Any librarian who has managed electronic resources has experienced the--for want of words--"joy" of gathering and analyzing usage statistics. Such statistics are important for evaluating the effectiveness of resources and for making important budgeting decisions. Unfortunately, the data are usually tedious to collect, inconsistently organized, of…

Explains how libraries can use data mining techniques for more effective data collection. Highlights include three phases: data selection and acquisition; data preparation and processing, including a discussion of the use of XML (extensible markup language); and data interpretation and integration, including database management systems. (LRW)