General Situation:
Response (3/28/16) via Brandon: Ex Libris and ProQuest are currently reviewing their 3 statistical packages (UStat, Alma Analytics and Intota) and determining what they want to do with them in a merged Ex Libris/ProQuest environment.
Response (6/29/16) via Brandon: Ex Libris does not plan to offer a data loading service as a free or paid service to Alma customers for several reasons (mostly financial) and would go so far to opine that they would probably not offer it to current SS/PQ customers for much longer based on their response to this question at the Exec meeting.
Detailed response to some specific questions: PDF distributed by Patrick (6/29/16)
Initial questions
- Whether/how to migrate current and historical usage data stored in USTAT into ALMA Analytics
Response (3/28/16) via Brandon: Any usage data or SUSHI configurations setup in the test instance will be overwritten during the final load in Spring 2017. Ex LIbris is currently planning to merge/bring UStat into ALMA, but has not yet addressed what that means for data currently hosted within UStat.
Follow-up: Any progress on whether current USTAT data (and/or configurations) can/will be automatically loaded into ALMA? Or best practices for migrating usage data prior to go live date? (Or can we assume we will need to download USTAT data ourselves and manually upload it into Alma.)
- Migrating/re-establishing SUSHI configurations (e.g. from current USTAT instances to ALMA)
Ex Libris Response (3/28/16): Any SUSHI configurations setup in the test instance will be overwritten during the final load in Spring 2017
Follow-up: Any progress on whether current SUSHI configurations (e.g. from USTAT) can/will be loaded into ALMA automatically, or will we need to re-enter each account manually?
- Availability of usage statistics during Test Phase (June 2016 - May 2017)
Response (3/30/16) via Brandon: I will ask ExL to update us on their plans in as much detail as they can currently provide as well as address what functionality will be present in our test instances.
- USTAT Availability From 2016 Q3 to Go Live Date
Response (3/28/16) via Brandon: Ex Libris announced in Feb 2016 that the ALMA roadmap for 2016 Q3 includes uploading and SUSHI retrieval of COUNTER usage data moving from UStat to ALMA. As part of this transition, UStat will no longer be available to ALMA customers.
Follow-up: We are waiting to learn whether a potential cutover from USTAT to Alma in 2016 Q3 applies to CSU libraries since we will only have a test instance of ALMA at that time.
- ALMA support for COUNTER reports
Response (3/28/16): Ex Libris is contractually obligated to support all COUNTER reports by June 2017, and Brandon and David will get a development update from Ex Libris soon. Currently, UStat supports COUNTER reports JR1 (with manual or SUSHI upload) and DB1 (manual upload only.) Ex Libris announced in Feb 2016 that the ALMA roadmap for 2016 Q3 includes uploading and SUSHI retrieval of COUNTER usage data moving from UStat to ALMA.
Response (6/8/16) via email: “In the initial stages support for PR1 and JR1a will be added. At a later stage additional types will also be supported. This is in addition to the existing JR1, DB1, BR1 and BR2.”
Follow-up: Specifically would like to get a sense of when the very valuable JR5 reports will be included.
- Support for loading non-COUNTER compliant usage data
Response (6/28/16) via Patrick: The library loads the COUNTER report data.
Follow-up: Does this mean there will be no support for non-COUNTER data
Data-Loading Service Possibilities
- Any potential for data-loading service and functionality via Alma (similar to Intota)
Response (3/28/16) via Brandon: Asked Ex Libris about the possibility of a data loading service being part of the new ALMA Analytics platform, and is awaiting a response. He pointed out that Ex Libris and ProQuest may not yet have determined the feasibility of bringing this functionality into ALMA. He assumes that the current ALMA Analytics functionality for data loading strongly resembles UStat.
Response (6/28/16) via Patrick: The library loads the COUNTER report data, not (as the question infers) “someone (Ex Libris staff or the existing PQWS folks)”. It is way more than twice a year. The SUSHI harvesting is weekly and can also be done “on demand” if desired. The manual uploading is “whenever you want”
Response (6/29/16) via Brandon: Ex Libris does not plan to offer a data loading service as a free or paid service to Alma customers for several reasons (mostly financial) and would go so far to opine that they would probably not offer it to current SS/PQ customers for much longer based on their response to this question at the Exec meeting.
- Possible ProQuest Intota subscriptions
Brandon (3/28/16): In response to a query about providing a subscription to Intota for all campuses, Brandon mentioned that there are limited funds at the Chancellor's Office at this time and this request would be competing with other needs put forth by the libraries. He also cautions about adopting a third-party system that isn't integrated with ALMA since such a configuration defeats the purpose of a unified system. That being said, he completely understands the desire for a data loading service, and hopes we can provide Ex Libris with some impetus towards bringing the best of Intota Assessment into ALMA.
Response (6/29/16) via Brandon: Ex Libris does not plan to offer a data loading service as a free or paid service to Alma customers for several reasons (mostly financial) and would go so far to opine that they would probably not offer it to current SS/PQ customers for much longer based on their response to this question at the Exec meeting.
Desired Data Loading Functionality
(e.g. e-resource usage data management more similar to Intota than USTAT)
Responses received 6/28/16 in email from Patrick (with PDF attached to this page):
Data Retrieval Functions
- Data Retrieval Service - customer maintains the log-ins and someone (ExL staff or the existing PQWS folks) retrieves the COUNTER reports twice per year and loads them.
