Deep Log Analysis
Who developed DLA?
DLA has been developed by CIBER to specifically monitor use in a digital environment and was first used with e-books in the SuperBooks study.
Why was DLA developed?
Conventional transactional log analysis of the kind provided by publishers and aggregators in COUNTER-compliant form for libraries can only provide broad and shallow indicators of activity. To really understand what users do and why they do it, more in-depth analysis is* required. DLA will provide a detailed assessment of the information seeking behaviour of users and these data can be used to help determine impacts and outcomes through qualitative means.
How does DLA work?
DLA involves the processing of huge volumes of usage and search data as provided in the raw transactional logs of publishers/aggregators and then relating this to user demographics to provide a whole range of evidence-based user portraits – hence the word ‘deep’. In turn this information provides the foundation for follow-up user surveys and interviews, in that the logs raise the questions that need to be asked and the self-report and qualitative data provides the answers to these questions.
DLA provides authoritative data in that it: 1) is based on what people did and not what they say they did, or might do; 2) delivers data on the whole population of users, and not just a sample of them.
How will the deep log analysis study work?
The study will involve the cooperation of librarians, staff and students. Please read the workplan to find out how to participate in the study.