OCLC Overview Organizational Overview Founded in 1967, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world s information and reducing information costs. More than 43,559 libraries in 86 countries and territories around the world use OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend and preserve library materials. OCLC is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, USA and has over 1200 employees worldwide. Researchers, students, faculty, scholars, professional librarians and other information seekers use OCLC services to obtain bibliographic, abstract and full-text information when and where they need it. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat (the OCLC Online Union Catalog). WorldCat is at the center of the OCLC cooperative. It embodies the ideal of library collaboration, providing access to a virtual collection that no single library could ever possess. Introduced in 1971, WorldCat linked 54 college and university libraries in Ohio. Today, it contains the merged catalogs of libraries around the world, making it the world s largest and richest database of bibliographic information. Mission and Vision OCLC exists to further access to the world s information and reduce library costs by offering services for libraries and their users. OCLC will be the leading global library cooperative, helping libraries serve people by providing economic access to knowledge through innovation and collaboration. Quality policy OCLC is committed to the continuous improvement of its products and services to achieve the OCLC Vision. OCLC (Dublin, Ohio) is ISO 9001 certified. 1
Governance and Organization OCLC Members Council OCLC s governance structure consists of governing members, members, participants, Members Council and the Board of Trustees. Governing members are those libraries that contribute all their current cataloging and holdings to WorldCat (the OCLC Online Union Catalog); they elect 66 delegates to the OCLC Members Council. The Council provides advice and counsel to OCLC, elects six members of the OCLC Board of Trustees and ratifies changes in the articles of incorporation and code of regulations of OCLC. The 15- member OCLC Board of Trustees has fiduciary and policy-setting responsibility for the corporation. Membership Membership in OCLC is a unique cooperative venture, giving libraries global access to all our services and databases, including WorldCat. Together, OCLC member libraries make up the world s largest library network. The cooperative supports three areas unique to the library industry: the OCLC Office of Research, the OCLC Institute and WebJunction. OCLC Office of Research The mission of the Office of Research is to expand knowledge that advances OCLC s public purposes of furthering access to the world s information and reducing library costs. This mission is achieved through the integration of computer, library and information sciences into research activities including experimentation, prototyping, standardization advancements, studies and research collaborations. The OCLC Institute The OCLC Institute is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting the evolution of libraries and information services by providing managers with opportunities for advanced education and knowledge exchange. 2
WebJunction In May 2002, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded OCLC a three-year, $9 million grant to develop WebJunction, an online community helping to serve the ongoing needs of public libraries that provide computer access to patrons. WebJunction was built on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation s five-year-old U.S. Library Program, which provided computers with Internet access to more than 10,000 libraries across the United States. By harnessing information technology from public libraries and their users, OCLC, in a partnership with the Colorado State Library, the Benton Foundation, TechSoup and Isoph, developed the new site that will offer public librarians a broad range of resources and a forum for sharing information on policies and practices. OCLC Global Locations OCLC Asia Pacific, based in Dublin, Ohio, provides products and services to libraries in the Asia and the Pacific region with the assistance of local distributors. OCLC Canada, in Chambly, Quebec, Ottawa, Ontario, Calgary, Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba has served Canadian librarians since 1997. OCLC Mexico, in Mexico City, was established in 2002 to serve libraries in Mexico. OCLC Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Dublin, Ohio, has served Mexico and all countries in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America since January 1995. OCLC PICA is a new organization created from the previous organizations: OCLC Europe, the Middle East & Africa and Pica. The new organization is membership-based and will jointly market and support the products of OCLC Inc. and the existing Pica products. United States Regional Network Affiliates The United States networks are library-service organizations that are independent from OCLC, and which contract with OCLC to provide services to libraries and other organizations in their geographic region. There are currently 16 networks and service centers supporting OCLC services worldwide. 3
