Making sense of e-book usage data

This article provides an overview of the types of statistical data available for e-book usage and includes examples from specifc vendors, along with coverage of standards such as COUNTER (Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources). It describes ways in which usage data can be employed for purposes such as monitoring of e-book uptake and collection development. Limitations with regard to vendor usage statistics are highlighted, and the importance of supplementing them with surveys and other studies of user behavior is emphasized, with examples