER book reports and/or implement the COUNTER standards differently. The chapter identifies issues in interpreting vendor-provided COUNTER reports with examples and data illustrations.

COUNTER and Non-COUNTER

While ebrary, EBSCO, and Safari have implemented COUNTER reports to supply customers with standardized usage data, their “coexisting” non-COUNTER reports offer unique and in-depth information on user activities. Therefore, librarians should explore the benefits of both data and find strategies to overcome the inconsistencies and fill the gaps. Chapter 6 evaluates vendor COUNTER and non-COUNTER data in a larger context. It explores the possibility and feasibility to consolidate useful data from vendor COUNTER and non-COUNTER reports and discusses how to overcome the disparities and fill the gaps among the usage data from different vendors. The chapter focuses on the following basic questions: 1) What unique data from each vendor are significant? 2) Is it feasible to consolidate COUNTER and non-COUNTER usage data provided by a single vendor? 3) Can the differences between COUNTER and non-COUNTER data be reconciled?

COUNTER

Until more recently, COUNTER reports were predominantly used by content providers and consumers of electronic journals and databases. One of the most significant developments with COUNTER Release 4 is that it integrated book reports as part of the latest COUNTER Code of Practice. Release 4 makes it possible for academic libraries to assess e-books usage in a consistent, credible, and comparable manner. However, in implementing the COUNTER standards for book usage reporting, the variant practices among e-book vendors impose challenges for librarians to correctly interpret vendor COUNTER reports. Therefore, it is crucial for librarians to consult the Code of Practice and COUNTER implementation guidelines in order to better understand COUNTER reports by individual vendors. Chapter 2 discusses each COUNTER standard report for e-book usage data, pointing to potential issues as they have been implemented by e-books vendors.

What Is COUNTER and Why Is It Important?

Electronic usage data serves an important purpose for librarians who need to assess user activities with electronic collections. Comparing usage reports by different vendors requires sorting out the various types of reports that are available and assessing how and if they can effectively be compared. This book attempts to investigate what makes vendor usage reports compatible or incompatible, and to what degree. It includes a case study where the authors analyze and interpret their institution's data in order to provide others with possible strategies for productively engaging with e-book usage reports. Chapter 1 gives a brief account on Project COUNTER (Counting Networked Electronic Resources). COUNTER supports the process of collection assessment by providing standards for vendors and publishers to follow in delivering usage data to libraries. The COUNTER Code of Practice aims for usage data to be credible, consistent, and comparable, three core principles. This chapter describes the purpose of COUNTER, its underlying principles and core standards, and more importantly, who will benefit from the COUNTER standards.

Case Study Part 1

Chapter 3 introduces a case study, which involves a medium-sized academic library that has been acquiring e-books primarily through large subscription packages from three major vendors. All three vendors in this case study – ebrary, EBSCO, and Safari – provide COUNTER usage reports to their customers. All three vendors have joined the COUNTER membership and been registered as COUNTER-compliant. The chapter describes their current implementation of the COUNTER book reports. The usage reports discussed throughout the case study were retrieved from each vendor for the academic year of July 2015–June 2016, and include COUNTER and non-COUNTER reports. The chapter also identifies what COUNTER reports each vendor provides and evaluates the degree of their compliance. Despite the variations in the COUNTER reports they implement, all three vendors supply their customers with essential COUNTER data on e-books usage, i.e. the numbers of successful requests, turnaways, and searches. In addition to the COUNTER reports, they all provide non-COUNTER reports to their customers. Although the number of non-COUNTER reports vary widely among ebrary, EBSCO, and Safari, all three vendors provide abundant and unique usage data.