Making Sense of Usage Statistics for Online Databases: Challenges, Lessons, and Strategies in a Statewide Context Charles R. McClure Francis Eppes Professor and Director, Information Institute Florida State University William Moen Associate Professor University of North Texas John Bertot Associate Professor Florida State University A number of states have a statewide online portal or metasearch applications that provide access to a range of licensed databases and distributed resources. Agencies that operate such services confront a range of issues in compiling comprehensive use statistics of these databases because the various database vendors frequently provide non-compatible and/or non-comparable usage statistics. Nonetheless, it is essential to have comprehensive statewide use statistics to better understand user engagement with the databases, to justify to governing bodies the value and impact of the databases, and to determine which databases and services are most used, by whom, and for what amount of time (among other indicators). This briefing provides a summary of a project recently completed for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) and other work in progress by the authors. These efforts have identified specific approaches and tools to develop a comprehensive statewide approach to collecting, normalizing, and reporting such statistics in a meaningful manner. The presenters will summarize project findings, describe lessons learned to date, and outline future research efforts. Presenters will also discuss recent efforts to develop definitional, reporting, and performance indicator standards regarding online database resources and services.   Web Links: http://www.txcdk.org/about_us.php Presentation: Making Sense of Usage Statistics for Online Databases