~Automatic access to usage data helps librarians make more-informed choices about the resources their libraries provide~

Birmingham, Ala. – Jan. 11, 2012 – EBSCO has released EBSCONET® Usage Consolidation, a tool designed to help librarians collect, consolidate, and report on the usage of their online collections.

This cost-effective tool lets librarians load COUNTER reports from any COUNTER-compliant content provider; it also supports both manual loading of COUNTER reports and automated harvesting and loading using SUSHI. And its reporting options help librarians identify the most- and least-used resources in their collections, show the publishers and platforms turned to most often by users, and more. In addition, EBSCONET Usage Consolidation integrates with EBSCO’s other services, such as EBSCONET® Subscription Management, where usage data is directly available in the library’s account so librarians can make well-informed decisions about subscriptions, e-packages, and other e-resources at the point of need and as part of a library’s normal workflow.

Because of the real-time connection between EBSCONET Subscription Management and the data in Usage Consolidation, librarians can see overall title usage and cost-per-use details — both at the individual title level and, through EBSCONET’s reporting functionality, in the context of their other e-journal subscriptions. Also in EBSCONET Subscription Management, EBSCO A-to-Z® holdings information, including all locations of titles and coverage for each, can be viewed instantly. This high level of integration allows librarians to instantly access usage and holdings in a single interface, enabling them to make more-informed collection development decisions.

“Our philosophy is that usage tools should be good at collecting usage data and should provide usage details to those other applications where users are most likely to do their analysis. By making usage available at the point of need, analysis becomes part of your normal workflow, not something requiring additional steps,” says Oliver Pesch, Chief Strategist for E-Resource Access and Management Services, EBSCO Information Services.

And for Usage Consolidation customers with limited time and staff, EBSCO offers the option to outsource the configuration, harvesting, and loading of usage data to its Usage Loading Service. EBSCO’s highly-skilled team takes over the labor-intensive tasks of managing the library’s usage statistics, alleviating the demands placed on small library staffs and affording librarians more time to analyze and improve the quality of their collections.

About EBSCO

Established in 1944, EBSCO is the world’s leading information agent, providing consultative services and cutting-edge technology for managing and accessing quality content, including print and e-journals, e-packages, research databases, eBooks and more. Now more than ever libraries and research organizations are looking for new ways to manage their collections more efficiently. EBSCO has developed the most comprehensive “e” discovery and management solutions, offering unparalleled integration to help librarians save time and money while empowering their users.

EBSCO serves clients in more than 200 countries through our 30 offices worldwide with more than 140 librarians on staff. To learn more about EBSCO’s products and services, visit www.ebsco.com.

For more information, please contact:
Rossi Morris
Media Relations Coordinator
EBSCO Corporate Communications
www.twitter.com/EBSCOInfoSvcs
rmorris@ebsco.com
205-980-3885