Date: Wed, 31 Jul 1996 14:28:24 +1200
From: Heather Pigou <HEATHERP@staff.cit.ac.nz>
Subject: re: journal usage survey

Dear Ela,

I have read your e-mail message with interest as our library is in
the same dilemna of having to quantify journal usage and I have been
given the horrid job of working out how to do it! I work in a small
tertiary (Polytechnic like a small university) library.

Last year we devised a system of attaching a small questionnaire to
a selection of our journals where we asked people to tick the
different columns if they browsed the journal briefly, in depth or
borrowed.

Unfortunately it had some major flaws as at the end of the day when
we gathered them up, we couldn't tell if all the people who had
looked at the journal had in fact ticked the boxes, and some people's
perception of in depth and briefly were different. Also we couldn't
tell how much browsing use a journal would have had if it had not
been on loan. (Our journals were allowed out for 2 weeks at a time
but many kept them longer) Also, it was difficult to take into
account the frequency of journals.

So, my job is to find a way to take into account all these variables,
and quantify usage so we can decide a) whether to circulate the
journals, b) which are the most heavily used (not just issued), and
c) whether it would be better to receive the journals electronically.

I hope you don't mind my e-mailing you especially as this turned out
to be so long, but any help or ideas you can pass on would be most
appreciated.

Yours,

Heather Pigou at the Bateman Library, Central Institute of
Technology, Heretaunga, New Zealand.