A c t i o n f o r L i b r a r i e s — F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 5

OCLC Enhances FirstSearch Usage Statistics

By Karen Graham
A new OCLC Usage Statistics interface is available via the same URL as the existing Usage Statistics for the FirstSearch service. Libraries can continue to access their usage reports with the same FirstSearch authorization and administrative or statistics passwords that they've previously used at www.stats.oclc.org/.

The OCLC Usage Statistics interface has a new look and new capabilities. This interface includes updates to existing FirstSearch Usage reports as well as a new Open WorldCat report and three of the Resource Sharing (ILL) reports reproduced in the new interface. If your institution participates in the Open WorldCat or Resource Sharing services, you will have access to those reports via this new interface.

Changes to the OCLC Usage Statistics interface include:

New tabbed interface that is easier to navigate, with context-sensitive online Help.
FirstSearch Full Text Used and Simultaneous Usage reports that now include history.
A new Institution Overview report for all FirstSearch Consortia Master authorizations showing number and percentage of searches and number of full-text documents viewed by the institution. Institution symbol hotlinks to individual reports for member institutions are included.
New Open WorldCat Clicks to Libraries report.
ILL Fee Management Reports (IFM), ILL Reasons for No reports and Union List Strategic report have been reimplemented and will be available for all Resource Sharing users.

The IFM, Reasons for No and Union List Strategic reports contain the same data that was on the OCLC Product Services Web: psw.oclc.org/default.htm. Those versions of these reports were scheduled to be removed sometime in January.

OCLC expects to add other Resource Sharing Reports to this interface during the first half of 2005. Reports for other OCLC products and services are planned for the future.

If you have questions, please contact Karen Graham (kgraham@bcr.org) at BCR.

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