Overlap analysis of online journals

[Eileen Lutzow]

Robert,

We are a small library with a limited budget and find Serials 
Solutions' Overlap Analysis tool very useful, especially before 
purchasing a new database, but also when re-evaluating a 
database at renewal time.  If the database almost completely 
duplicates what we already have, then there's little reason to add it 
or keep it.  Some databases have pleasantly surprised us with the 
amount of unique (for us) content they offer.  If we are comparing 
two similar databases, we can limit the analysis to just those two to 
do a head-to-head comparison, and then with a few clicks add 
each or both into our current mix to compare that way.  Although 
the first results page in the analysis report lists a chart with 
numbers and percentages of unique vs. overlap, you simply click 
on that number to see a list of titles for that category.  Very useful 
to pinpoint titles that are unique (for us) to that database, and it 
certainly beats manually comparing the title lists from the various 
vendors.

Yes there are other factors we consider when evaluating a 
database, but Overlap Analysis is a very powerful tool to have 
available.  It is so easy to use, that our head of reference, our 
acquisitions librarian, and our director all have access to it and can 
use it whenever they choose, without any assistance from me.

Eileen Lutzow
Charleston Southern University Library

On 24 Nov 04, at 7:32, VanderHart, Robert wrote:

> Serials Solutions ejournal management system offers a feature called
> Overlap Analysis, which allows you to compare databases to see where
> they overlap in coverage.
> 
> I'm interested in hearing opinions from Serials Solutions customers on
> this feature.  How useful have you found it?  Does it really aid you in
> collection development?  
> 
> I'm also interested in hearing from anyone who's implemented a similar
> feature in-house (i.e. "homegrown").  What system are you using (PHP,
> ColdFusion, Perl)?  How difficult was it to set up?
> 
> Thanks in advance for any feedback.  Have a nice holiday!
> 
> Robert Vander Hart
> Electronic Resources Librarian
> Lamar Soutter Library
> University of Massachusetts Medical School
> Worcester  MA  01655
> 
> Voice: 508-856-3290
> Email: Robert.VanderHart at umassmed.edu
> Web: http://library.umassmed.edu 
> 
>