Assessing Return on Investment for
E-Resources: A Cross-Institutional
Analysis of Cost-Per-Use Data
Patrick L. Carr
North Carolina Serials Conference
Chapel Hill. March 10, 2011
“Print was simpler.”
This
has been replaced by…
From Appendix B of the 2004 report
of the Digital Library Federation’s
Electronic Resources Management
Initiative.
This
Has been replaced by…
From Appendix B of the 2004 report
of the Digital Library Federation’s
Electronic Resources Management
Initiative.
Indeed:
This
“Print was simpler.”
Has been replaced by…
From Appendix B of the 2004 report
of the Digital Library Federation’s
Electronic Resources Management
Initiative.
Indeed:
This
“Print was simpler.”
Not when it comes to use-based
evaluations.
Has been replaced by…
From Appendix B of the 2004 report
of the Digital Library Federation’s
Electronic Resources Management
Initiative.
Circulation
data
Subjective
impression
of use
Table count
Check-off
method
Methods
for
assessing
print use
Surveys
Thomas E.
Nisonger,
Management of
Serials in Libraries
(Englewood,
Colorado: Libraries
Unlimited, 1998):
160-65.
Slip method
Adhesive
labels
Direct
observation
Call slip
analysis
ILL request
analysis
Photocopy
request
analysis
Circulation
data
Subjective
impression
of use
Table count
Check-off
method
Slip method
We have far
assess use
Surveys
Thomas E.
Nisonger,
Management of
Serials in Libraries
(Englewood,
Colorado: Libraries
Unlimited, 1998):
160-65.
Methods
for
superior
assessing tools to
print
use
of
e-resources.
Direct
observation
Adhesive
labels
Call slip
analysis
ILL request
analysis
Photocopy
request
analysis
Cost-Per-Use:
Annual Subscription Cost
÷
Annual Use
Cost-Per-Use:
Should always be considered in
the context of qualitative
measures of ROI.
Cost-Per-Use:
A powerful tool for assessing
return on investment.
Cost-Per-Use:
A powerful tool for assessing
return on investment.
But are we using CPU data to its
fullest potential?
Chuck Hamaker’s idea: A crossinstitutional analysis of CPU data
&
Carnegie Classifications
Student
Population
Basic Class
2009 ASERL Statistics
E-Journals
E-Journal
Subscriptions Expenditure
(5.a.i)
(23)
East Carolina
University
27,654
Doctoral /
Research
Universities
47,274
$3,030,342
UNCCharlotte
24,701
Doctoral /
Research
Universities
24,224
$2,117,660
UNCGreensboro
21,306
Research
35,892
Universities
(high research
activity)
$2,769,122
UNCWilmington
12,924
Master's
Colleges and
Universities
(larger
programs)
Caveat: Data is
generally from
2009 (complete
2010 data wasn’t
yet available)
Caveat: The
coverage ranges
for cost and use
data didn’t
always overlap
completely.
Caveat: Data is
generally from
2009 (complete
2010 data wasn’t
yet available)
Caveat:
Institution-byinstitution
access
sometimes
differed .
Caveat: The
coverage ranges
for cost and use
data didn’t
always overlap
completely.
Caveat: Data is
generally from
2009 (complete
2010 data wasn’t
yet available)
Caveat: Not all
sources of use
data were
COUNTER
compliant.
Caveat:
Institution-byinstitution
access
sometimes
differed.
Caveat: The
coverage ranges
for cost and use
data didn’t
always overlap
completely.
Caveat: Data is
generally from
2009 (complete
2010 data wasn’t
yet available)
We can’t really use this study’s
Caveat: Not all
Caveat: Data is
Caveat: The
Caveat:
sources ofresults
use
generally from
coverage
ranges
to
make
sweeping
Institution-bydata were
2009 (complete
for cost and use
institution
COUNTER
2010 data wasn’t
data didn’t
conclusions.
access
compliant.
yet available)
always overlap
sometimes
differed.
completely.
Five Categories of Resources
1. Publisher journal packages
Commercial publishers
Society publishers
University presses
2.
3.
4.
5.
