Benchmarking mechanical engineering collections using the WorldCat Collection Analysis tool

The WorldCat Collection Analysis (WCA) tool was utilized to benchmark engineering monograph collections generally and mechanical engineering in depth. This was accomplished by quantitatively comparing the collections of 13 aspirational peer institutions and assessing local holdings based on those benchmarks. This study also explored trends in print and ebook engineering monograph holdings from 2005 to 2010. In addition to benchmarking, limitations and challenges of using WCA and aspirational peers are also discussed.

► Holdings of print and ebooks in engineering and mechanical declined from 2005–2010. ► Engineering and mechanical engineering ebook holdings average <6% of holdings. ► Acquisition of ebooks has decreased since 2008 based on WCA peer data. ► WCA has limitations, especially when peers have more than one OCLC symbol.