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The chart shows COUNTER (Counting Online Usage of NeTworked Electronic Resources) usage of the Library's electronic resources for 2011 to 2013. And what an impressive surge of downloads in 2013!
Ebook usage recorded a slight drop in 2012, but it climbed 3.5 fold in 2013. This breathtaking jump was largely due to the popularity of the newly introduced patron-driven/evidence based ebook acquisition programs in 2013. The Library launched its patron-driven ebook program with Ebrary in November 2012 and an evidence-based program with Wiley in April 2013.
Both programs were seamlessly integrated into the information seeking experience of our users. The programs were not officially announced. Our users simply discovered the wealth of ebooks available and started using them. In order of usage, the top 2013 ebook platforms were 1) Springer 2) Wiley 3) Ebrary 4) MyiLibrary 5) IEEE Xlplore.
Ejournal usage increased 7.9% in 2012 and reached a 21% growth rate in 2013. ScienceDirect remained the top used resource for 3 consecutive years. The other big 4 were ProQuest, Wiley, American Chemical Society and IEEEE Xplore.
What do the figures tell us? The surge in ebook usage seems to suggest that our users are much more receptive to ebooks than before, and that our ebook programs manage to break the ice.
With a vibrant research population at HKUST, it is not surprising that ejournals are more heavily used than ebooks, and that 4 out of the 5 top used ejournal platforms are geared towards advanced researchers.
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