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The purpose of this paper is to describe a project undertaken at SUNY Cortland to develop a system that would collect electronic resource usage data in a consistent manner and allow SUNY Cortland to assess this data over several years.

The project used data gathered from EZProxy server log files to examine usage of the library's electronic resources.

Through examining the usage data the library discovered that users were utilizing particular types of resources, from specific physical locations, and accessing those resources from specific pages in the library's web site.

By examining usage data for electronic resources, libraries can learn more than which resources are being used. Usage data can give libraries insight into where, when, how, and possibly why their users are accessing electronic resources.

This paper aims to overview the development of a user and usage database, including multiple datasets that were combined to achieve multi‐faceted analysis of users and their usage of the Florida Electronic Library (a statewide, licensed database).

Because of the differences in the purposes and activities among the project's five phases, the research team employed a multi‐method approach to data collection, including content analysis of datasets, usability and functionality assessments of the beta database, and cross‐tab and descriptive statistical analyses of datasets in the final database.

Researchers found first that, although numerous potential datasets existed, not all could be collated into one interactive database due to variations in measurement levels, currency, and other factors. Ultimately, the database included usage and Census data, allowing the researchers to assess usage per capita and in the context of counties' demographic profiles. The research finds that creation of a multi‐dataset database can be complicated but is useful for developing data‐driving marketing recommendations.

Compiling various datasets describing users and usage of a consortial licensed database into one interactive database facilitates cross‐tabulation and comparison. This project will enhance digital library research, evaluation, and marketing by serving as an example of how to identify appropriate datasets for cross‐tabulation, develop a database that allows interactive searching, use the database to develop targeted marketing campaigns, and better describe impacts and value of these datasets.

The purpose of this paper is to encompass the assessment of the effectiveness of the digital library and the value of multidisciplinary databases in terms of user preferences and use frequency by academic ranking.

This paper compares the results of two survey questionnaires carried out in 2002 and 2005. It examines the level of awareness by academic staff of digital library resources along with their use rate and to evaluate the preferences of faculty for specific electronic databases case studies were undertaken by means of separate questionnaires in both years.

Findings were consistent that positive results have been observed in two studies conducted in two years, 2002 and 2005. According to the results of the current survey, increased numbers of the faculty members of Ankara University know about the existence of the digital library. Another result of the survey is that many of the faculty members, although not all, use electronic databases. The most preferred databases have been Web of Science, Science Direct and Ebsco. When use of the electronic databases is analyzed, in respect of faculty rank and level of awareness, associate and assistant professors, assistants are ranked first.

The study presents the first case study in the field in Turkey that compares the current situation of the digital library usage with the initial survey data.

The return on investment (ROI) model is a tool used to measure the financial benefits and costs of an investment, in this case, the investment in digital library resources. By applying this model to the AAU digital library resources, the study seeks to determine whether these resources are providing sufficient value for the investment made in them.

The proposed ROI model has two distinct phases and utilizes two different sets of data to calculate the return on investment for a database subscription. In Phase I, the ROI is calculated based on the total number of downloads of full-text articles from the database during the academic year 2019–2020. This information is used to determine the financial returns of the database subscription costs. In Phase II, the ROI is calculated by examining the citations drawn from the Scopus database on a sample of 30 funded research projects for the College of Engineering during the year 2019. These data are used to determine the impact of the database subscription on research output and its contribution to the success of the College of Engineering's research projects. The two phases of the proposed ROI model aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the value of the database subscription and its impact on both financial returns and research output.

The findings of the study indicated different results between Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the study. The positive ROI in Phase 1 suggests that the investment in online databases has a good return for the AAU, as they are gaining almost a dollar for every dollar spent. However, the negative ROI in Phase 2 is concerning. It suggests that the investment in the IEEE database is not generating a positive return for the AAU and may even be costing the institution money. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of measuring ROI in academic libraries, particularly in Arab countries where resources may be limited. By understanding the impact of library investments on institutional outcomes, libraries can make informed decisions about where to allocate their resources and how to optimize their services to best serve their communities.

The findings of the current study were based on data collected from a specific sample, therefore, the findings may not be generalized to other academic libraries. A similar study with larger and more diverse samples can help to validate and extend the results of this study.

The findings of the study provide evidence that the proposed ROI model can be effectively applied in Arab countries and academic libraries in the Arab world, this could encourage more institutions in the region to adopt this model for evaluating their investments and projects. The study may also guide how to adapt the model to the specific cultural and organizational contexts of Arab countries.

The intersection of persuasive technology and personalization features in enterprises such as Amazon.com delivers familiar consumer web interactions related to the purchase of goods. This paper aims to describe the intersection in terms of academic library database personalization features, persuasive technology, and student research.

