HOLLIS Plus Fiscal Year 2004 Usage Statistics
Scope
These statistics report the number of connections to Harvard Libraries portal resources for the twelve-month period July 2003 - June 2004. The total number of connections reported for the year was 4,268,114 (3,619,096 direct logins and 649,018 deeplinks). This represents a 40% increase over the previous year's figure of just over 3 million, a rate of growth that has remained constant for the past two years.
Note that usage statistics are only recorded for resources whose access is routed through the Harvard University Library proxy server. These resources are identified by the letter I (Valid Harvard ID required) in the Harvard Libraries portal. Statistics are not available for unrestricted resources and resources listed as C (Campus-only access).
Please see the sections below for additional information about these statistics. Report problems or omissions to Ivy Anderson.
Types of Connections Counted: Direct Logins and Deep Links
Continuing the practice begun in FY2003, the connections that are counted are of two types: direct logins and deep links. Below is a snapshot of totals in each category, followed by more detailed explanations.
|
Type of Connection |
Number |
Percent |
| Direct Logins | 3,619,096 | 85% |
| Deep Links - Unattributed | 480,803 | 11% |
| Deep Links - Attributed (via SFX) | 168,215 | 4% |
| Deep Links - All Types | 649,018 | 15% |
|
Totals |
4,268,114 |
100% |
A direct login is counted each time a successful connection is made to the entry page of a given resource – i.e. the page that is linked to by the Harvard-assigned URN. These logins are counted regardless of whether the connection is made via the Harvard Libraries portal, from a Harvard library (or other) web page, or through an individual user's bookmark for the resource.
A deep link is counted whenever a connection is made to an individual article or other component item of the resource, either directly using a proxy-aware URL, or via FindIt@Harvard (Harvard's SFX service). Deep links may be of two types: attributed and unattributed.
Unattributeddeep links: Deep links outside of SFX generally cannot be attributed to the resources to which they belong. In all, these unattributed deep links (identified in the tables as 'deep links to Portal resources') accounted for 480,803 connections, or 11.3% of all use. This represents a higher level of use than any single resource.
Attributed deep links: When SFX is used to facilitate the connection, an attribution to the correct resource can usually be made. Attributed SFX-based links totaled 168,215 connections. SFX links that cannot be attributed to a specific resource are counted in the total statistics for unattributed deep links above.
Taken together, attributed and unattributed deep links accounted for 15% of all FY04 use, up from 11% in FY03. This figure is evidence of a continued rise in item-level linking, generally in the form of direct access to journal articles. Sources of such links include electronic reserves and course web pages, reference links from one article to another (generally via SFX), and end-user bookmarks.
When evaluating usage, it is useful to be aware that the degree of deep linking is not uniform across either resources or faculties. Deep links can be created for any resource that supports persistent URLs, but some resources, such as LexisNexis, do not currently provide this feature. The differential adoption among the Harvard faculties of electronic reserves, course websites, and similar services also affects the usage statistics pertaining to deep links. Differences in the prevalence of deep linking across faculties and the degree to which such links are unattributable will affect the percentage of usage that can be accurately attributed to a Harvard faculty for any given resource.
New Category: Statistics by Package
With the implementation of Harvard ERM, the University Librarys new eresource management system, we are now able to identify electronic resources not only by vendor, but also according to the financial package arrangement through which a resource has been purchased. This information will be particularly useful when a given purchase includes multiple components. Accordingly, we are now posting combined usage statistics for packages that include two or more resources. Package statistics are also provided for resources that are managed as if they were a single unit, such as free-with-print titles from many publishers). Vendor statistics will continue to be posted when two or more packages are licensed from a given vendor.Resources Added During FY2004
A total of 777 new resources were added to the portal in FY 2004, including some 704 electronic journals. For these resources, the statistics that have been gathered represent less than a full year of usage data. The number of months that each resource with partial year data has been available online is displayed directly beneath its title in the detailed usage table for that resource (see example at Empire Online). If the number of months online is not displayed, the resource was available for the entire twelve month period.
When comparing usage among resources, divide the totals for each resource by the months online to derive comparable monthly figures.
Users with More Than One Faculty Assignment
A small percentage of all logins during FY2004 were by individuals who are recorded under more than one Harvard faculty in the University's administrative systems. This may represent, for example, persons who are employees of one faculty and students in another, faculty who teach in more than one school, students pursuing multiple degrees, or similar circumstances (up to three such affiliations can be recorded). In consultation with the libraries, these sessions have been divided equally among the relevant faculties as fractional numbers. Thus, if a particular Medline login is associated with both the Medical School and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, it will be recorded as .5 for each faculty.
Undetermined Faculty Assignment
Less than 1% of all user logins during FY2004 lack a faculty assignment in the portal logs. This problem may result from incomplete data in the University's LDAP database (e.g. due to a reporting time lag for new ID card holders), or from some other unidentified factor. In order to provide as complete a picture of portal resource activity as possible, sessions which lack a faculty assignment are included in the session totals for each resource and vendor, with the caption "Undetermined." These figures have been excluded from the total in calculating the percentage of overall use reported for a given faculty in the detailed tables by resource and vendor, since a chief goal of the faculty breakdown is to assess relative usage among Harvard faculties for cost allocation purposes.