Tasha Mellins-Cohen
@tashamc.bsky.social
Exec Director of COUNTER Metrics, Founder at Mellins-Cohen Consulting, big fan of standards, data, and sustainable open access. Inveterate textile nerd and housekeeper to a triad of demanding moggies. Posts are my own opinions.
Glad I prepped this post on usage-based pricing before I went on leave, or it wouldn't be out this week! I had a glorious time reading, sleeping, going for long walks, and playing with textiles. Yesterday morning brought me back to earth with a bump, and I spent the day scaling Mount Email.
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · 2d agoWe're back, and there's a new post up in response to questions about usage-based pricing. www.countermetrics.org/usage-based-...
When I started @countermetrics.bsky.social in 2022, one of my goals was finding a way to allow the organisation to have full-time staffing. From the 1st of August, that's going to be a reality. I'm going to miss working with @sianharris.bsky.social but am sure we'll cross paths again!
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · 2w agoBig changes! We're going to have full-time staffing (in the form of @tashamc.bsky.social) from the 1st of August. There are big plans for what she'll be doing with those extra hours. Sadly, we're also saying farewell to Siân Harris. Read more at www.countermetrics.org/making-chang...
The latest from @countermetrics.bsky.social is a consultation on how we can improve our #openaccess reporting. Thanks to the OA working group for getting us this far - they're all listed on the blog post. Includes @oaspa.bsky.social , @doaj.bsky.social @ojcollective.bsky.social and others
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · 2w agoNew consultation out today, on optimising usage metrics for Open Access. Check it out at www.countermetrics.org/oa-consultat...
⏰⏰⏰LAST CALL⏰⏰⏰ Today is the very last day for proposals for the @uksg.bsky.social 2027 conference - submissions close at midnight UK time. www.uksg.org/annualconfer...
PSA 📢 the deadline to submit a proposal for #UKSG2027 is 17 July! So if you have an idea for plenary, a breakout session, workshop or lightning talk, don't delay, submit today! 🔗 www.uksg.org/annualconfer...
From reviewing @countermetrics.bsky.social 2026 conference to thinking about @uksg.bsky.social 2027. You've got until this Friday, the 17th of July, to get your proposals in! www.uksg.org/annualconfer...
UKSG 2027 Call for Topics Submission Form - UKSG
We are pleased to announce that the UKSG in-person conference is scheduled to take place from 5th – 7th April at the SEC in Glasgow, UK. Like many conferences, we […]
uksg.org
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · 3w agoThis year was the 3rd COUNTER Conference, and it was the biggest and best yet. 88% of respondents rated the conference as “very good” or “excellent,” and 83% said they would recommend it to their colleagues. www.countermetrics.org/great-confer...
It's true, I can't draw. But I can explain why dates in @countermetrics.bsky.social reports need to be text strings and not in Excel's date format, and that's what today's post is about.
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · 4w agoThere's a new tech support post up on our website today, all about what happens to date strings in tabular reports. www.countermetrics.org/date-format/ p.s. yes, the image is AI. @tashamc.bsky.social can't draw.
Love that the new Pathway to Compliance for very small publishers is now part of the main @countermetrics.bsky.social Code of Practice!
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · last mo.The last post about new features in Release 5.1.1 covers how we've pulled some of our best practices – particularly the pathway to compliance – into the Code. www.countermetrics.org/best-practic...
I've a Friendly Guide to COUNTER for Repositories in my long list of projects for later this year. Might have to run a poll to ask the community to prioritise things for me!
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · last mo.More about R5.1.1 - we've merged the Code for Research Data into the main Code. This came out of work we did with @makedatacount.bsky.social back in 2024, so it's been a while! www.countermetrics.org/r511-reposit...
If you think we're missing bots in the @countermetrics.bsky.social repo, now you can put a pull request in. We'll be reviewing and updating the repo quarterly.
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · last mo.As promised, there's more info about the R5.1.1 bots repository update on our site today: www.countermetrics.org/counter-bots/
I'll be sharing news posts about the new features in R5.1.1 from @countermetrics.bsky.social over the next few days!
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · last mo.Huge thanks to our Code Team volunteers, particularly Bernd Oberknapp, who've helped us get fix-and-feature Release 5.1.1 live. Read more at www.countermetrics.org/r511/
As well as our @scholarlykitchen.bsky.social post, we created a synthesis report about the @universitypress.cambridge.org-hosted workshop. You can find it at www.countermetrics.org/ai-workshops/
The Scholarly Kitchen@scholarlykitchen.bsky.social · last mo.Making AI Use of Scholarly Content Traceable, Measurable, and Trustworthy: A Meeting Report from Cambridge Scholarly AI workshop scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2026/06/25/m...
One of the questions that @tashamc.bsky.social gets fairly often is about when Release 5 will be retired. It depends on what you mean by retired, so she's put up a post to explain: www.countermetrics.org/retire-r5/
Retiring Release 5 - COUNTER Metrics
When will Release 5 be retired? It depends on what you mean by retired - and in this post, we explain it all.
countermetrics.org
I had forgotten how much pleasure a spirograph can provide - excellent desk toy, highly recommended.
Don't forget to submit a proposal for @uksg.bsky.social 2027! The conference is in Glasgow from 5-7 April. We love proposals that give us something to take back to our day jobs, whether that's a hot tip on managing up or practical suggestions for setting AI policy. www.uksg.org/news/2026/05...
