Interpreting web log files

[Drew, Bill]

The question just asked about PDFs and web statistics got me wondering, how
are libraries interpreting web log file statistics?  What do you report and
how do you phrase it?

I have been analyzing log files from our EZproxy server and reading up on
how to interpret web statistics.  I have come to the conclusion you can not
reliably state how many unique users visited your site no matter what web
analysis software you use.  With EZproxy log files you can tell how many
initial logins or pass throughs or initial clicks to a particular URL but
not how many times a particular URL was accessed.  There are too many
variables such as how different ISPs cache pages, how people get to one of
your pages or resources.  I am beginning to think it is best thought of as
an index of use which can track changes in usage patterns but not the actual
amount of use in an accurate way equivalent to the number of times a book
circulates.  I was trying to make a correlation between FirstSearch
statistics and EZproxy usage.  There is no direct correlation possible.
What I can get from EZproxy is where people are coming into our EZproxy
server from, number of initial sessions from off campus versus on campus and
a rough idea of what resources are the most popular.

Any thoughts on this?

-----
Wilfred (Bill) Drew
Associate Librarian, Systems and Reference
SUNY Morrisville College Library
drewwe at morrisville.edu
Home: http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe
Not Just Cows: http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/njc/
Library: http://www.morrisville.edu/library/
Have Laptop -- Will Travel.
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