Non-profit global library cooperative OCLC has announced a partnership with the Couperin.org Consortium, the French non-profit that developed ezPAARSE software with the CNRS Institute for Scientific Information, to enhance OCLC's EZproxy authentication software with analytics features and to expand the use of ezPAARSE outside of France.
EZproxy access and authentication software allows libraries to deliver e-content simply and effectively through a single sign-in using existing library-issued credentials, such as a library card number and PIN or username and password.
A new analytics option for users of the hosted service will enrich EZproxy log data to illustrate, in detail, how a library's users are accessing subscribed electronic resources. The new feature will offer dashboard-style analytics and data visualisations through a dedicated web interface, as well as the ability to generate custom reports.
OCLC is working with Couperin.org to facilitate delivery of these new features. Couperin's ezPAARSE software ingests, filters and enriches proxy log files to show users' access to subscribed electronic resources. ezPAARSE is live in nearly 60 academic libraries in France.
As part of its stated mission, the Couperin.org Consortium strives to improve scientific communication and promote the development of open systems of scientific and technical Information by developing appropriate tools, and to develop a network of national skills and exchanges for electronic documentation regarding acquisitions policies, collection development plans, information systems, and usage statistics.
OCLC plans to pilot functionality of these analytics features with a small number of libraries that are current users of EZproxy hosted, including Claremont Colleges; Sonoma State University; University of New England; University of Manchester; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; and Audencia Business School.
OCLC expects to offer this functionality as an add-on to EZproxy hosted customers in the first half of 2019. To protect privacy, all usage data will continue to reside on the institution's own EZproxy hosted server.
EZproxy has been the market-leading authentication solution for e-resource access for almost 20 years. OCLC acquired the software in 2008. It is available as both a deployed instance (on the library's servers) or as a hosted solution (in OCLC's data centers). It accommodates a wide variety of authentication services including LDAP, SIP, CAS and Shibboleth.
Representatives of Inist-CNRS and Couperin will be presenting and OCLC will be hosting a session about the new analytics capabilities in EZproxy during the 2019 OCLC EMEA Regional Council Conference in Marseille, February 26-27, 2019. OCLC and the US pilot libraries will also do a presentation at the Electronic Resources & Libraries Conference in Austin, Texas, March 3-6, 2019.
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