Open-Access-Statistik

Anyone who publishes wants to be read and noticed. This applies just as much to the academic sphere as it does to fiction and non-fiction. Open Access posits, by definition, that easier accessibility leads to better reception. In quantitative terms, this can only be substantiated through statistics. In the electronic environment, the only metric that can be automatically measured is access, serving as an indicator of usage. Online academic publications constitute a complex, distributed network in which a single publication may be made available by various providers, within different technical environments, at different stages of the publication process, and under varying conditions. Therefore, in addition to defining what constitutes "usage," it is crucial to determine which segments of the publication network are included in the data collection.
Open Access Statistics (OA-S) is a collaborative project dedicated to the collection and processing of usage data and statistics spanning a wide range of repositories.
Over a period of 18 months (starting July 1, 2008), an infrastructure for the standardized collection of usage data is being established, with a particular focus on institutional repositories. In close cooperation with the Open Access Repository Network (OA-N), value-added services related to the use of scholarly information are being provided to various user groups.
OA-S is funded by the DFG (German Research Foundation) and will subsequently transition into regular operations maintained by the project partners. OA-S was initiated primarily by DINI (German Initiative for Network Information)—specifically by its "Electronic Publishing" working group.
The Göttingen State and University Library (SUB Göttingen), the Computer and Media Service (CMS) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU Berlin), the Saarland University and State Library (SULB Saarbrücken), and the University Library of Stuttgart (UB Stuttgart) are collaborating with national and international partners, including DRIVER (Digital Repository Infrastructure Vision for European Research), LIBER (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche), and JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee).
The aim is to establish a permanent infrastructure—linked to the Open Access Repository Network (OA-N)—for the collection and processing of usage data. Usage data for electronic resources is collected at various levels. In addition to various repository software products (DSpace, OPUS, and e-doc), the project also incorporates link resolvers (such as SFX) and license servers (such as HAN). Once collected at the respective institutions, the usage data is aggregated centrally (within OA-N) in the form of descriptive statistics and metrics, serving as the basis for generating value-added services for end users. These value-added services enhance existing offerings by introducing new options for selecting and displaying electronic documents. Furthermore, for each document, it is possible to view how often it has been accessed—both locally and nationally.
To ensure the widest possible dissemination of the project results, recommendations are being incorporated into the DINI Certificate that promote the standardized collection and provision of usage data and statistics, as well as integration into the network of Open Access repositories. Additionally, repository operators are provided with guidelines, support documentation, and software packages, enabling them to easily collect standardized usage data and generate meaningful statistics. This allows them to offer value-added services to their users with a reasonable level of effort.