From: "Kristan Collins" <kristan_at_ohiolink.edu>
INTERNATIONAL COALITION OF LIBRARY CONSORTIA (ICOLC)
Press Release For Immediate Distribution- November 11, 1998
For further information about the statement, contact either:
Tom Sanville, Executive Director, OhioLINK 614-728-3600 ext. 322
Email: tom_at_ohiolink.edu
Sue Phillips, Director, University of Texas System Digital Library,
University of Texas 512-495-4350 Email: s.phillips_at_mail.utexas.edu
For further information about the ICOLC, contact Tom Sanville
INTERNATIONAL COALITION OF LIBRARY CONSORTIA ANNOUNCES GUIDELINES FOR
STATISTICAL MEASURES OF USAGE OF WEB-BASED INDEXED, ABSTRACTED, AND FULL
TEXT RESOURCES
Looking to increase the understanding of information usage, the
International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) announces its
"Guidelines for Statistical Measures of Usage of Web-Based Indexed,
Abstracted, and Full Text Resources". This is the second statement
issued by the ICOLC to provide an international perspective on
preferred practices in the licensing and purchasing of electronic
information. This ICOLC document is based on the work of the JSTOR Web
Statistics Task Force but expands on that work in order to reflect the
diversity of resources licensed by the many ICOLC members.
The Guidelines for Statistical Measures of Usage of Web-based Indexed,
Abstracted, and Full Text Resources describes the types of use data
and measurement that the ICOLC members expect from vendors of
web-based indexed, abstracted, and full-text resources. The ICOLC
requires statistical use information for their member libraries, "To
ensure that the value of licensed electronic resources is fully
understood in the consortium setting," according to Sue Phillips,
University of Texas System Digital Library director and ICOLC
representative. “Adequate delivery of usage information is an integral
and required part of any electronic product licensed by a consortium,
she said.
Usage data gathered in the ICOLC-recommended categories will enable
consortia and vendors to analyze use and frequency of use without
violating the individual's privacy. The guidelines define information
elements the ICOLC considers vital, as well as the variety of reports
necessary for accurately analyzing use data within a consortium
membership.
Elements covered by the guidelines include queries (searches), menu
selections, sessions or logins, turnaways due to simultaneous user
limits, and items examined. Other information-specific requirements
include user, institutional, and consortium confidentiality;
comparative statistics; and secure access to statistical reports via
the WWW.
This statement is endorsed by consortial representatives of the ICOLC
from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The
complete guidelines can be found at
http://www.library.yale.edu/consortia.
About the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC)
The ICOLC first met in 1996 as the Consortium of Consortia (COC). The
Coalition is an informal, international group that currently comprises
over 90 library consortia in North America, Europe, Australia, Israel,
China, and South Africa. The coalition membership primarily serves
higher education institutions by facilitating discussion among
consortia on issues of common interest. The ICOLC conducts meetings
through out the year dedicated to keeping its members informed about
new electronic information resources, pricing practices of electronic
providers and vendors, and other issues of importance to consortia
directors and governing boards. The Coalition also meets with the
information provider community, creating a forum for discussion about
product offerings and issues of mutual concern.
Further information about the ICOLC and its participating consortia
can be found http://www.library.yale.edu/consortia.
Adopters of this Statement
This statement was adopted in principle by member representatives of
the “International Coalition of Library Consortia” (ICOLC) whose
institutions are listed below. This statement does not necessarily
represent the official views of each consortium listed. All
consortia listed are in the United States unless otherwise noted.
Consortia whose member representatives adopted this statement:
ALICE (the Appalachian Library Information Cooperative)
AMIGOS
Arizona Universities Library Consortium (AULC)
BCR
Big 12 Plus
Boston Library Consortium
British Columbia Electronic Library Network (Canada)
California Digital Library (CDL)
The California State University.
Colorado Alliance
Committee for Institutional Cooperation (CIC)
CAUL (Council of Australian University Librarians)
Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries (COPPUL) (Canada)
CURL (United Kingdom)
Florida
Center for Library Automation
GALILEO
Illinois Cooperative Collection Management Program (ICCMP)
Illinois Library Computer Systems Organization (ILCSO)
INCOLSA
Israel Center for Digital Information Services
Louisiana Library Network
MERLIN
Michigan Library Consortium
MINITEX Library Information Network
MIRACL
MOREnet
NERL
Network of Alabama Academic Libraries
New England Law Library Consortium (NELLCO)
Novanet (Canada)
OhioLINK
PALINET
Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium, Inc. (PALCI)
Pioneer, Utah's Online Library
PORTALS
SCELC - Southern California Electronic Library Consortium
SCONUL (Ireland and United Kingdom)
Solinet
Southeastern Wisconsin Information Technology Exchange (SWITCH)
Sub-Committee on Libraries of the Conference of Rectors and Principals
of Universities of Quebec (CREPUQ).
TexShare
TriUniversity Group of Libraries (TUG) (Canada)
The Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN)
UNILINC (Australia)
University of Texas System Digital Library
Utah Academic Library Consortium
VIVA (The Virtual Library of Virginia)
Washington Research Library Consortium
Wisconsin InterLibrary Services (WILS)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kristan Collins, Communications Manager
OhioLINK
kristan_at_ohiolink.edu phone: (614) 728-3600 ext. 329
http://www.ohiolink.edu
Received on Fri Nov 13 1998 - 09:47:43 EST