摘要:Libraries are experiencing rapid change as they add electronic resources. These resources are popular with patrons, but their usage is not captured in traditional library statistics. Libraries must find a way to represent the diverse data available for electronic resources in some meaningful way that allows for comparison with statistics for print resources. To do this, the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library has created two indexes, the Electronic and Print Usage Indexes. An index is a simple tool that combines data on items from a group into one number and so represents overall change in the group. The indexes at Cushing/Whitney show that in 1998–1999, patron usage of electronic resources more than doubled, whereas print use declined.