Help FAQ - Usage Statistics

Do you collect data for reporting on collection use?

Yes, we collect information each night about the item uses from the previous day. We aggregate the item uses into collection, partner and system level uses that we then provide access to via the "statistics" pages throughout the system.

Where can I find the "statistics" pages?

Statistics for the system appear on our home page. Statistics for each collection and partner are linked to their "About" pages. You can find usage statistics for an individual item by going to its item record and selecting "When" in the left sidebar. The usage statistics will appear in a highlight box on the right side of the screen in the "When" section of the item record.

How do you define "use"?

We try to think of a use as a digital circulation for the system. All interactions a user makes with any part of a digital item within a thirty minute window are grouped as one "use." At the end of the day these uses are combined for each item to create the item's uses for that day.

How is a use different from a hit or visit?

Use is a helpful third unit for discussing usage statistics for digital libraries. A user might use many digital items on a single visit and in most cases will have many hits for each use of an item as well. Hits and visits still make good benchmarking units for other reporting purposes within the library.

Can you tell what country users are coming from?

At this time we aren't collecting the country of origin for searches or item requests. We have access to this data from other sources and can report on overall usage patterns like this for the entire system.

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