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Electronic Resources Management Unit: Interpreting Usage Data

About

Usage data enable libraries to identify what resources users are accessing and they can contribute to the decision-making process for everything from collection development and budgeting to marketing and outreach. Understanding what data is reported, and how it relates to user behavior is essential to properly utilize statistics in decision-making.

COUNTER Definition

COUNTER stands for Counting Online Usage of NeTworked Electronic Resources. More info can be found at https://www.countermetrics.org.

COUNTER Metrics

Cal Poly Pomona uses these metrics to count usage:

  • Platform Report (PR_P1 or PR1): A pre-set Standard View of PR showing total and unique item requests, as well as platform searches
  • Database Report (DR_D1 or DR1): A pre-set Standard View of DR showing total item investigations and requests, as well as searches
  • Book Requests (Excluding OA_ Gold) (TR_B1 or BR2): A pre-set book Standard View of TR showing full-text activity for all content that is not Gold Open Access
  • Journal Requests (Excluding OA_ Gold) (TR_J1 or JR1): A pre-set journal Standard View of TR showing full-text activity for all content that is not Gold Open Access

How Searches Are Counted

Platform Report (PR_P1 or PR1) counts searches on the entire platform. (For example, ProQuest Databases platform includes all databases available to us, if a patron does a search in that platform to search across all databases, that is counted as a platform search.)

Database Report (DR_D1 or DR1) counts searches on each database. (For example, Ebsco Academic Search Premier - when a patron searches within that database, a search is counted as one database search under Ebsco Academic Search Premier.)

Book Requests (TR_B1 or BR1) counts searches on each individual ebook viewed. (For example, a patron does a search in a database and views the full-text of an ebook in the search result, that is counted as a book request search.)

Journal Requests (TR_J1 or JR1) counts searches on each individual ejournal viewed. (For example, a patron does a search in a database and views the full-text of a journal in the search result, that is counted as a journal request search.)

Cal Poly Pomona does not count usage statistics for free or open access platform or databases, such as HeinOnline or PubMed.