More Than Counting: Collecting Statistics Electronically

10/27/2003
NELA Annual Conference
Worcester, MA

Steve Bischof, Resources Assessment and Science Librarian at the Wesleyan University Library (Middletown, CT), presented information about Wesleyan's very active program of gathering electronic statistics, to support decision-making in a variety of areas. The library gathers statistics on print and electronic journal usage, book circulation patterns, database usage, web subject pages usage, live reference behavior, and instruction and reference services generally. Data may also be gathered via web-based faculty surveys.

Wesleyan has been collecting electronic data on journal usage since 1998. The catalog record for every journal title has two dummy item records: one representing bound volumes, and one for loose issues. There are also dummy item records for microforms. Circulations and internal use counts are done separately for each of four circulation points within the library. This information was used to support a cancellation project conducted in the year 2000. On the other side, statistics from Interlibrary Loan borrowing are used to determine possible new journal purchases.

The use of e-journals is tracked through click-through data provided by Serials Solutions. This can now be integrated with usage data provided by e-journal vendors. "Live" usage data can be accumulated from any given starting date, providing an accurate picture of the demand for individual e-journal titles. Statistics for usage of both paper and electronic journals are consolidated via a web page for consultation by faculty. Statistics can by viewed by title, call number, circulating or "instack" use, microform use, current issue use, and total numbers of uses. For those trying to locate a journal, as compared with studying its use, integrated information about print and electronic journal holdings is also provided through a "Journal locator and e-journals" web page.

Book circulation statistics are based on publication year and Library of Congress Classification number. Statistics were gathered most recently for books, videos, and compact discs published between 1996 and 1999. The latter year was chosen as the cutoff date for the study, in order to allow new purchases to accumulate a couple of years' worth of circulation data. The data can be sorted in different ways to determine those areas least circulated, for budget adjustments, or to talk with faculty about refining purchases in a given area. In response to a question about faculty involvement in selection at Wesleyan, Mr. Bischof said that some faculty, particularly in sciences, are quite involved with selection, while others are less so. This may affect the circulation statistics within different subject areas.

Database usage statistics are collected for free as well as subscription sites, and come from both the library's Index and Databases page and its Reference Tools page. These statistics provide insights into patron behavior with regard to those resources (what's being used and who's using it). Current term data is "live" and is accumulated from beginning of the academic term, or some other starting point if desired. Database usage can also be analyzed by the IP address of the query. This analysis shows if queries come from public workstations, computer labs, student rooms, academic or administrative departments, library staff workstations, the reference desk, via dialup, or through a proxy server. Wireless access is included in these figures as well.

Wesleyan's subject pages are dynamically built pages, using MySQL and PHP, with use statistics collected "on the back end". The standard interface makes it simple for subject specialists to develop pages in their disciplines. Use statistics allow for a determination of which pages are most often used, and how they are being used. The most-used resources from a given subject page are selected for inclusion in the catalog. Interestingly, besides the library catalog, the most popular pages on the library's site tend to be those for subscription-based resources.

The library also keeps statistics regarding instruction and reference. Statistics for live web-based reference sessions show a term's worth of data. The data distinguishes between clicks on "the ubiquitous 'Live reference' button," and the number of actual web-based reference transactions completed. The former number is sometimes much greater than the latter. This is possibly because this service involves initiating live chat sessions, a process which people may abandon because it seems too complex. Data recording traditional, in-person instruction and reference sessions are input deliberately by librarians. Included are data on meetings with faculty, "Personal research sessions" by appointment, and group instruction.

The Wesleyan library staff has also used the Web to gather information through surveys. In 2002, the staff did a survey on faculty preferences for paper vs. web access to the 230+ titles in JSTOR that the library also subscribed to in paper. The faculty was asked if there were any of the listed journals which they felt they must have on the shelves for instant access. The survey achieved a very strong response, with nearly 60% faculty participation. Most responders, all but about 90, indicated titles that they needed in paper, but no single faculty member picked more than seven such titles.

In short, thanks to primarily automatic capture, the Wesleyan library now has several years' worth of data on a variety of topic for easy consultation. Staff members have easy access to historical and current statistics to help with decision-making and strategic planning.

Reported by David Miller
Levin Library, Curry College
Milton, Mass.