8 Peer Comparisons

8 Peer Comparisons

8.1 Introduction

A Peer Comparison allows you to compare your library's holdings to the collections of other OCLC member libraries. Your library can choose from one to ten other libraries as a comparison group. The resulting analysis is presented in a spreadsheet-style table called the Analysis Results screen. For a description of screen functions see: section 11.1, "Analysis Results Screen".

• For a two-to-ten-library comparison, the subscribing library's holdings are compared to the comparison group's titles and the result is called a Peer Comparison.
• For a one-to-one comparison, the subscribing library's titles are compared to the peer library's titles and the result is called a One-to-One Comparison.

Example:

Comparisons that you create are identified as Peer Comparisons on the Data to Analyze screen.

You must create a Peer Comparison using the WorldCat Services Administrative Module (see chapter 2, Administrative Functions).

Analysis type

A Peer Comparison is created as an Individual Library Comparison. See section 1.3, "Types of Analysis" for more information about this analysis type.

8.2 Comparison Group

Defaults

The default Analysis Results screen presents Publication Date ranges as the table columns and the subscribing library and the comparison group as rows.

The default row expansion order is:

View graph display

You can view a graph of the data from a single row of the analysis table by selecting

the Display Graph  icon. See section 11.2, "Graph Display Screen" for more information.

Changing the analysis

You can vary the order in which dimensions are applied to this analysis by using the Change Analysis screen.

Column values.  For a Peer Comparison you may select one of these dimensions as the column value for the Analysis Results screen:

Row expansion.  For row expansion, you may re-order the following dimensions except the one you have selected for the column value:

Limiting the analysis

You can reduce the overall results of an analysis by reducing the breadth of one or more of the dimensions. You reduce the breadth by creating subsets of an analysis dimension on the Limit Analysis Screen.

For an Authoritative List Comparison you can select subsets of the following dimensions:

• Library vs comparison group
• Division
• Publication Date
• Language
• Audience

View records

To view actual holdings for a given row/column, select the number shown in the corresponding table cell.

Summary bibliographic information is provided as a List of Records screen. Records are ranked by the number of libraries holding the item in WorldCat, in descending order, that is, items held by the most libraries display first on the list.

To...	Do this...
View additional information about the List of Records screen	Select the Help  icon.
View a full record	Select the record title.
Return to the Analysis Results screen	Select the Collection Analysis tab.

8.3 One-to-One Comparison

A One-to-One Comparison produces the same Analysis Results, Change Analysis and Limit Analysis screens as a Peer Comparison, except that the comparison library's name replaces the comparison group's name in the displays.

Permission

In order to compare your library's collection to another individual library's collection, OCLC requires you to obtain written permission from that library. To streamline this process, OCLC provides a Permission Template at: http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/collectionanalysis/permission.doc. Access the template and follow the instructions. When you have received permission to create a one-to-one comparison, you must send a copy of the permission to OCLC at wcapermission@oclc.org.

Open Permissions.  In order not to burden libraries with having to respond to numerous requests for One-to-One Comparisons, OCLC maintains a list of member libraries who grant permission for any other OCLC member library to create a One-to-One Comparison. The list is available at: http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/collectionanalysis/default.htm.

Libraries voluntarily submit themselves to this list. Contact an individual library directly for questions, additional information, or discrepancies.

8.4 Overlap

An Authoritative List Comparison provides an Overlap view which shows the number of titles that your library owns jointly with the collective titles (duplicates removed) of an authoritative collection development list.

For these comparisons Overlap is shown in the List Comparison tab.

Example: Individual institution

Example: Peer Comparison

See section 1.7, "Overlap/Uniqueness Implementation" for information on how Overlap totals are counted.

8.5 Uniqueness

A Peer Comparison provides a Uniqueness view which shows the number of titles your library owns that are not also owned by:

• a peer library (One-to-one Comparison)
• any other member its two- to ten-member Comparison Group (Peer Comparison)

Example: One-to-one Comparison

Example: Peer Comparison

See section 1.7, "Overlap/Uniqueness Implementation" for information on how Uniqueness totals are counted.