COUNTER Codes of Practice
The COUNTER Codes of Practice set standards for the recording, reporting, and delivery of usage statistics from vendors (publishers, aggregators, etc) to libraries.
COUNTER
COUNTER (Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources) is an international initiative to improve the reliability of usage statistics for online publications. Its aim is to develop Codes of Practice which will enable vendors (e.g. publishers, aggregators, etc) to generate credible, compatible, consistent usage statistics for the global information community.
COUNTER was initially formed by the PALS group in 2001. PALS (Publisher and Library/Learning Solutions) was a forum for publishers and librarians to discuss issues arising from electronic publishing and develop joint solutions. PALS set up a number of working groups to tackle specific problems, and the Usage Statistics working group was tasked with developing a code of practice. When the first code of practice was agreed by vendors and librarians in 2002, COUNTER became a separate organisation.
What it is
The COUNTER Codes of Practice set standards for the recording, reporting, and delivery of usage statistics from vendors (publishers, aggregators, etc) to libraries. Currently there are Codes of Practice for:
- Journals and databases, Release 2, April 2005
- Books and reference works, Release 1, March 2006.
Each Code of Practice specifies a set of core usage reports that are easily implemented by vendors and easily understood by librarians. The Codes specify:
- Data elements to be measured
- Definitions of these data elements
- Usage report content, format, frequency, and methods of delivery
- Protocols for combining usage reports from direct use and from use via intermediaries
- Guidelines for data processing by vendors
- Auditing protocols.
How it Works
Each Code of Practice is developed in consultation with vendors and librarians. When a new release is issued, it becomes effective January of the following year, replacing any previous release.
Vendors use the Codes of Practice to generate usage reports for library customers and deliver them in appropriate formats, e.g. Excel spreadsheets. It is up to the individual libraries to decide how the statistics will be used. COUNTER offers training courses for librarians.
A key area of interest is aggregating statistics from different vendors. NISO’s SUSHI (Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative) will make this easier. The SUSHI web services protocol will enable library ERMS to harvest usage reports from compliant vendors and import them into local systems automatically.
Compliance
The Register of Vendors lists the vendor products/services that comply with the COUNTER Codes of Practice. For each Code, compliant vendors are listed and their specific reports that comply. In May 2007, there were over 60 vendors providing COUNTER-compliant usage reports for over 9,000 full-text journals, as well as for a growing number of databases.
The process for being designated COUNTER compliant is briefly as follows. Vendors apply to COUNTER indicating which products/services should be considered compliant and which particular reports for each service. COUNTER then arranges for the vendor’s usage reports to be tested for compliance at a COUNTER library test site for up to 3 months. There are 7 test sites, 5 in the UK and 2 in the USA. If the outcome is successful, the vendor services are added to the Register. COUNTER therefore decides if a vendor is compliant, not the vendor itself.
From 2007, vendors must agree to have their usage reports audited in order to maintain their COUNTER-compliant status. Such an audit is carried out within 18 months of the date of entry into the Registry, and annually thereafter. The audit is done by an independent auditor using test scripts prepared by COUNTER. The auditing process is outlined in each Code of Practice.
The Standard
The Codes of Practice and supporting documentation can be found on the COUNTER web site. In addition to increasing the number of compliant vendors, COUNTER will continue to improve and refine the Codes of Practice and extend the range of content covered by them. Specific issues currently being addressed include:
- Reporting of archival usage
- Setting standards for the usage of content held by institutional repositories
- Pre-fetching
- Federated searches.
COUNTER in the PALS Programmes
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COUNTER Filter
– COUNTER developed a ‘unique article’ filter to compensate for the inflation of usage statistics caused by certain vendor interfaces and did a survey of current vendor practice on implementing unique article identifiers.
Further Information