Patrick OBrien

Managing Search Engine Optimization: An Introduction for Library Administrators

Column Editor’s Note. This JLA column posits that academic libraries and their services are dominated by information technologies, and that the success of librarians and professional staff is contingent on their ability to thrive in this technology-rich environment. The column will appear in oddnumbered issues of the journal, and will delve into all aspects of libraryrelated information technologies and knowledge management used to connect users to information resources, including data preparation, discovery, delivery and preservation. Prospective authors are invited to submit articles for this column to the editor at kenning.arlitsch@montana.edu.

Undercounting File Downloads from Institutional Repositories

ABSTRACT A primary impact metric for institutional repositories (IR) is the number of file downloads, which are commonly measured through third-party Web analytics software. Google Analytics, a free service used by most academic libraries, relies on HTML page tagging to log visitor activity on Googles servers. However, Web aggregators such as Google Scholar link directly to high value content (usually PDF files), bypassing the HTML page and failing to register these direct access events. This article presents evidence of a study of four institutions demonstrating that the majority of IR activity is not counted by page tagging Web analytics software, and proposes a practical solution for significantly improving the reporting relevancy and accuracy of IR performance metrics using Google Analytics.

Demonstrating Library Value at Network Scale: Leveraging the Semantic Web With New Knowledge Work

Demonstrating Library Value at Network Scale: Leveraging the Semantic Web With New Knowledge Work Kenning Arlitsch, Patrick Obrien, Jason A. Clark, Scott W. H. Young & Doralyn Rossmann a Dean of the Library, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA b Semantic Web Research Director, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA c Head of Library Informatics and Computing, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA d Digital Initiatives Librarian, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA e Head of Collection Development, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA Published online: 30 Aug 2014.

RAMP – the Repository Analytics and Metrics Portal: A prototype web service that accurately counts item downloads from institutional repositories

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present data that begin to detail the deficiencies of log file analytics reporting methods that are commonly built into institutional repository (IR) platforms. The authors propose a new method for collecting and reporting IR item download metrics. This paper introduces a web service prototype that captures activity that current analytics methods are likely to either miss or over-report. Design/methodology/approach Data were extracted from DSpace Solr logs of an IR and were cross-referenced with Google Analytics and Google Search Console data to directly compare Citable Content Downloads recorded by each method. Findings This study provides evidence that log file analytics data appear to grossly over-report due to traffic from robots that are difficult to identify and screen. The study also introduces a proof-of-concept prototype that makes the research method easily accessible to IR managers who seek accurate counts of Citable Content Downloads. Research limitations/implications The method described in this paper does not account for direct access to Citable Content Downloads that originate outside Google Search properties. Originality/value This paper proposes that IR managers adopt a new reporting framework that classifies IR page views and download activity into three categories that communicate metrics about user activity related to the research process. It also proposes that IR managers rely on a hybrid of existing Google Services to improve reporting of Citable Content Downloads and offers a prototype web service where IR managers can test results for their repositories.