Inferring user behaviour from journal access figures

Dawson, A. (1998) Inferring user behaviour from journal access figures. Serials Librarian, 35 (3). pp. 31-41. ISSN 0361-526X (https://doi.org/10.1300/J123v35n03_03)

[thumbnail of strathprints002287.htm] HTML. Filename: strathprints002287.htm
Accepted Author Manuscript

Download (26kB)

Abstract

Using the BUBL Journals service as a rich source of data, this article outlines different methods of measuring usage of electronic journals, suggests that different types of access may be mapped to the user activities of browsing, reading and searching, and draws some inferences about why different titles have differing patterns of usage. It also proposes that by measuring the 'search-to-browse' ratio of a journal it is possible to assess whether journals are being used primarily for research and reference purposes or mainly for current awareness and casual browsing.