Department of Collections: Collections Assessment Procedures

The Collections Assessment Team (CAT) supports Collections by providing the necessary usage statistics data used for collection development and analysis.  The data is used for effective decision making concerning the acquisition, renewal, and retention of the Library’s electronic resources.

CAT collects usage statistics for electronic journals and journal packages, e-books, databases, and multimedia resources.  Statistics are collected through various platforms including vendor portals, websites, and through emails. The data is then stored and maintained on the University Libraries shared internal drives.  We also utilize commercial software such as CELUS to facilitate data harvesting and analysis.

COUNTER is an acronym which stands for Counting Online Usage of NeTworked Electronic Resources. The COUNTER Code of Practice for e-Resources facilitates the recording, exchange and interpretation of online usage data for journals, databases, e-books, and multimedia resources. COUNTER is designed for librarians and vendors who require online usage statistics.

Whenever available, COUNTER statistics are preferred. These measurements enable librarians to compare statistics from different vendors, and to make better informed purchasing and collection management decisions. The usage information and services measured using the COUNTER Codes of Practice are deemed more reliable and consistent than other forms of usage measurements. 

Release 5 of the COUNTER Code of Practice was implemented in 2019. All COUNTER compliant vendors should provide usage statistics that conform to this release.

Not all vendors provide COUNTER compliant usage statistics. Many vendors provide usage statistics in a non-COUNTER format either through their main website or through monthly email notifications.

When non-COUNTER compliant usage statistics are received we convert this non-standard format into a COUNTER format. It is important however to make sure that what is being counted in the non-standard format is equivalent to the COUNTER format.