COUNTER-compliant usage statistics reports allow your library to compare database usage across vendor platforms in a consistent, credible, and compatible manner. These reports offer basic usage information, and can be used in conjunction with OCLC's usage statistics reports found under the FirstSearch tab. OCLC's COUNTER reports measure journal use within databases, including download methods, database use at the session and search level, turnaways, and service use. Because the format for COUNTER-compliant reports is consistent regardless of vendor, information from these reports can easily be imported via Microsoft® Excel or the .cvs format, and merged into a single report with statistics from multiple service providers. Another benefit of COUNTER-compliant reports is that terms, such as "sessions," "searches," and "turnaways" are always defined in the same manner, and usage statistics measure the same actions.
OCLC's COUNTER-compliant reports follow an agreed-upon international set of standards and protocols governing the recording and exchange of online usage data.
OCLC Consortia Level reports provide a consortia the rollups of the institution level numbers to give totals for the consortia. These are intended for informational use to the Consortia and are not considered to be COUNTER compliant reports.
See COUNTER Reports and COUNTER Glossary for more information.