Usage Comparison between English-Language and French-Language e-Reference in a Bilingual Canadian University

This article reports the results of a quantitative and systematic analysis comparing usage rates between English-language and French-language e-reference titles at Laurentian University, Canada. With the library undergoing major cuts to its collection budget, it became imperative to determine if French-language e-resource usage justified their expenditures. Searches and full-text viewings or downloads were collected as usage metrics. Both English- and French-language e-reference collections exhibited very weak linear relationships between collection size and usage. The French-language e-reference collection experienced a higher level of full-text use, relative to size. The cost-per-viewing for the English-language e-reference collection was three times lower than that of the French-language collection. The difference is even greater for the cost-per-search, with the English-language e-reference collection being 12 times lower than that calculated for the French-language e-reference collection.