Scope and limitations of library metrics for the assessment of ebook usage: COUNTER R5 and link resolver

TL;DR

This study compares link resolver and COUNTER R5 usage metrics for ebooks in academic libraries, revealing moderate correlation and discussing their respective scopes and limitations in usage assessment.

Contribution

It provides an analysis of the relationship between link resolver data and COUNTER R5 statistics for ebooks, highlighting their differences and limitations.

Findings

Moderate correlation between link resolver and COUNTER R5 metrics

Metrics capture different aspects of ebook usage

Discussion on scope and limitations of each metric

Abstract

Data are at the heart of electronic resource management in academic libraries. Assessing the usage data of electronic resources has become a prevalent approach to demonstrate the value of digital collections, justify library expenditures, and gain insights into how users interact with library materials. This study analyzes the usage statistics of electronic books (ebooks) generated locally by the OpenURL link resolver in an academic library, and statistics collected by platform vendors based on Release 5 of the Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resource (COUNTER R5). Three content provider platforms (Cambridge Core, EBSCOhost, and ScienceDirect) were analyzed as data sources. The COUNTER and link resolver statistics were examined to determine the degree of association between these two metrics. The Spearman correlation coefficient was moderate (rs > 0.561 and < 0.678) and statistically significant (p < .01). This suggests that these metrics capture different aspects of the usage of ebooks in different contexts. Other factors, such as the types of access to electronic resources and the units of content delivered, were also examined. The study concludes with a discussion regarding the scope and limitations of link resolver and COUNTER R5 as library metrics for measuring the usage of ebooks.