CLIR report released

[Roy Tennant]

>
>For immediate release					Contact: 
>	Deanna Marcum
>October 24, 2000 
>		202-939-4750
>
>CLIR Publishes White Paper on E-Journal Usage Statistics
>
>Washington, D.C.-The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) has
>published a white paper on electronic journal usage statistics by Judy
>Luther, president of the consulting firm Informed Strategies. The report
>examines why it has been difficult to obtain statistics on electronic
>journal usage, and reveals librarians’ and publishers’ concerns with respect
>to the generation of usage statistics. The paper suggests a context for
>further discussion between the providers and consumers of electronic
>journals.
>
>Fewer than half of the publishers of electronic journals currently generate
>statistics on usage for librarians. The reason is not a simple matter of
>publishers being unwilling to provide such information, even though some
>complain that implementing a data collection function is costly and others
>fear that librarians will cancel subscriptions if usage is low. A more basic
>problem is that there is no agreement on how to produce data that can be
>compared and analyzed. It has been difficult for librarians to know what to
>ask for when something as basic as the term “use” can have many meanings.
>Librarians and publishers must work together in solving the problem.
>
>The white paper reveals that publishers and librarians share a significant
>number of concerns besides a lack of comparable or complete usage data. They
>worry about the lack of context for understanding data, the lack of
>certainty about effective economic models, and the complexity of issues
>related to user privacy.
>
>According to the report, publishers who have begun to supply librarians with
>the needed data have not found that librarians are canceling subscriptions.
>In fact, publishers who have developed the capability to collect and analyze
>statistics for libraries are using this capability to create data for their
>own applications.
>
>The author notes that, currently, “associations involved in creating
>standards and guidelines on data collection are focused on defining the data
>elements and determining what is currently being done. No one is working
>directly with the publishers who have developed the data, understand the
>variables, and are in a position to provide guidance.” Because it is a
>period of discovery for both librarians and publishers, the author
>recommends that a forum be held at which invited representatives from the
>publisher, vendor, and library communities could advance the dialog about
>generating data that can be compared.
>
>The White Paper on Electronic Journal Usage Statistics is available on CLIR’
>s Web site, www.clir.org. Print copies may also be ordered for $15 through
>the Web site.
>
>The Council on Library and Information Resources works in partnership with
>libraries, archives, and other information providers to advocate
>collaborative approaches to preserving the nation’s intellectual heritage
>and strengthening the many components of its information system. It works to
>support institutions as they integrate audiovisual and digital resources and
>services into their well-established, print-based environments.
>
>
>Judy Luther  MLS, MBA         judy.luther at informedstrategies.com
>Informed Strategies                    610-645-7546 tel
>102 W. Montgomery Ave. #B          610-645-5251 fax
>Ardmore PA  19003                 www.informedstrategies.com
>
>