The paper compares personalization features in popular academic library databases and a case study of usage in a university system provides a perspective on use in the academic community. Research on student use of technology related to databases and Web 2.0 provides information on potential and actual use of personalization features.

Personalization and filtering features of research databases and the evolving Web 2.0 technology platform offer helpful tools to researchers, but the technology may not be persuasive enough to make significant changes in research behavior. Usage statistics indicate that personalization features are used, but compared to total enrollment, use is not high. There is much room for extension of persuasive elements in library databases.

There are many areas for exploration in determining how personalization may best be used in the future. This includes observing trends in usage, understanding users and their needs, and future technology changes.

Librarians can provide instruction about personalization in library databases in multiple forms. Suggestions for extensions of technology provide a view of possible personalization enhancements including persuasive elements.

The description of the intersection of personalization and persuasive technology in the academic library database environment is unique. The paper's comparison of personalization features of academic library databases provides a view of features and options within popular library databases.

The fee policy, charging practices and problems of database searching in Finland are reviewed. The article is based on 24 interviews with experienced searchers in Spring 1991; one third working in public libraries, one third in academic libraries and one third in special libraries or information bureaux in the area of social sciences. No two interviewees were from the someplace of work. Each library sector follows different charging practices. At present, public library database searches are free of charge. In academic libraries fee policy and charging practices vary considerably from one library to another. In special libraries or information bureaux, current fee policy seems to be quite clear; database searches are carried out mainly for the members of parent organisations but external use is restricted. Problems connected with charging vary accordingly. In public libraries non‐charging policy has caused an accumulation of searches and resources for them are insufficient. In academic libraries the foremost fee problems relate to the heterogeneous and ambiguous nature of charging practice. In special libraries or information bureaux the situation is not so problematic. The fee policy, charging practice and problems faced differ between various organisations and so do the challenges that libraries will face in the near future as regards fees for database searches.

Seeks to describe library federated search engines MetaLib and WebFeat as research tools by comparing MetaLib with WebFeat and by highlighting their strengths and weaknesses against Google and Google Scholar.

This study tested MetaLib and WebFeat from various libraries; attended vendor demos and asked vendors questions; reviewed literature; and interviewed system administrators of MetaLib and WebFeat.

MetaLib and WebFeat have fundamental differences between them. They cannot compete with Google in speed, simplicity, ease of use, and convenience, nor can they be truly one‐stop shopping. Their strengths lie in the contents they search as well as in the objective way they retrieve and display results. With the federated search engines, information literacy education is still relevant.

The comprehensive comparisons of MetaLib and WebFeat from the perspectives of both users and system administrators are original. It helps libraries make decisions when they select federated search engines, and it gives libraries realistic expectations of federated search engines compared with Google.

Downloading and uploading offer labour‐saving advantages and are now accepted as useful options in online searching. All aspects are here considered, from recent technical advances, applications and legal attitudes. There is also a review of current software for downloading. Recent developments mean a trend to higher internal memory and storage capacity, and greater transmission speeds. Packages now offer access to more than one host, give maximum assistance to the user without being menu‐driven and incorporate the latest developments in artificial intelligence. Disadvantages are in the length of time involved in the process and the fact that the legal issue of copyright has not yet been finalised. Database producers have turned to licensing under contract law, but there is still need to rely on user ethics, and the need for a standard permissions form is highlighted.

This paper seeks to focus on identifying the searching behaviours of users, their difficulties as well as their expectations from library supports while using online databases at the Central Library of Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City.

Usage reports of six online databases subscribed by the Central Library were analyzed, a survey by emailing users a questionnaire and four deep interviews were conducted.

The amount of usage increases yearly, however it is still low in comparison with the number of subscribers who have registered for using online databases. Users did search for their research and study rather than for their teaching or professional knowledge update. Often they looked for journal articles and theses rather than e‐books. Key words and titles were used the most when searching. Reading the guidance from the library websites or from the databases was most used. This suggested that most users did not know how to use the databases and preferred to learn by themselves. Email was preferred by users to communicate with library staff. English language and database searching skills were the biggest barriers preventing users from employing online databases.

This paper provides an understanding of users' behaviours and suggests that it is necessary to assist users in using online databases in Vietnam universities. Up to now, these issues have not been known. They are relevant to improving the utilization of online databases.

A CDROM network using Novell Netware and SCSI Express was installed at the UNISA Library in 1994. The investigation, installation and implementation of the network is described. An overview is given of the technical and software problems experienced, as well as some solutions. After installation a final report with recommendations were written. Steps taken to market the network to staff and students in the library and on campus, as well as training of users, are described. Finally the impact of the network on the services of the library and future developments planned are described.