Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2018 21:40:55 -0400

Hi Jennifer (et al) -

I think your approach makes good sense - choosing the option that indicates the most likely users.

At Kresge Library Services, an independent library that supports the Ross School of Business at University of Michigan, we provide alumni services just to alumni of the school. We have a separate authentication system so we can limit it to just the Ross graduates. Since every Ross grad has access - we tend the use our total alumni population.

The real conundrum for us is if we can afford to keep this service going after having to navigate through a few budget cuts in a row. I have wanted to keep this service going, but with each year that our materials budget does not grow, this is tougher and tougher to figure.

Alumni resources has been a very important aspect of our identity at Kresge, but in a world of contracting budgets - it is hard to justify.

So my comments aside - I think your approach makes good sense. I hope you were able to figure things out. The funny thing about our campus licenses - we are always getting items for far more people than will ever use it.

Hope this helps.

Best - Corey

Corey Seeman

Director, Kresge Library Services (http://www.bus.umich.edu/kresgelibrary/)
Stephen M. Ross School of Business
University of Michigan

700 East University Avenue
Kresge Hall, 4th Floor East
Suite K4511
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1234

(734) 764-9969
Cell Phone (734) 717-9734
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On Wed, Jun 20, 2018 at 6:10 PM, LIBLICENSE <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

From: Jennifer Hill <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2018 16:54:36 +0000

Hello,

For those who negotiate access to licensed databases/collections for alumni at your institutions, what number do you give vendors when asked how many alumni?

We have a few different numbers, which all tell a different story:

·         Total number of alumni (huge number)

·         Total alumni with valid email addresses in our system (we use email addresses to validate users into the alumni library. This number would capture alumni that could use the alumni library)

·         Number of active alumni who have logged into the site over the last one or two years (better represents active alumni users, but not full picture of all alumni that could potentially access databases)

I ended up going with #2. Thoughts? I wanted to check with others to hear your perspectives on which number(s) you report out.

Thanks!

Jennifer

Jennifer Hill
Distance Education Librarian/Electronic Resources Manager
Entrepreneurial Library Program
The Sheridan Libraries
Johns Hopkins University
5801 Smith Ave.| Baltimore, MD 21209
410-735-4202| [log in to unmask]