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Telling Tales: Using Data to Understand Trends in Law Database Usage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 June 2025

Jackie Hanes
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Abstract

In this article, Jackie Hanes analyses law database usage at the University of Warwick over the last five academic years. She also brings her BIALL conference lightning talk up to date in the process, with data for the complete 2023/24 academic year.

Keywords

academic librariesonline databaseslegal databases
Type
Main Features
Information
Legal Information Management , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , March 2025 , pp. 12 - 18
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by British and Irish Association of Law Librarians

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References

Endnotes

1 Office for Students, Navigating Financial Challenges in Higher Education’, Insight 21 (16 May 2024) <www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/navigating-financial-challenges-in-higher-education/>

2 Poppy Wood, ‘We’re Waiting to See Who Goes Under First: Why Universities are on the Brink’, (iNews, 14 May 2024) <https://inews.co.uk/news/education/universities-financial-death-spiral-3055196>; Richard Adams, ‘English Universities Face Autumn ‘Tipping Point’ as Financial Crisis Looms’ (The Guardian, 9 August 2024) <www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/aug/09/english-universities-face-autumn-tipping-point-as-financial-crisis-looms>

3 Jackie Hanes, ‘Telling Tales: Using Data to Understand Law Database Usage’ (BIALL Conference, 12-14 June 2024, Queens Hotel Leeds) <https://biall.org.uk/membership-resources/conference-presentations-2024/>

4 Higher Education Statistics Agency, Open Data and Official Statistics (2024) <www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis>

5 Strategic Planning and Analytics Office, University of Warwick, Enrolment Statistics (2024) <https://warwick.ac.uk/services/sg/spa/academicstatistics/enrolments/>

6 Contact your HeinOnline account manager for bespoke reports and to register for the monthly statistical report.

7 JISC, Journal Usage Statistical Portal (2024) <https://jusp.jisc.ac.uk/>

8 COUNTER, Counter Metrics: Delivering the Standard for Usage Metrics (2024) <www.countermetrics.org/>

9 UK Data Service, Recommended Formats (2024) <https://ukdataservice.ac.uk/learning-hub/research-data-management/format-your-data/recommended-formats/>

10 COUNTER, Counter Metrics: Delivering the Standard for Usage Metrics (2024) <www.countermetrics.org/>

11 Email from Samantha Cranfield, LexisNexis, to author (19 June 2023).

12 Matt Greenhall, Covid-19 and the Digital Shift in Action (2020) <uk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Covid19-and-the-digital-shift-in-action-report-FINAL.pdf>

13 University of Warwick Library, SCONUL Annual Statistics Report 2022/23 [Power BI].

14 John Blosser and Rachel Erb, ‘Cost Per Use’, (SPARC*, 2024) <https://sparcopen.org/our-work/negotiation-resources/data-analysis/cost-per-use/>

15 Matt Greenhall, Covid-19 and the Digital Shift in Action (2020) </www.rluk.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Covid19-and-the-digital-shift-in-action-report-FINAL.pdf>

16 Thomas Sneed, ‘The Effect of COVID-19 on Law Libraries: Are These Changes Temporary or a Sign of the Future?’ (2020) 60 Washburn Law Journal 107 <https://ssrn.com/abstract=3815908>

17 University of Warwick Library, SCONUL Annual Statistics Report 2022/23 [Power BI].

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20 Solicitors Regulation Authority, Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) Route (May 2024) <www.sra.org.uk/become-solicitor/sqe/>

21 Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, Subject Benchmark Statement: Law (8 March 2023) <www.qaa.ac.uk/the-quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements/subject-benchmark-statement-law#>

22 University of Warwick, LLB Law (7 June 2024) <https://warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/llb-law/>

23 Sandris Zeivots, ‘Up to 80% of Uni Students Don’t Read Their Assigned Readings’ (The Conversation, 23 August 2021) <https://theconversation.com/up-to-80-of-uni-students-dont-read-their-assigned-readings-here-are-6-helpful-tips-for-teachers-165952>

24 Peter Stokes and Lindsey Martin, ‘Reading Lists: A Study of Tutor and Student Perceptions, Expectations and Realities’ (2008) 33 Studies I Higher Education 113. <https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070801915874>

25 International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers, Open Access Uptake by Countries/Regions (2024) <www.stm-assoc.org/oa-dashboard-2024/open-access-uptake-by-countries-regions/>

26 Carol Peerruso, ‘Undergraduates’ use of Google vs. Library Resources: A Four Year Cohort Study’ (2016) 77 College and Research Libraries 615 <https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.77.5.614>

27 COUNTER, Counter Metrics: Delivering the Standard for Usage Metrics (2024) <www.countermetrics.org/>

28 Mercedes Echeverria and Yacelli Bustamante, ‘Scope and Limitations of Library Metrics for the Assessment of Ebook Usage: COUNTER R5 and Link Resolver’ (2023) 4 Quantitative Science Studies 997 <https://doi.org/10.1162/qss_a_00279>

29 Journal Usage Statistics Portal, Participants (2024) <https://jusp.jisc.ac.uk/participants/>