Usage Reports Data Definitions

Most vendors provide usage data to NC LIVE on a monthly basis, but they are often in different formats and include different usage metrics. NC LIVE standardizes vendor usage data using the data definitions listed below. The statistics provided by NC LIVE reflect only usage of NC LIVE resources, not additional databases your library may subscribe to.

NC LIVE Data Definitions

NC LIVE standardizes vendor usage data by using four NC LIVE measures: Searches, Sessions, FT-Views and Abstracts.

Search: Most often represents the number of times a user submitted search terms to a form; discovery tools, federated search tools, and bundled databases can distort a unique count.

  • Databases with federated search tools are handled differently to avoid overcounting of search totals.
    • ProQuest: Total searches only includes the source labeled "ProQuest unique searches" (which de-deplicates searches across ProQuest products) and a few additional separate databases that aren't part of the federated search. These sources are noted on usage reports and on the list below.
    • Bibliolabs: HomeGrown search totals used as total for vendor.

Session: An identifiable sequence of requests from a single IP address; time constraint varies by vendor.

  • If N/A is listed, then the vendor is COUNTER 5 compliant and session data is not reported.

FT-View:  The number of articles, e-books, audio/video/map/image, or other individual full-content elements examined, downloaded, or otherwise delivered to a user.

AbstractPlusViews:  Abstracts are combined with FT-Views and reported as AbsPlusViews. Abstracts are the number of abstracts or record summary pages examined, downloaded, or otherwise delivered to a user; distinct from receiving full text content.

Vendor Specific Definitions

The top row of the table represents NC LIVE's data definitions. The rows in the table represent the data metrics in the vendor reports. 

