Use of Astronomical Literature - A Report on Usage Patterns

TL;DR

This paper analyzes usage patterns of the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System, revealing how its use has evolved over time, across regions, and among different user groups, providing metrics for understanding astronomical literature consumption.

Contribution

It introduces new metrics for analyzing ADS usage and demonstrates how usage patterns vary by time, user type, and geographic region.

Findings

Usage of ADS has increased over the years.

Different user groups access ADS differently.

Regional usage patterns show distinct trends.

Abstract

In this paper we present a number of metrics for usage of the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS). Since the ADS is used by the entire astronomical community, these are indicative of how the astronomical literature is used. We will show how the use of the ADS has changed both quantitatively and qualitatively. We will also show that different types of users access the system in different ways. Finally, we show how use of the ADS has evolved over the years in various regions of the world. The ADS is funded by NASA Grant NNG06GG68G.