NFAIS Forum on Usage Statistics: Registration Discount Ends October 3

Early Bird registration for the NFAIS one-day meeting, Usage Statistics: New Developments and Practical Applications, ends next week on Fri day, October 3rd. This meeting, scheduled for October 21, 2008 at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY from 9:00am to 4:30pm, will take look at some of the new developments in usage statistics that have recently emerged, as well as the current practical applications of usage statistics. It will open with an update on the progress made by the two key standards for the creation and harvesting of usage statistics – Project COUNTER and SUSHI. Release 3 of Project COUNTER, just issued in August 2008, will have practical implications for both publishers and librarians, and SUSHI has developed considerably since its initial launch in 2006. This meeting will look at the current relationship between COUNTER and SUSHI and how these standards will move together in the future. Publishers and librarians will present case studies on how they currently gather, analyze and make informed decisions based upon the data that usage statistics provide. Of equal importance, they will highlight the pitfalls that must be avoided throughout the process so that the statistics are not unintentionally misused. The implications of three new related projects will also be discussed: NISO’s development of identifiers that will allow for the precise recognition of an institution and its relationships with its various libraries, departments, offices, etc., and two initiatives that are attempting to provide usage-based metrics for the scholarly evaluation of articles and journals (Project MESUR and Usage Factor). The meeting will close with a visionary discussion on how usage statistics can be improved and used in the future to help institutions make informed decisions. Whether you are new to this field and want to quickly come up-to-speed or an experienced information professional who wants to remain up-to-date on the rapidly evolving field of usage statistics, this meeting is for you. Come and join your peers for an enjoyable and fact-filled day that will provide information essential to your organization, and provide you with an opportunity for networking within the Information Community. The preliminary program, registration form, directions to the meeting location, and list of nearby hotels is available at: http://www.nfais.org/events/event_details.cfm?id=53. Register now as seating is limited. On or before October 3, 2008, NFAIS members pay $295 and non-members pay $345 (registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch and an afternoon refreshment break). After October 3, 2008 NFAIS members pay $345 and non-members pay $395. If you are registering for the NFAIS Humanities Round Table that will be held on October 20th at the same location (see http://www.nfais.org/events/event_details.cfm?id=52), you will automatically be given a 10% discount on your registration for the Usage Statistics meeting For more information contact: Jill O’Neill, NFAIS Director, Communication and Planning, 215-893-1561 (phone); 215-893-1564 (fax); mail to: mailto:jilloneill@nfais.org. Founded in 1958, the National Federation of Advanced Information Services (NFAIS) is a premier membership organization of more than 60 of the world’s leading providers of databases, information services, and information technology in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, business, and the arts and humanities. Jill O'Neill Director, Planning & Communication NFAIS (v) 215-893-1561 (email) jilloneill@nfais.org