• Collections & Technical Services
• Dec 07 - Jan 08
• Issue: 218

WorldCat Collection Analysis Now Offers Circulations Analysis

WorldCat Collection Analysis, offered through Nylink by OCLC, allows libraries to analyze their collection by format, language, year of publication, subject area, and audience. In addition to analyzing your own collection, you can compare your collection against a peer institution, standard lists like the top ten liberal arts colleges, WorldCat, Library Journal titles, or the Google 9.

In fall 2006, ILL analysis was added to Collection Analysis, allowing the libraries WorldCat Resource Sharing activities for both lending and borrowing to be analyzed. By learning what your library borrows over time you can identify acquisition priorities. Through comparing borrowing requests based on age, subject, serial and non-serial items, analyzing what your library borrows, and identifying the items your library is lending, you can reveal how your collection is being used.

In November 2007, Circulation Analysis was added as another benefit to WorldCat Collection Analysis. Libraries can now learn what items are circulating in their collection and make educated decisions about weeding, acquisitions, prospective items for off site storage, and how their collection is being used. Adding Circulation Analysis to your subscription is a free service, however, libraries need to send the data to OCLC as the information exists in your ILS.

To send circulation data to OCLC, create a file of your circulation data in either a tab delimited or XML format. In your WorldCat Collection Analysis Administrative module, use the circulation analysis form to upload your file and send the data to OCLC. When you run the circulation report from your ILS, it should include all items circulated for up to the last five years. It is imperative that your information includes the:

• OCLC Number
• OCLC Institution Symbol
• Barcode
• Checkout Date

You can also include the:

• Check In Date
• Location Information

There are templates for the data and instructions available on OCLC’s web site: http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/collectionanalysis/circ/circ_intro.htm.

Nylink would be happy to provide assistance with setting up circulation analysis within Collection Analysis and we will work to provide answers to any questions you have.

[Jennifer Hawkes, OCLC Services Librarian, Nylink]

Collections & Technical Services Contact Information

Please contact Lauren Pinsley (pinsleyl@nylink.org), Lynne Graziadei (graziadeil@nylink.org) or Mary Edgerton (edgertonm@nylink.org) at Nylink with any questions. They are available via email or phone (518-443-5444/800-342-3353).