Vendor Resource Vendor Report Searches Sessions FT-Views AbsPlusViews
ABC-CLIO ABC-CLIO E-book Collection No Consortial Report N/A N/A N/A N/A
Alexander Street Press (ProQuest)(2) North American Women's Letters and Diaries No Consortial Report as of 6/2020 Searches Sessions Pages* Same as FT-Views
BiblioLabs Biblio Core Collection Detail & Full Access Data; Search Data Searches N/A Successful Title Requests + Sucessful Multimedia Full Content Requests* Record Views + Successful Title Requests + Sucessful Multimedia Full Content Requests
BiblioLabs HomeGrown eBooks Collection Detail & Full Access Data; Search Data Searches N/A Successful Title Requests* Record Views + Successful Title Requests
Chadwyck-Healey (ProQuest)(1) All Titles ProQuest DR D1 (Database Search and Item Usage) COUNTER 5 Searches_Regular + Searches_Federated N/A Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
Credo Credo Reference NC LIVE Consortium Report** Searches Sessions Entries Viewed* Smae as Entries Viewed
Data-Axle Data-Axle Reference Solutions (formerly ReferenceUSA) ICOLC Usage summarized by Subscriber ID Searches* Logins Total Detail Records Viewed + Total Records Printed + Total Records Downloaded Total Detail Records Viewed + Total Records Printed + Total Records Downloaded
EBSCOhost CINAHL Plus with Full Text Database Usage Report Total Searches Database Sessions Total Full Text Requests* Abstracts  Requests+ Total Full Text Requests
EBSCOhost eBooks on EBSCOhost Database Usage Report Searches Sessions Total Full Text* Abstracts + Total Full Text
EBSCOhost LearningExpress Library and PrepSTEP Detailed Usage Summary Report & Sessions Report N/A Sessions* Total # of Resources Total # of Resources
EBSCOhost MasterFile Premier Database Usage Report Total Searches Database Sessions Total Full Text Requests* Abstracts  Requests+ Total Full Text Requests
EBSCOhost NoveList Plus Database Usage Report Total Searches Database Sessions Total Full Text Requests Abstracts  Requests+ Total Full Text Requests* 
Gale Gale in Context: Biography DR D1 (Database Search and Item Usage) COUNTER 5 Regular Searches N/A Total Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
Gale Gale Ebooks DR D1 (Database Search and Item Usage) COUNTER 5 Regular Searches N/A Total Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
Gale Gale Literature Resource Center DR D1 (Database Search and Item Usage) COUNTER 5 Regular Searches N/A Total Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
InfoBase Ferguson's Career Guidance Center LL_CR_D1 - Consortium Database Search and Item Usage Regular Searches N/A Total Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
InfoBase Films on Demand Video Collection LL_CR_D1 - Consortium Database Search and Item Usage Regular Searches N/A Total Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
InfoBase Just for Kids Streaming Video Collection LL_CR_D1 - Consortium Database Search and Item Usage Regular Searches N/A Total Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
Midwest Tape hoopla Audiobooks NO CONSORTIAL USAGE REPORT N/A N/A N/A N/A
Midwest Tape hoopla Ebooks NO CONSORTIAL USAGE REPORT N/A N/A N/A N/A
Morningstar Morningstar Investment Research Center NC LIVE Statistics for Morningstar** N/A Logins Pageviews* Same as FT-Views
ProQuest Company ProQuest Central Databases  DR D1 (Database Search and Item Usage) COUNTER 5 Searches_Regular + Searches_Federated N/A Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
ProQuest Company(1) Agriculture and Environmental Science Collection DR D1 (Database Search and Item Usage) COUNTER 5 Searches_Regular + Searches_Federated N/A Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
ProQuest Company(2) Digital Sanborn Maps North Carolina Custom Report** N/A Sessions Pages Viewed* Pages Viewed
ProQuest Company(2) Ebook Central Academic and Public Library Complete LibCentral - Usage Report N/A Number of rows per institution in the "Usage Report" spreadsheet Number of rows per institution in the "Usage Report" spreadsheet* Same as FT-Views
ProQuest Company(1) eLibrary DR D1 (Database Search and Item Usage) COUNTER 5 Searches_Regular + Searches_Federated N/A Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
ProQuest Company(1) Entrepreneurship Database DR D1 (Database Search and Item Usage) COUNTER 5 Searches_Regular + Searches_Federated N/A Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
ProQuest Company(2) HeritageQuest Multisite, Database Usage; Multisite, Counter Database Report 1 Searches Sessions Citation Abstract* Any Full Text + Citation Abstract
ProQuest Company(2) Historic North Carolina Digital Newspapers Database Report 1 (R4); Multi-site,Searches by Search Mode COUNTER 4 Regular Searches N/A N/A Result Clicks + Record Views*
ProQuest Company(1) History Study Center DR D1 (Database Search and Item Usage) COUNTER 5 Searches_Regular + Searches_Federated N/A Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
ProQuest Company(1) ProQuest Learning: Literature DR D1 (Database Search and Item Usage) COUNTER 5 Searches_Regular + Searches_Federated N/A Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
ProQuest Company(1) SIRS Issues Researcher, SIRS Discoverer DR D1 (Database Search and Item Usage) COUNTER 5 Searches_Regular + Searches_Federated N/A Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
ProQuest Company(2) Statistical Abstract of the US Database Report 1 (R4); Multi-site,Searches by Search Mode COUNTER 4 Regular Searches N/A N/A Result Clicks + Record Views*
Sage CQ Researcher Online Custom Report** N/A N/A   Item Requests* Total Item Investigations
Transparent Language Transparent Language Custom Report** N/A Total Sessions Total Circulations* Total Circulations
World Trade Press Cypress Resume NC LIVE Usage Stats Custom Dump**        

(1) These ProQuest databases are not included in ProQuest Central searches by default, but all are searchable at search.proquest.com along with ProQuest Central databases. Unique searches for all search.proquest.com sources are included on usage reports as "ProQuest unique searches".

(2) These ProQuest databases are searched on entirely separate interfaces from other ProQuest products and are not searchable at search.proquest.com.

(*) Indicates the measure that NC LIVE uses to determine cost-per-use and other calculations.

(**) Custom Report created for NC LIVE by the vendor