E‐metrics for Library and Information Professionals: How to Use Data for Managing and Evaluating Electronic Resource Collections

Citation

Juznic, P. (2007), "E‐metrics for Library and Information Professionals: How to Use Data for Managing and Evaluating Electronic Resource Collections", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 63 No. 3, pp. 426-428. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410710746826

This is a useful book. It is practical in many ways, as it deals with one of the most urgent problems research libraries are facing today, connected to the changes in their collection building. Printed journals that have in the past been the pride and the basis of research libraries' work, are rapidly giving place to electronic journals. So most of the libraries are expending an increasing part of their collection budgets on electronic resources. At the same time they face diminishing budgets overall, and high rates of inflation for serials subscriptions. Therefore, many libraries need to develop ways to evaluate and cut subscription costs, while still maintaining a viable research collection.

Libraries have had to change their ways in with collection evaluation, and the criteria for selection and subsequent acquisition of electronic products have moved far beyond the traditional models. E‐metrics provide methods to measure the performance and value of their collection, and also their overall performance and services.

The book consists of three parts, each with three chapters, and a last tenth short chapter dealing with e‐metrics and the future. The opening three chapters comprise the introductory part of the book. The third, entitled “Understanding Vendor‐Supplied E‐Metrics”, gives much more then its title suggests. Besides assessing the relevance of the e‐metrics data which libraries and other organizations already receive as part of their subscription packages, it introduces two important subjects. The first is COUNTER (Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources) (www.projectcounter.org/), a project evolved from the international needs of librarians, publishers, and information content intermediaries to standardize both the definitions and delivery of usage statistics of online information resources. In an effort to further standardize the capture and reporting of e‐metrics, COUNTER has specified several data collection protocols and created different report formats. The reports defined by COUNTER offer libraries and other organizations different ways of organising them. They can be found on the COUNTER web site, together with the COUNTER Code of Practice.

The authors make an interesting theoretical three tier model, regarding the management and technical issues involved in developing a local library solution to e‐metrics. A model of three different general library operational scenarios (ideal types known from the social science research of early 20th century), gives readers a solid standpoint for understanding the other two parts of the book. They can clearly see the needs and possibilities which their own library or other organization has in tackling e‐metrics issues, and should more easily follow the other following chapters of the book. Unfortunately this interesting three‐tier model is rather lost in some of the further chapters. It should be never forgotten that there is nothing more practical as a good theory, so sticking more closely to this model could make the book even more practically useful.

The three types, named as A, B and C, are:

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  A Basic library;

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  B Intermediate library; and

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  C Advanced library.

By defining such general library configurations (ideal types), the book intends to demonstrate that any modern library or similar organisation can employ the resources necessary to develop a local e‐metrics solution successfully, adapted to its needs and possibilities.

The authors note that “It is more likely that physically smaller libraries with relatively limited resources or specialized collections will find an affinity with the Library A environment, while physically larger academic, research or consortial libraries may relate more closely with the resources available in C's library scenario”. All other libraries will find themselves in the intermediate, B scenario, which goes beyond a simple online catalogue, web server and staff workstations. On the IT side, it needs some onsite technical support, in‐house programming and local system administration, and on the services side it needs an e‐resources specialist cataloguer and a collection manager. Most of the libraries and other organisations having digital collections and e‐resources should find the B scenario most suitable for their current needs.

In the second part of the book, the authors address readers with a question: Why Do Libraries Need E‐Metrics? Three chapters examine three aspects of e‐metrics in libraries and library management. The first of those chapters deals with public relations, posing a series of rather generic questions and offering answers from real life situations. In the next chapter, the authors investigate the application and importance of e‐metrics for digital collection development management. The last of these three chapters deals with the problem of how e‐metrics can be used more generally in library administration. The central position of the chapter dealing with digital collection might imply that this is the part of library management where e‐metrics is still the most important, and used more often. But public relations and library administration issues as staffing, operating hours, facilities and services – which are changing due to the introduction of e‐resources and library virtual collections – are important too.

The third part is central to the book. Although its' title “How Do Libraries Build Local E‐Metrics?” sounds like a cook book with recipes, it is much more then that. It is a logical consequence of the previous writing. After understanding the application of e‐metrics to the modern library, it is logical that the next step by any professional reader is to begin asking questions about the actual methods and technologies required to acquire and process e‐metrics data. So the authors follow this logic again in dividing Part III into three chapters. The first chapter in this part of the book deals with e‐resources – e‐journals, databases, e‐books and digital documents ‐, and the second chapter with the infrastructure – servers, workstations and other technical considerations. The third chapter describes staffing, personnel, and the skills and management policies, needed for successful e‐metrics solutions.

The degree to which the three types of library environment can successfully incorporate combinations of e‐metrics solutions according to various criteria and resource parameters is clearly presented.

For the basic library solutions, the library web site analysis includes access to the library's web server logs, and the installation of some web traffic analysis software.

The intermediary library (Library B in the book) can add some more sophisticated solutions by which they can also capture titles accessed by users. This solution needs a degree of custom programming, but can give very important data about use of e‐resources.

An advanced solution; library C needs also an extra infrastructure – a proxy server, as a gateway to the Internet for both on‐site and off‐site users. The proxy server is a part of the library's network, optimizing access for external users, and protecting the internal network. It can also help simplify and diversify the raw data collection for library e‐metrics.

The last, short, chapter tries to open a window on the future. Open access initiatives, although dealt with very briefly, are mentioned too.

I would not like to finish this review by a standard “recommendation to read” notice. Actually it is book that should be read (at least some parts of it) by any professional working in a library or similar organization, which has e‐resources. The multiple use of the three‐tiered presentation of the content makes this book easy to read and follow its content for any reader. The authors write that “Initiating an e‐metrics project in a library is a political decision that should be made by the library's top‐level management “. So a library's top management should also be among the readers.