COUNTER in context: a case study on journal package usage

Abstract

Abstract This study assesses electronic journal usage for subscription packages and discusses the challenges for librarians to interpret COUNTER data accurately. By correlating usage and holding data from two different types of vendor, COUNTER 5 Title Master Report and Electronic Holdings Report, the authors were able to review journal usage in a larger context and gain insights into how usage was affected by other factors, such as journal access models and vendor platform design. While the findings showed a high percentage of overall usage for subscription journals, one surprising result was the usage of non-subscribed journal titles in all COUNTER metrics.