what's an item access? What's an item?

[Jody DeRidder]

In the analytics working group that Joyce Chapman is coordinating (thank you, Joyce!)  we are making an effort to agree on definitions and best practices for Google Analytics (GA) information capture.  The point of this is so that when an author/institution says they use the DLF best practices for GA measurements, and then share their results, we will know what those measurements actually mean (agreed upon parameters and definitions).  Thus we won't be comparing apples to oranges, and we can build on one another's research and usability tests.

But when looking at how document (or item) access is defined, we realize there may be different definitions either by type of content, by how the material is presented in the system, or just lack of consensus. (We are considering downloads separately.)

What do YOU consider an item (or document) access when you are collecting analytics on web usage of your digital content?  By getting some input from a range of institutions, we hope to better understand the scope of the issue, and also identify potential areas of agreement.

With your response, please identify your digital library system (for example, DSpace, Fedora/BlackLight, DLXS, CONTENTdm, etc.).  If how you measure differs based on type of material, please share how you define it differently.

An example response might be:

Image access = viewing the mid to large size image (not the thumbnail)... in CONTENTdm

Grey lit document access = viewing any of the versions in PDF or WORD, but not viewing the transcript/OCR or data sets... in DSpace

Audio access = listening to any portion of the intellectual item for any length of time, but not viewing the transcript ... in our homegrown system

We would be grateful for your perspectives on what you consider document access.  Thank you for sharing and contributing to the effort to find common ground!

Jody DeRidder

University of Alabama

[joyce.chapman]

Hey all, the analytics sub-group is really hoping to get some input on the issue of how you define or limit what you count as "access" for your digital content in analytics. Can anyone share how it's done at their institution? See Jody's email below. Anything helps!

Thanks, Joyce