Web Analytics Strategies for Information Professionals: A LITA Guide

Tabatha Farney Nina McHale Library and Information Technology Association (LITA)

$70.00

ALA Member:

$ 63.00

Item Number:

978-1-55570-897-9

Published:

2013

Publishers:

ALA Neal-Schuman

LITA

Pages:

232

Width:

Height:

Format:

Softcover

AP Categories:

Description
Table of Contents
About the Authors
Reviews

Whether you're gathering information for a department report or planning a website redesign, easy access to meaningful, actionable data is critical. Farney and McHale address the distinctive needs of libraries' educational mission with specific advice on how to use web analytics in a library setting. Users are given clear explanations of terminology, a glossary for future reference and effective communication tips for reporting results and recommending changes or improvements. Also included:

Eight examples of semi-custom and custom reporting
Four case studies showing project-specific applications
Advice on how to use tools such as Percent Mobile and Google Analytics to complement one another

Preface

Part 1

Introduction to Web Analytics in Libraries

Tabatha Farney and Nina McHale

1 Understanding Web Analytics for Libraries

2 Talking the Talk: Web Analytics Terms and Definitions

3 Selecting and Evaluating a Web Analytics Tool

4 Creating Customized Web Analytics Reports for Libraries

5 Action-Oriented Analytics: Turning Data into Decisions

6 Communicating Website Usage within Your Library

7 Mobile Analytics in Libraries

Part 2

Using Web Analytics in Libraries Case Studies

8 The Right Tools for the Job: Using Analytics to Drive Design

Joelle Pitts and Tara L. Coleman

9 Using Web Analytics Tools to Revise a Humanities Library Website

Harriett E. Green, Jordan Ruud, and Andrew Walsh

10 Web Analytics Applied to Online Catalog Usage at the University of Denver

Christopher C. Brown

11 Optimizing Open-Source Web Analytics Tools for Increased Security of WordPress and Drupal

Junior Tidal

Appendixes:

A Glossary of Web Analytics Terms and Concepts

B Web Analytics Tool Profiles

C Bibliography and Suggested Resources

About the Authors and Chapter Contributors

Index

Tabatha Farney

Tabatha Farney is the director of web services and emerging technologies for the Kraemer Family Library at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. She is an avid analytics enthusiast with over ten years of experience. Tabatha coauthored the 2013 LITA Guide Web Analytics Strategies for Information Professionals and has written two Library Technology Reports on configuring Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager for library-specific websites and search tools. She has presented her analytics research at national conferences and served as an analytics consultant for various library organizations. She is a co-founder and current co-chair of LITA’s Altmetrics and Digital Analytics Interest Group.

Nina McHale

Nina McHale is assistant systems administrator at the Arapahoe Library District, which is located in metropolitan Denver, Colorado. In addition to web analytics, her research interests include open-source web development, user experience design (UXD), web accessibility (Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), knowledge management in libraries, and emerging technologies in libraries. She has presented nationally on these and other topics and was named a 2012 Library Journal Mover & Shaker.

Library and Information Technology Association (LITA)

The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of ALA, educates, serves and reaches out to its members, other ALA members and divisions, and the entire library and information community through its publications, programs and other activities designed to promote, develop, and aid in the implementation of library and information technology.

"Filled with solid advice … Farney and McHale have written a helpful and easy to understand book with valuable advice and insight for any librarian who would like to understand and improve his or her library's website usage."
--Journal of Library Innovation

"This is a delightful book that will serve as a guide and handy reference for professionals in any organization … will be sure to educate, motivate, and engage practitioners for a long time."
— Catholic Library World

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