E‐measures: developing statistical measures for electronic information services

Purpose. Describes the work of the e‐measures project, which aims to produce a set of statistics for measuring electronic information services in UK higher education libraries, to be used nationally as part of the Annual Library Statistics produced by the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) and locally for library decision making and user support. Design/methodology/approach. A group of 25 higher education libraries are piloting a range of 21 e‐measures covering holdings, usage and costs of electronic services. Data collected over a four‐month period in phase 1 are currently being analysed and a review of issues raised will inform case studies planned for phase 2. Findings. Issues raised by phase 1 of the project are presented here. Reports from pilot libraries illustrate both the importance of the work being undertaken and its complexity. Research limitations/implications. The project has highlighted the issues involved in the collection of data for measuring use of electronic information services and drawn attention to the difficulties in getting reliable, consistent data. Practical implications. After testing by the pilot libraries, selected e‐measures will be incorporated into the SCONUL Annual Library Statistics, to be collected on a regular basis by all SCONUL libraries. Libraries will also have a greater understanding of their use of electronic resources through the guidance and support provided by the project. Originality/value. This paper, in describing the results of phase 1 of the e‐measures project, increases awareness of the project and the understanding of the issues involved in collecting data for e‐measures.