A Natural Experiment: Interpreting Library Web Analytics During the COVID-19 Pandemic

All events will be held online. It is worth noting that all times in the program are quoted in British Summer Time (BST ; = UTC+1).

You can register here. As we are running multiple streams, we have had to break down the registration process to a day-by-day and session-by-session registration process.

This presentation will share findings from a “natural experiment” made possible by our Libraries’ transition to remote work in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Specifically, we will compare web analytics generated by users during the Spring 2020 semester before and after Spring Break, the point at which our institution transitioned to virtual operations. Differences between the two time periods will allow us to engage the question: How do users perceive and navigate our resources in a purely digital environment?

We plan to direct this presentation to a broader community of users, including those who manage discovery platforms and library websites. We will discuss analytics from a full suite of applications, among them the Ex Libris Summon discovery service. The presentation will also speak to developers and librarians who tackle assessment related questions for their Libraries’ web platforms.

2020 Digital Conference and Developers Day

September 14–17, 2020

A Natural Experiment: Interpreting Library Web Analytics During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Conference or Developers' Day

Session Abstract

Track

Applicable Ex Libris Product

Target Audience Skill Level

Registration

Presenter

Nathan Gerth, University of Nevada, Reno

Presenter's job title

Co-Presenters

Molly Beisler, University of Nevada, Reno

Co-presenter's job title

Moderator

Alex Forrest, University of Edinburgh