Academic publishers today strive to keep pace with a rapid evolution in how readers discover and evaluate scholarly content. Indexing routines change regularly for open-web search engines, like Google. New researcher tools, like Mendeley and ReadCube, present new challenges in ensuring scholarly material is findable via all the possible channels used by students, authors, practitioners, and other consumers. Standards organizations, who govern routines for information delivery and metadata exchanges, are struggling to keep up with the pace of this change. Presentations were given by the following: Ashley Crowson, PhD Scholar, King’s College London - analysis of the research process, the challenges that scholars face in discoverability and how they go about researching and finding materials. Roger Schonfeld, Program Director, Libraries, Users, and Scholarly Practices, Ithaka S+R - Challenges for librarians and the issues that they face, • Lettie Conrad, Online Product Manager, SAGE - provided the publisher angle - product support and development

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Measuring and Adapting to New
Channels for Content Discovery
London Book Fair
April 10, 2013
@LondonBookFair #LBF14

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Chair
Martha Sedgwick, Executive Director, Product Innovation, SAGE
@coffeepot
Panellists
Ashley Crowson, PHD Scholar, Kings College London
@AshleyCrowson
Roger Schonfeld, Program Director, Libraries, Users and
Scholarly Practices, Ithaka S+R
@rschon
Lettie Conrad, Executive Manager, Online Products, SAGE
@lyconrad

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Scholarly Communication Supply Chain

4. ACADEMIC CONTENT
DISCOVERY: A RESEARCHER’S
PERSPECTIVE
Ashley Crowson
PhD Candidate, King’s College London
ashley.crowson@kcl.ac.uk
@ashleycrowson

5. Starting Research

6. The Research ‘Web’

9. On the web, but not
like the rest of the
web

12. ‘Enhanced’Article

14. Ithaka S+R US Library Survey 2013:
Key Findings on Discovery
Roger C. Schonfeld
April 10, 2014

15. The Library Survey 2013: Advisory Committee
• Larry P. Alford, Chief Librarian, University of Toronto Libraries
• Joseph S. Meisel, Deputy Provost, Brown University
• Jenica P. Rogers, Director of Libraries, SUNY Potsdam
• Charles Thomas, Executive Director, University System of
Maryland and Affiliated Institutions

16. The Library Survey 2013: Sponsors

17. • Population included library deans and directors at US higher education
institutions granting a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• In October 2013, 1,508 library deans and directors were invited and
then reminded to participate via email
• By November, 499 responses were received
The Library Survey 2013: Methodology
Number of
Invitations
Number of
Responses
Response
Rate
Baccalaureate 612 186 30.4%
Master’s 620 190 30.6%
Doctoral 276 123 44.6%
Total 1508 499 33.1%

18. Has your library implemented an index-based discovery service such as
EBSCO Discovery Service, Primo, Summon, or WorldCat Local?
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Baccalaureate Master's Doctoral

19. 81%
of library
directors
say yes.
Is your indexed discovery service the default search from your library
website? (Includes only respondents at institutions that have implemented
discovery services.)

20. "To what extent do you think that your index-based discovery service has
made your users' discovery experience better or worse in each of the following
areas?" (Includes only respondents at institutions that have implemented
discovery services.)

22. "It is strategically important that my library be seen by its users as the first
place they go to discover scholarly content." Percentage of respondents who
strongly agreed, over time.

24. "My library is always the best place for researchers at my institution to start
their search for scholarly information." Percentage of respondents who strongly
agreed.

26. Thank you
Reports are available for free at:
http://www.sr.ithaka.org/
Contact information:
rcs@ithaka.org
@rschon
212-500-2338

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SAGE overview
● Independent, global scholarly publisher
● Books, journals, reference, databases

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Discovery channels – what are they?
1. Open web search
2. Library search
3. Academic / A&I search

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User knowledge >> channel knowledge
● Market research
• Usability testing & observation
• Librarian advisory boards
• End-user focus groups, surveys, etc.
• Info-seeking behavior research studies
● Data analysis
• COUNTER reports
• Google Analytics
• Moz (previously SEOMoz)
• Data Salon

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1. Open Web Search – who uses it?
● Everyone! (despite what they may say)
● Simple and user friendly
● Quantity vs. quality traffic
● Use case: quick search, new topic

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Open web search – why does it matter?
● Everyone uses it (remember?)
● SEO = ROI
● Common ‘starter’ channel

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Open web search – how do we monitor?
● Google Analytics
● Moz
● Market research
CQ Researcher Traffic Sources
Open web search
Library referrals
Social media
Academic
N/A
SAGE Journals Traffic Sources
Open web search
Library referrals
Social media
Academic
N/A

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2. Library search – who uses it?
● Advanced students, faculty
● Advanced search / browse
● Use case: narrow queries, “known searches”

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Library search – why does it matter?
● Capture advanced readers
● Win-win strategy
• Discovery services
• ERM feeds
• LibGuides, widgets and more!

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Library search – how do we monitor?
● Google Analytics
● COUNTER – cost / use
● Usability testing

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3. Academic / A&I search – who uses it?
● Advanced students, faculty, practitioners
● “Power” users
● Use case: deep research, building expertise

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Academic search – why does it matter?
● A&I
• reach experts, power users
• branding, profile, scholarly ecosystem
● Mainstream academic search
• hybrid, emerging technology
• reach wider audience, including advanced readers

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Academic search – high-value usage
New visits Bounce rate Pages / visit Visit length
Open web 24% 85% 1 0:40
Library 34% 29% 4 4:88
Academic 1% 26% 6 3:02

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Thank you!
Email: lettie.conrad@sagepub.com
Twitter: @lyconrad
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1580-7037

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Questions?