COUNTER and SUSHI are related standards in the context of managing and reporting usage statistics for electronic resources, commonly used in libraries, publishers, and institutions. Here's what they mean:
COUNTER (Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources):
- COUNTER is a standard for measuring the usage of electronic resources like e-journals, e-books, databases, and other digital content.
- It ensures that usage statistics are consistent, credible, and comparable across publishers and platforms.
- COUNTER reports provide key metrics, such as:
- Total item requests (e.g., downloads or views of articles or chapters).
- Searches within a platform or specific resource.
- Access denials due to lack of subscription or permissions.
- The latest version of the standard is COUNTER Release 5, which simplifies and unifies reporting formats compared to earlier releases.
SUSHI (Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative):
- SUSHI is a protocol designed to automate the retrieval of COUNTER usage reports.
- It uses a machine-to-machine API, making it easier for libraries and institutions to collect usage data from multiple vendors without manual downloading.
- SUSHI works by enabling systems (like library management software) to directly connect with publishers' platforms and retrieve COUNTER-compliant usage reports.
- This automation saves time and ensures timely and accurate data collection.
How They Work Together:
- COUNTER provides the framework for what data to collect and how to present it.
- SUSHI provides the mechanism for libraries to retrieve COUNTER reports efficiently.
These standards help libraries justify the cost of subscriptions, analyze resource usage, and make data-driven decisions about their collections.