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
Personal achievement finally unlocked: 80kg deadlift! I'm getting a cheese toastie on the beach to celebrate. And to provide sufficient calories to get home.
If you're involved with metrics aggregation, please do take a look and share your feedback on the latest @countermetrics.bsky.social consultation.
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · 2mo ago🚨New project alert!🚨 Back in 2019 we created guidelines for aggregating usage metrics. They were used by consortia to describe how libraries should report back to them. Things have changed, so we’re updating the guidelines. Let us know what you think! www.countermetrics.org/aggregating/
I'd not expected quite this level of participation in the @countermetrics.bsky.social conference. Love this community!
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · 2mo agoWe had 470 people registered for the COUNTER Conference last week, and more than 400 unique people joined live online - thank you all for making it a great day! COUNTER members can expect to see the videos later this month once they're edited. www.countermetrics.org/thank-you-co...
One of the best reflections of why the knowledge community needs to come together in spaces like @uksg.bsky.social and not stick to our silos, from Dr Tiberius Ignat: www.uksg.org/newsletter/u...
Why the next generation needs to start rubbing shoulders - UKSG
Tiberius Ignat argues that one of the greatest risks in scholarly publishing is professional isolation. When researchers, librarians, publishers, and vendors grow within separate bubbles, younger coll...
uksg.org
@countermetrics.bsky.social conference is over for another year, and I'm celebrating a cracking event with a glass of wine and my comfiest hoodie!
HUGE credit to the @countermetrics.bsky.social education committee for putting together a fantastic programme!
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe 2026 COUNTER Conference and AGM starts in 30 minutes, and we've over 460 people registered - that's almost 200 more people than last year. We'll see you all soon!
@uksg.bsky.social conference videos are live, and the @countermetrics.bsky.social conference is happening this afternoon, so there's lots of new information for me to get my teeth into!
UKSG@uksg.bsky.social · 2mo agoHurrah - all attendees for #UKSG2026 can now access the presentations from the conference! Please check your email inbox for details on how. For non-delegates there is a small fee - details here: dub.sh/B0IfXuv Our thanks to our friends at Underline for their support
Always good to talk to Becky, but I particularly appreciated that she sent me the questions ahead of time so I could think about my answers instead of responding on the fly!
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · 2mo ago@tashamc.bsky.social recently chatted with Becky Moakes of Maverick Publishing Consultants on “Redefining Value in the Age of AI”. They covered a ton of ground, and we thought you might like to read Tasha’s answers to some of Becky’s questions! www.countermetrics.org/redefining-v...
There have been a couple of press releases this week about @countermetrics.bsky.social compliance (or "conformance", which is a new one on me). To the lovely librarians asking me whether those publishers are actually compliant, this reminder is for you!
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · 2mo agoRemember, the ONLY way to know if a publisher is COUNTER compliant is to check our (free!) Registry. No record, no compliance. registry.countermetrics.org
New tech support post today: how can text and data mining activity be audited? www.countermetrics.org/tdm-audit/
How can text and data mining activity be audited? - COUNTER Metrics
Traditionally audits have run on Access Method Regular, but we've recently had a question about how TDM activity can be included.
countermetrics.org
We've had a question about COUNTER and GDPR, and what can or cannot be shared between data centres in different jurisdictions. Check out the answer on today's post: www.countermetrics.org/usage-gdpr/
GDPR and COUNTER reports - COUNTER Metrics
This is a tech support post which answers questions about COUNTER and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
countermetrics.org
After a fab day in London with @uksg.bsky.social, it's about time I share the call for topics for the 2027 (!) conference. 2027 is our 50th anniversary and we've got cracking plans to make the conference better than ever, so get your skates on and submit a proposal! www.uksg.org/annualconfer...
UKSG 2027 Call for Topics Submission Form - UKSG
We are pleased to announce that the UKSG in-person conference is scheduled to take place from 5th – 7th April at the SEC in Glasgow, UK. Like many conferences, we […]
uksg.org
📣📣"demanding perfect reproducibility from AI tools while accepting opaque results from legacy systems is in some respects a double standard that deserves a bit more examination"📣📣 Thanks @scholarlykitchen.bsky.social scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2026/05/22/g...
Guest Post — A Friendly Debate: Where Automation Will (And Should) Land in the Research Lifecycle - The Scholarly Kitchen
Today, we feature a friendly debate on the question: which parts of the research lifecycle should be more automated, and which require more of a human touch — and why?
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org
I enjoyed playing with Datawrapper to create the interactive map on the @countermetrics.bsky.social website! www.countermetrics.org/footprint-26/
Our footprint - COUNTER Metrics
COUNTER might be small, but we've got a pretty wide geographic reach. Check out the map to see where our community can be found!
countermetrics.org
COUNTER metrics@countermetrics.bsky.social · 3mo agoAfter the great quote from Heather, we thought you might be interested in where you can find our community. And because the best data is interactive, we've set up a map for you to explore! www.countermetrics.org/footprint-26/
There's a lovely quote from Heather Loehr on the @countermetrics.bsky.social news page today, reflecting on her time with the Board. We're lucky to have had her insight and advice for 6 years! www.countermetrics.org/quoting-heat...
Impact and Community - COUNTER Metrics
Thank you to Heather Loehr, who has served as a Director for the past six years, bringing her insight to the COUNTER community.
countermetrics.org