Services and econtent The foundation for all OCLC services is WorldCat, the most comprehensive database of library records available. Cataloging and Metadata Built around WorldCat, OCLC Cataloging and Metadata services utilize Library of Congress and the Dewey Decimal Classification System to maintain the highest quality and most accurate bibliographic records in the library industry. Connexion. Efficient, Web-based or client softwaredriven cataloging in WorldCat. CatExpress. Web-based copy cataloging through Connexion. Dewey Services. The Dewey Decimal Classification system (DDC) is a general knowledge organization tool that is continuously revised to keep pace with knowledge. The Dewey Decimal Classification is the most widely used library classification system in the world. It is used in more than 135 countries and has been translated into over 30 languages. WebDewey. A browser-based version of the enhanced Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) database. Custom Cataloging Customized off-site contract cataloging and physical processing on a one-time or ongoing basis. Batch Processing. Enhanced cataloging productivity by batch record upload. Set or delete OCLC holdings, perform local data record (LDR) updating and add records to WorldCat from local systems. PromptCat. Fast, automatic copy cataloging for books ordered through participating vendors. CJK Cataloging. Software to catalog Chinese, Japanese and Korean materials using vernacular characters. Arabic Cataloging. Software for cataloging of Arabiclanguage materials using vernacular characters. CatMe. Software for interactive and batch cataloging. Collection Management Members are able to assess and monitor collections (whether electronic journals, ebooks or foreign languages) with our targeted analysis tools. Our collection analysis software provides tools to help identify gaps and overlaps in collections, so any size library can plan effectively for the future. E-collection development includes electronic journals and ebooks. OCLC also provides pre-selected sets of non-english materials in 12 languages to enhance collection development for English-speaking librarians. Collection Analysis (ACAS). Comprehensive set of services that provide collection analysis, title overlap analysis and library collection comparisons to provide crucial information about the characteristics of a collection. Language Sets. Preselected books and videos with cataloging for materials in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese. A custom collection option is also available. Digital Collection and Preservation Our digitization, microfilm and archival services are designed to protect and extend a digital collection s life span. Digital Collection and Preservation services assists with building new collections and acts as a clearinghouse of information about projects, funding 4
and best practices. Preservation Resources Centers are located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Lacey, Washington and The Hague, Netherlands. CONTENTdm. Software suite to help build and manage digital collections quickly and cost-effectively. Olive. Provides searchable, online access to textintensive documents, such as newspapers. The Digital Archive. A standards-based, long-term solution for the life cycle management and archiving of digital collections. Preservation Resource Centers. Microfilming and custom preservation services. The fully equipped studios provide high-quality digitization and preservation of unique collections and with 3 locations worldwide, your project stays closer to home. Reference Large or small, your library can provide easy-to-use electronic access to the richest, deepest range of information possible. Online and virtual reference services let you exceed expectations of the most demanding users and still contain costs. FirstSearch. Online reference service with access to bibliographic, abstract and full-text information for library users. Provides access to WorldCat and dozens of other rich databases, with integrated interlibrary loan and document delivery options. QuestionPoint. Provides libraries with a robust set of virtual reference solutions, including an integrated reference management capability. QuestionPoint supports collaborative global reference and features live chat, access to a growing knowledge base, monitor sharing and voice-over IP options. Resource Sharing Members can create, send and track interlibrary loan requests over the Web to over 6,700 cooperating libraries and document suppliers. OCLC Interlibrary Loan. With ILL management systems libraries can streamline their interlibrary loan processes. ILLiad. Comprehensive ILL management system that automates routine borrowing and lending functions. econtent Libraries can enhance their collections digitally with ebooks, ejournals and other unique, valuable online content. netlibrary. ebooks for reference, academic and professional information. Easy-to-use system for retrieving and accessing full text in ebook format. FirstSearch Electronic Collections Online. Web access to a large collection of scholarly journals through FirstSearch. OCLC Services for Groups This service includes a centralized union catalog, with resource sharing and a customized interface for all libraries within the group. Every library regardless of size, type or current OCLC-membership status can participate in the group cataloging solution. 5
Media Contacts United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia Pacific Wendy McGinnis, Assistant Director of Public Relations Bob Murphy, Senior Public Relations Specialist 6565 Franz Road Dublin, Ohio 43017, USA Tel: 011-614-761-5743 Toll Free: 800-848-5878 Fax: 614-718-1017 Email: wmcginni@oclc.org bmurphy@oclc.org OCLC web site: http://www.oclc.org/ OCLC PICA (Europe, the Middle East & Africa) Gillian McLeod, Marketing Coordinator 7th Floor, Tricorn House, 51-53 Hagley Road Birmingham. B16 8TP, UK Tel: +44 121 456 4656 Fax: +44 121 456 4680 Email: mcleodg@oclc.org PICA web site: http://www.oclcpica.org/ OCLC Boilerplate Founded in 1967, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world s information and reducing information costs. More than 43,559 libraries in 86 countries and territories around the world use OCLC services including cataloging, reference, resource sharing, econtent and preservation services. OCLC and its worldwide member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, making it the world s largest and richest database of bibliographic information. OCLC is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, USA and has over 1200 employees worldwide. For more information visit http://www.oclc.org/. 6