Full-text aggregators
Site licenses to journals
Indexing & abstracting databases
Other stuff
Publisher Journal Packages
Resource
Blackwell Synergy
Average CPU
UNC Charlotte
ECU
CPU
CPU
UNC Wilmington UNC Greensboro
CPU
CPU
$11.51
$11.46
$7.59
$20.12
$6.88
Elsevier ScienceDirect
$5.65
$3.89
$4.06
$8.56
$6.08
Emerald EMX
$3.16
$1.10
$3.75
$5.08
$2.72
Sage Premier
$6.15
$4.42
$4.79
$10.25
$5.15
Springerlink
$10.49
$9.06
$6.64
$15.17
$11.08
Wiley
$14.43
$14.17
$12.72
$23.64
$7.20
ACM Digital Library
$6.85
$2.42
$4.73
$5.71
$14.54
ACS Web Editions
$5.32
$4.72
$4.84
$6.41
Annual Reviews
$4.21
$4.22
$3.14
IEEE/IEE Electronic Library
$17.73
$5.91
$13.40
Institute of Physics
$23.95
$19.78
$28.11
Royal Society of Chemistry
$34.51
$20.98
$38.06
$44.50
Cambridge University Press
$7.28
$8.59
$8.27
$5.86
E-Duke Scholarly Collection
$5.35
$4.73
$6.94
Oxford University Press
$5.24
$4.13
$3.77
ResearchNow (BEPress)
$6.79
$7.90
$5.68
$5.27
$33.87
$6.40
$4.39
$6.56
$6.49
Average $10.54 $7.97 $9.78 $15.48 $6.93
Publisher Journal Packages - Commercial
Resource
Blackwell Synergy
Elsevier
ScienceDirect
Emerald EMX
Sage Premier
Springerlink
Wiley
Average
Average
CPU
UNC
Charlotte
ECU
CPU
CPU
UNC
UNC
Wilmington Greensboro
CPU
CPU
$11.51
$11.46
$7.59
$20.12
$6.88
$5.65
$3.16
$6.15
$10.49
$14.43
$8.57
$3.89
$1.10
$4.42
$9.06
$14.17
$7.35
$4.06
$3.75
$4.79
$6.64
$12.72
$6.59
$8.56
$5.08
$10.25
$15.17
$23.64
$13.80
$6.08
$2.72
$5.15
$11.08
$7.20
$6.52
Publisher Journal Packages - Society
Resource
ACM Digital
Library
ACS Web Editions
Annual Reviews
IEEE/IEE Electronic
Library
Institute of
Physics
Royal Society of
Chemistry
Average
Average
CPU
UNC
Charlotte
ECU
CPU
CPU
UNC
UNC
Wilmington Greensboro
CPU
$6.85
$5.32
$4.21
$2.42
$4.72
$4.22
$4.73
$4.84
$3.14
$5.71
$6.41
$17.73
$5.91
$13.40
$33.87
$23.95
$19.78
$28.11
$34.51
$15.43
$20.98
$9.67
$38.06
$15.38
CPU
$14.54
$5.27
$44.50
$22.62
$9.91
Publisher Journal Packages - University Presses
Resource
Cambridge
University Press
E-Duke Scholarly
Collection
Oxford University
Press
ResearchNow
(BEPress)
Average
Average
CPU
UNC
Charlotte
ECU
CPU
CPU
$7.28
$8.59
$8.27
$5.35
$4.73
$6.94
$5.24
$4.13
$3.77
$6.79
$7.90
$5.68
$6.17
$6.34
$6.17
UNC
UNC
Wilmington Greensboro
CPU
$5.86
CPU
$6.40
$4.39
$6.56
$6.49
$6.21
$5.76
Full-Text Aggregators
Resource
ATLA Religion
CIAO: Columbia
Int. Affairs Online
Communication &
Mass Media
Complete
EconLit
Literature
Resource Center
Project Muse
PsycArticles
SPORTdiscus
Average
Average
CPU
UNC
Charlotte
ECU
CPU
CPU
UNC
UNC
Wilmington Greensboro
CPU
CPU
$4.34
$1.25
$1.62
$8.90
$5.61
$2.07
$1.67
$3.96
$2.15
$0.51
$0.52
$3.84
$0.03
$3.49
$0.63
$0.89
$0.53
$4.18
$3.68
$1.84
