How do I find COUNTER reports and SUSHI credentials from a vendor?
It is strongly recommended to look for instructions directly from the vendor, rather than the instructions below. Each vendor may be different, and the instructions may change over time.
COUNTER (Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources)
- Standard format of usage statistics.
- Ensures that usage is counted the same way by all compliant vendors.
- COUNTER reports can be manually uploaded to Alma.
SUSHI (Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative)
- Protocol that allows Alma to retrieve and load COUNTER reports from the vendor.
- After setup in the vendor record in Alma, SUSHI automatically retrieves and loads COUNTER reports.
Accessing the Admin Portal
Create an institutional account at the vendor's usage statistics portal.
- If you don't know where the portal is, try one of the following Google searches:
- Vendor name + usage statistics: "Emerald usage statistics"
- Vendor name + librarian: "American Physical Society librarian"
- Vendor name + COUNTER: "Project MUSE COUNTER"
- Vendor name + SUSHI: "ProQuest SUSHI"
- An institutional account may already exist for your library. Ask your colleagues if they can give you access. If no account exists or your colleagues can't give you access, contact the vendor.
Navigating the Admin Portal
Look for a reports section. These can be difficult to find, since each vendor calls it by a different name.
- COUNTER reports may be labeled something like "Reports" or "Usage Statistics." SUSHI credentials may be labeled something like "SUSHI" or "API."
- SUSHI credentials are often included in the reports section.
- Reports may be found in your user profile, not in the menu.
- The following images are just examples. The admin portal may not look like this.
Retrieving COUNTER Reports or SUSHI Credentials
COUNTER
- For COUNTER reports, choose a report (e.g., DB, PR, TR) and a time frame (e.g., January 2024-December 2024).
- Vendors usually provide reports in Excel format, but they may also offer HTML, CSV, or JSON.
- Files are usually available for immediate download, but there is often another option to have them emailed to you.
SUSHI
- You may need to request or enable SUSHI credentials in the admin portal.
- Copy the provided credentials and paste them into the Alma vendor record. See How do I set up SUSHI in Alma? for instructions.
