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

Citation

Meaden, K. (2006), "E‐Metrics for Library and Information Professionals: How to Use Data for Managing and Evaluating Electronic Resource Collections", New Library World, Vol. 107 No. 9/10, pp. 455-456. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074800610702642

According to Disraeli, there are “lies, damn lies, and statistics” and there are many current journal articles and web sites that quote, and agree with, him. So I was intrigued by the premise of this book by White and Kamal, that library staff can measure customer access to their electronic journals and databases accurately enough to use those statistics to manage their collection development and inform their financial decisions.

“E‐metrics” is a new term broadly used to describe “measurements of the activity and use of networked information”. Within a library context, it refers to the assessment of whether the paid‐for, subscription‐based electronic resources that your service currently subscribes to are performing well enough to provide you with value‐for‐money, and are meeting the needs of your customers. As the examples it uses focus on electronic journals and databases, it is primarily aimed at academic librarians, but will also be useful to those working at other types of library with similar subscriptions.

The chapters within the book are divided into three main sections. “What are e‐metrics?” provides a definition of the topic area, demonstrates the importance of monitoring usage statistics and explains how to understand vendor‐supplied e‐metrics before putting forward the case for collecting your own local statistics. “Why do libraries need e‐metrics?” describes how they can be used to benefit customer relations and improve both collection management and financial administration. Finally, “How do libraries build local e‐metrics?” explains how you can build and implement your own local system to capture usage statistics, covering both the technical and staffing issues, before considering current standards that your system should meet to ensure that you are comparing “like for like” when you assess your resources.

It provides an excellent overview of the topic, and as someone who is unfamiliar with this area, I certainly learned a lot whilst reading it. However, I did feel that if I was a practitioner I might have had a different view ‐ that it was trying too hard to be all things to all people. On the one hand it is littered with practical case studies, examples and tips to appeal to the librarian new to this area, but on the other it assumes that you already have some level of technical knowledge so it provides guidelines rather than step‐by‐step instructions. Whilst it tries to appeal, in different chapters, to a range of librarians involved in the very diverse activities of resource selection, staff management and systems support, its breadth could actually result in it failing to fully satisfy any of its target audience.

Almost evangelical in its approach to e‐metrics, this book strongly expounds their importance and benefits. However, it is important to bear in mind that statistics cannot be considered in isolation and that you'll need to continually question whilst you read to provide your own sense of balance. They may identify which of your electronic resources are being under‐utilised, but they won't tell you why. Has a lecturer widely recommended it to his students? Has the resource itself been poorly promoted? Have your customers not received sufficient training to use it properly? Only once you have considered the qualitative data as well will you be able to make truly effective decisions.