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An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including Proactive Chat Widge, Increased Chat Statistics, Challenges Faced, History of Chat Reference Services, and Availability of Service.

In a previous article, the author offered advice to librarians who were beginning to collect usage statistics for electronic resources. Reexamining the contents of that work, this article provides revisions to it in the wake of the recent implementation of SUSHI at University Library at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis and the adoption of COUNTER Release 5. Both of these standards have an impact on the process of gathering, analyzing and disseminating electronic resource usage statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fueled by the pressing need for electronic resource usage statistics, librarians are finding themselves being thrust into the role of hunter-gatherer. This article discusses the work done at University Library at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis to provide usage statistics for all its paid subscriptions for a 3-year period. The author provides lessons learned from this project that might benefit librarians who are beginning their own excursions to hunt for and gather usage statistics for their collections, whether large or small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A discussion of library literature that focuses on the practice and reasoning behind tracking usage of print and electronic journals will help librarians understand the complexities of use studies. The author examines both qualitative and quantitative studies by academic librarians to compare the usage of electronic versus print journals and the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the methods used. New initiatives, such as Project COUNTER (Counting Online Usage of NeTworked Electronic Resources) to provide librarians with comparable usage data from various vendors, will enable librarians to make more informed journal collection development decisions. Serials Review 2007; 33:172-174. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]