[Web4lib] Statistics

[Andrew Mutch]

William

We also use SAM but I've never tried to track usage using it so I can't help you with that specific question. However, I can tell you how we track our database usage. We use EZProxy to allow remote users to access our databases. When they do so, EZProxy logs the access and we pull that usage data from the log files. Sometime back, maybe on Web4Lib, it was pointed out that we could do the same for our internal library traffic. By setting up an IP exclusion in EZProxy, we can log the traffic from internal users through EZProxy while not having the login prompt appear that a remote user would see. At the end of the month, I massage the log file and then import that into Access where I sort the traffic based on IP, which EZProxy also logs. This allows me to sort my internal and external traffic and my staff internal from my public internal. I've been using this method for a number of years and it works well for us. I would also check with your database vendors. Most of them provide traffic stats for database usage. 

Andrew Mutch
Library Systems Technician
Waterford Township Public Library
Waterford, MI


----- Original Message -----
From: "William Stein" <guillermost2003 at yahoo.com>
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2009 10:07:48 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: [Web4lib] Statistics

Greetings,
       Our library uses Comprise ("SAM") session management software on our workstations. SAM is configurable to allow (at least in theory) us to keep track of use of Applications and Websites. The configuration checks out but we have never gotten any statistics. Comprise says this is due to the fact that we also have Drive Shield, which is supposed to erase the session when the computer reboots.
      We have been going back and forth about this for two years with experts on both sides saying the other side is responsible. I find it hard to believe that there is not some simple way of keeping track of the number of times a patron uses Microsoft Word, for example, or any of the databases that we have linked from our desktops.
      I did search the web4lib archive before posting, but the only thing remotely like this question was in 1998.
Any help would be appreciated.
  Will Stein, reference Librarian
  Washington County PL
  Abingdon, Va


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