FW: [WEB4LIB] counting use of resources

[Gimon, Charles A]

We run visitors through a counter page before referring them on to the
remote database. URLs look like this:

http://www.mpls.lib.mn.us/subcount.asp?URL=41

We're running a little Access database behind this that stores info about
all the remote databases. Here, 41 is "What Do I Read Next?". When the user
clicks on the link, the subcount.asp page queries the database for the URL
for What Do I Read Next, increments the clickthrough count for that database
by 1, and sends a redirect to the user to go to that URL. 

Separate counts are kept for library staff, public terminals in the library,
and users outside the library. We have a separate page for staff that
queries the same database and reports the clickthroughs on each database
month by month.

Of course, we host our own server; what you're able to do will be limited by
what your web hosting service allows.

--Charles Gimon
  Web Coordinator
  Minneapolis Public Library

-----Original Message-----
From: Isabel Danforth [mailto:danforth at tiac.net] 
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2000 7:00 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [WEB4LIB] counting use of resources


We have a page which contains links to a variety of remote databases.  Some
of these products do not provide us with statistics and we would like to at
least get a count of how many people use them.

Our web hosting site allows us to run analog against the log files and get
counts of how many people hit a page.  Using that tool, I can see a way to
collect some counts.

Scenario 1)
open for very short time a window that would automatically then go to the
designated URL for the electronic resource.

Scenario 2)
Open a small help window for the resource as well as going to the
electronic resource.  The problem with this one, is that I am sure I will
be left with some of those small windows left open.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or ideas?  I would appreciate any
help here.

Thanks in advance.

Isabel
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Isabel L. Danforth
danforth at tiac.net  
Russell Library - Middletown, CT
http://www.lioninc.org/russell/
Coordinator of Librarians' Online Support Team
http://gnacademy.tzo.org/lost/
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