There is a ton of information you can get from your proxy server logs about
database usage that goes way beyond the simple usage statistics. I had an
article in Library Hi Tech published on the topic.

Coombs, K. A (2005) ³Lessons Learned From Analyzing Library Database Usage
Data² Library Hi Tech 23(4), 598-609.

Basically you can look at the path the user is taking to access the database
by analyzing the referrer. This is very interesting when you consider that
some database usage is via an OpenURL resolver to access full-text, some
usage is people using the database itself to search, and some usage is a
someone going into a database after using a federated search tool. There are
other "paths" as well depending on how your website is configured.

Also depending on how your campus network is configured you can analyze
where on campus database are being accessed from: the library, the dorms,
the computer labs.


Karen


On 2/5/07 7:43 AM, "Andrew Ashton" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>  I would also add that our proxy server logs are great sources for
> search analytics.  At the 2004 Computers in Libraries I did a talk on
> analyzing proxy server logs to mine usage stats[1], but the parameters
> of that data are fairly limited. I wonder if it might be time to
> resurrect that in the form of a lightning talk...
>
> See y'all in a few weeks!
>
> [1]http://www.skidmore.edu/library/aashton/Ppt/ashtonB103_paper.doc
>
>
> --
> Andrew Ashton
> Systems Librarian
> Scribner Library, Skidmore College
> (518)580-5505

--
Karen A. Coombs
Head of Libraries' Web Services
University of Houston
114 University Libraries
Houston, TX  77204-2000
Phone: (713) 743-3713
Fax: (713) 743-9811
Email: [log in to unmask]