Shared Purchase-Shared Responsibility: A Stewardship Tool for Consistent E-Usage Evaluation

As electronic databases absorb an ever-increasing amount of a library&s;s former print resources, it is important that librarians look for systematic methods to evaluate how well these resources meet our users’ needs. Unlike print resources, where librarians have the ability to analyze (however imperfect these metrics may be) how often a book has been checked out of the library or how often a periodical has been reshelved, analyzing the usage and the usefulness of databases present fairly different problems. What kinds of usage statistics are available; what patterns emerge, both monthly and yearly? Is information available about turnaways? Are users finding the information they want? Finally, do the results from gathering usage statistics, whether from internal or external sources, justify the cost of collecting usage statistics? Even surveys of users may not produce the information that is needed about individual database use. Collection development librarians have always had to rely on their professional knowledge and subject expertise or experience in order to understand how patrons are most likely to use library resources. However, in the current environment of proliferating and competing electronic resources, and where access rather than ownership of information has become the norm, it is even more important that librarians effectively use what data are available. The stewardship model is one tool that incorporates a consistent method of evaluating and interpreting data about the content and usage of the database itself.