The Importance of Identifying and Accommodating E-Resource Usage Data for the Presence of Outliers

Paul Zurawski

Lamothe, A. a. (2014). The Importance of Identifying and Accommodating E-Resource Usage Data for the Presence of Outliers. Information Technology & Libraries, 33(2), 31-44.

Author:  Lamothe, Alain R.

Source: Information Technology & Libraries; Jun2014, Vol. 33 Issue 2, p31-44, 14p, 5 Charts, 1 Graph 

Number of pgs: 15

Summary:

This article discusses the most effective means of gathering collection data regarding how electronic materials are used by patrons and staff alike. With the library field slowly shifting towards ebooks and databases, it’s critical for the staff to be able to properly gauge the usefulness of each resource, especially for the cost. This article includes step by step procedures that librarians can use to get solid stats about their online collections.

Evaluation:

With libraries becoming more and more electronically focused, especially for nonfiction and resource needs, it’s important to librarians to know what impact these new resources are having. This is especially important since electronic services often have reoccurring costs, such as an annual cost. These statistics can be helpful for the staff to figure out what services to expand on, such as if Ebooks are popular then the library should purchase more access to them. Even if a person does not use this exact procedure, this article gives some good food for thought about how to gather the information.