The library loads the COUNTER report data, not (as the question infers) “someone (Ex Libris staff or the existing PQWS folks)”. It is way more than twice a year. The SUSHI harvesting is weekly and can also be done “on demand” if desired. The manual uploading is “whenever you want”
2. Usage of the same title available on different platforms.
Question: Into provides this, and it would be very helpful for determining whether usage of a title comes from the holdings in a database such as Academic Complete (with an embargo period of 12 months) or from the subscription you maintain to get access to the 12 months of content that isn’t available due to the embargo.
Response: Alma analytics can also show one title and usage on several different platforms. Email included a screenshot of a report for title ‘ASEAN Economic Bulletin’ shows level of use on EBSCOHost, JSTOR, GOLD, and ProQuest.
3. SUSHI service - clear error reports and ability to correct and then re-harvest
Yes, data can be uploaded and then deleted and then re-uploaded. Error report provided by system (JB: seems similar to USTAT error messages).
4. Duplication safeguards - if the same report is uploaded more than once, or duplicated by a SUSHI harvest, the stats are not duplicated within Analytics
If a user tried to upload duplicate data they get a message: The following overlapping data was found. Note that this data will be deleted if you continue with the current download process. (JB: seems similar to USTAT messages).
5. Ability to download raw reports from Analytics for local use
Yes this can be done and it can be done in a wide variety of formats.
See also the following two presentations at https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Materials/Overview_Materials/Presentations_and_Documents
Analytics - Sample library measures and KPIs using Alma Analytics.pptx
Analytics - Overview of Usage Data subject area.pptx
6. Ability to upload reports to Analytics
Must be loaded to Alma, with a daily ETL from Alma to Analytics
7. Ability to view the harvested or uploaded reports within the Analytics interface for troubleshooting
Yes, this is possible. You can also view the specific reports in the Alma interface and in the case of “trouble shooting” it is recommended to use the Alma interface. (screenshot in PDF)
8. Authority title matching to reduce duplicate listings and ensure statistics are properly associated with titles held on multiple platforms; ability to manually match titles where automated matching has been unsuccessful
There is no ability to manually match titles. We have not encountered situations where this has been needed. (screenshot of matching criteria in PDF)
Reporting Functions
- Incorporate data from Books in Print, Resources for College Libraries, and Ulrich's
On the roadmap - Intota assessment can include usage for Open Access journals, or on open access articles inside non-open access journals.
Alma can get usage for data which comes from COUNTER reports. Alma can also get usage from the Alma Link resolver. - Overlap analysis: journals, ebooks and streaming as currently on the Intota development timeline. Including functionality to check against external collections and unowned packages
Overlap analysis can be done already. It can be done on collections owned by the library (portfolios in multiple collections) and it can be done in Alma analytics.
In Q4 2016 it will be possible to check overlap with portfolios / collections in institution and in Community Zone.
It is also possible in Alma and in Alma analytics to create reports on “duplicate titles” (titles with inventory both physical and electronic). - Ability to include/exclude platform & access fees from cost per use reports
The price is taken from the invoice lines of the POL and cannot be selectively removed.
See https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Materials/Overview_Materials/Presentations_and_Documents
Analytics - Overview of calculation of the cost per use in the Cost Usage subject area with DB and JR1.pptx
Analytics - Overview of Usage Data subject area.pptx - Intota’s planned proportional pricing enhancements to provide more accurate title costs across a package
The Alma method of determining cost per use is very exact and precise.
See https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Materials/Overview_Materials/Presentations_and_Documents
Analytics - Overview of calculation of the cost per use in the Cost Usage subject area with DB and JR1.pptx” referred to above at:
Desired functions not currently in Intota and unknown with regard to Alma Analytics:
- "Out-of-the-box" reports corresponding to all collections questions for the major surveys
- Most of them are now available, but a few of the trickier ones like title count are not
Alma analytics has a very vast, well used and proven set of OOB reports.
- Most of them are now available, but a few of the trickier ones like title count are not
- Automated collection analyses to aid in decision making, including benchmarking. May be part of ExL’s KPI work.
Overlap analysis (portfolios in collections) and duplicate titles (physical and electronic) we have. Benchmarking and KPIs are on the roadmap - Clearly identify BR2 (e-book usage) report "Section Type" (e.g. chapter, section, page, etc.)
A report of display titles for BR2 with the “Book Success Section Requests” is available in the PDF
Clarification: This appears they cannot identify the specific type of section being reported - JB - User-configurable adjuster for estimated average chapter length to allow better comparison between e-book platforms that report BR2 usage by page vs by chapter
- This would allow for more realistic "top performers" or cost-per-use reports across the collection
- As it currently stands, the usage stats from aggregators like PQ and EBSCO, as well as encyclopedias and similar reference titles, overwhelm and hide the usage from PDF-chapter-oriented platforms (JSTOR, MUSE, most publisher sites)
- Development plans include creating a place to store, manage and use data from non-bibliographic services (study room usage, lib instruction sessions, etc.) in various analyses.
It is not possible to upload data directly to Alma analytics. The data comes to Alma Analytics via Alma. In the case of the usage data: COUNTER reports are loaded to Alma, then from Alma there is a daily ETL to Alma analytics.