$0.61
$0.55
$2.18
$2.91
$1.29
$0.27
$0.35
$1.41
$1.96
$1.06
$0.35
$1.60
$7.15
$2.18
$0.54
$0.96
$3.25
$0.99
$1.94
$0.58
$2.05
Site Licenses to Individual Journals
Resource
Nature
Nature
Biotechnology
Nature Cell
Biology
Nature Genetics
Nature
Medicine
Nature
Structural &
Molecular
Biology
Science
Average
Average
CPU
UNC
Charlotte
ECU
CPU
CPU
UNC
UNC
Wilmington Greensboro
CPU
$5.35
CPU
$3.71
$3.08
$3.01
$24.70
$18.00
$16.75
$39.36
$42.92
$20.62
$55.59
$14.82
$13.10
$12.04
$60.07
$35.01
$20.61
$26.71
$7.13
$27.98
$50.34
$2.42
$23.62
$28.07
$1.98
$21.18
$13.51
$1.62
$9.59
$109.45
$2.35
$39.05
$3.41
$3.71
$28.26
Indexing & Abstracting Services
Average CPU
Resource
Abstracts in Social Gerontology
America, History and Life
Avery Index to Architectural Per.
Engineering Village (Compendex)
Film and Television Lit Index
Historical Abstracts
Journal Citation Reports Web
Mathscinet
MLA International Bibliography
Music Index Online
Oxford English Dictionary Online
Philosopher's Index
Polling the Nations
RILM Abstracts of Music Lit.
Social Work Abstracts
Ulrichs Periodicals Directory
Web of Science
Average
$0.13
$0.41
$0.48
$16.38
$0.05
$0.49
$7.99
$0.73
$0.15
$1.09
$0.43
$1.04
$5.78
$0.48
$0.13
$2.02
$1.80
$2.33
UNC Charlotte
ECU
UNC
Wilmington
CPU
CPU
CPU
$0.04
$0.12
$0.28
$2.54
$0.04
$0.13
$5.25
$0.11
$0.17
$2.89
$1.01
$0.69
$8.84
$0.08
$0.08
$4.32
$0.92
$1.62
$0.66
$30.22
$0.07
$0.77
$8.00
$0.25
$0.21
$0.28
$0.46
$0.16
$1.57
$0.12
$2.24
$3.46
$0.20
$0.23
$10.73
$1.72
$0.12
$0.09
$0.08
$2.26
$2.71
$0.10
$0.86
$1.18
$1.69
UNC
Greensboro
CPU
$0.21
$0.64
$0.69
$0.05
$0.82
$0.85
$0.09
$0.16
$0.16
$0.19
$0.89
$2.87
$0.64
Other Resources
Resource
American Periodical
Series Online
(archival fee)
Dictionary of
National Biography
Historical Statistics of
the United States
(archival fee)
JSTOR (archival fee)
Proquest
Dissertations &
Theses
Times (London)
Digital Archive
Average
CPU
UNC
Charlotte
ECU
CPU
CPU
UNC
UNC
Wilmington Greensboro
CPU
CPU
$1.17
$1.48
$1.43
$0.61
$4.02
$8.00
$2.61
$2.50
$2.96
$0.55
$0.26
$0.38
$0.12
$0.16
$0.96
$0.36
$0.30
$0.40
$2.20
$2.30
$2.10
$1.10
$1.36
$0.84
Three Questions
Three Questions
 What does a cross-institutional CPU
analysis actually tell us?
Three Questions
 What does a cross-institutional CPU
analysis actually tell us?
 How can we use what it tells us?
Three Questions
 What does a cross-institutional CPU
analysis actually tell us?
 How can we use what it tells us?
 Where do we go from here?
Questions/Comments
Patrick L. Carr
Head of Electronic & Continuing Resource Acquisitions
Joyner Library
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina 27858
email: carrp@ecu.edu
phone: 252-328-2266