Join JUSP for publishers and suppliers

Participation in JUSP is free, and open to all publishers and suppliers who are able to supply COUNTER-compliant data using the SUSHI protocol. Our publisher leaflet contains lots of useful information about the service and its benefits.

What is the process for joining JUSP?

Joining JUSP is a simple process.

Step one: Participating publishers and suppliers sign our Participation Agreement, which outlines the responsibilities of the respective parties and the permitted uses and activities. Contact the helpdesk at help@jisc.ac.uk for more information.

Step two: We'll ask you to put us in touch with a technical contact and point us to information about accessing your SUSHI service. We'll then develop and trial a JUSP SUSHI client before starting to gather usage data on behalf of our participating institutions.

Step three: We will do an initial bulk download of historical data (where available) and then collect data as they are released each month. As new institutions join JUSP we will collect their historical data.

How does JUSP gather data?

We collect COUNTER-compliant usage statistics using the SUSHI protocol. For the reporting period January 2019 onwards JUSP collects Release 5 Platform, Title and Database Master Reports. The Item Master Report (IR) will be introduced as part of future developments to present multimedia reports. We ask that publishers and suppliers set JUSP up as a third party agent to access usage statistics on behalf of our participating libraries so we harvest usage statistics for institutions individually, not as a consortium. Each of the participating libraries signs a Participation Agreement that enables us to access data on their behalf.

COUNTER have a video and written guide for publishers and vendors that explains the COUNTER audit process and what publishers and vendors need to do to prepare to become COUNTER compliant.

Why COUNTER Release 5?

COUNTER compliance enables publishers and content providers to supply reliable, consistent, and comparable usage and access denials data to their library customers.

COUNTER Release 5 provides a 'level playing field' ensuring that all publishers and content providers provide usage in the same way, even though their platforms may differ in terms of user experience and how content is delivered.

Release 5 is widely applicable to a range of content providers and use cases as it:

  • Supports journals, books, databases, and multimedia content
  • Covers both subscribed and open access content
  • Counts different types of usage including full requests, investigations (views and interactions), access denials (turnaways), and searches
  • Provides a flexible report structure to support emerging reporting requirements

These standardised reports save libraries time and effort because they meet the most common library reporting needs and fit with their systems and workflows. Libraries use COUNTER reports to:

  • Inform renewal, purchasing, and collection management decisions
  • Demonstrate value and impact of library resources and justify expenditure
  • Inform targeted promotion of underused and well used resources
  • Evaluate whether their collections are meeting the needs of their students, staff, and learners

Most consortia licence agreements, and an increasing number of procurement tenders, include a requirement for the provision of COUNTER usage statistics. SCONUL published a community call for Counter Release 5 compliance jointly with Jisc, RLUK, COUNTER, and the CC PLUS Steering Committee, which was also supported by international library consortia.

For more information see COUNTER's Friendly guide to Release 5 for providers.