Posts filed under 'Technical Services'
DUBLIN, Ohio, February 14, 2012—The Website for Small Libraries project, which began as an OCLC Innovation Lab experiment in 2011, is now available as a beta service for any library wishing to set up its own website.
By participating in the project, libraries will be able to quickly and easily set up a website that provides basic functionality for making small collection information available on the Web, setting up users, checking materials in and out, placing holds, and providing library contact, location, service and event information.
“The goal of the Website for Small Libraries project was easily stated, but not so easily realized,” said Mike Teets, OCLC Vice President, Innovation. “We wanted small libraries with collections of 20,000 items or less to be able to have a simple, inexpensive yet functional presence on the Web.”
Four South Dakota libraries, as well as the South Dakota State Library, were part of the project’s pilot. “Many of our libraries have a staff of just one or two, and small budgets,” said Dan Siebersma, South Dakota State Librarian. “A product that makes it easy for these libraries to have a website with a minimum amount of effort and at a low cost is very desirable. The inventory feature that would allow people to access a library’s collection from the comfort of their home is the icing on the cake.”
In order to make the site as easy to use as possible, the site relies on simple editing of predefined templates to populate the Web presence. It can take just a few minutes to have a library site up and available to patrons on the Web as well as on mobile and tablet devices. The service uses a set of wizards to import collection and user information in a wide variety of formats. It uses statistical algorithms and WorldCat to determine structure and field contents to ease the import processes. Complexity is kept to a minimum by focusing on the minimum fields necessary to make collections accessible.
Tip House, Chief Architect, Global Infrastructure for OCLC, and one of the lead programmers on the project, explained the basic features: “Libraries can provide and promote basic information about their locations, content, events and services using a set of easily updated templates and widgets. Users can create an account, search for materials, place and delete holds, and see their history. It is, essentially, a very basic inventory model for libraries.”
Mr. Teets stressed that this is not a full-featured library management service, but an option for those small libraries that have not been able to take advantage of traditional library systems due to size, cost or technological restrictions.
“If a library already has an ILS, this will not replicate that kind of system. It’s not meant to,” said Mr. Teets. “Our research suggested that as many as half of the libraries with one or two employees had, essentially, no Web presence. This project hopes to positively impact those libraries and their users.”
“WebJunction has worked with small and rural libraries since its inception,” said Jennifer Peterson, WebJunction Community Manager. “Many of these libraries don’t have the time, money or technical background to implement a full-scale, online management service. This project will enable them to reach their users on the Web in an entirely new way. And because the sites are optimized to run well on mobile devices, they’ll be able to connect to users for whom the mobile Internet is now the main way of getting online.”
“We hope this is a useful, affordable option for small libraries that want to establish a Web-based connection to their communities,” said Mr. Teets.
Libraries interested in signing up can do so at http://beta.worldcat.org/lib/. Participation in the project costs $500 per year and comes with a 90-day trial period. Libraries are free to import and export their collection and patron data as they try the service, as well as through the product life.
State library organizations, consortia and other library groups interested in group rates should contact their OCLC Library Services consultant.
February 16th, 2012
DUBLIN, Ohio, January 13, 2012—Since July 1, 2011, 28 libraries have selected OCLC WorldShare Management Services, the first truly cooperative, Webscale management services for libraries that streamline cataloging, acquisitions, circulation, license management and workflows, and offer a next-gen discovery tool for library users. This brings the number of libraries worldwide committed to using OCLC WorldShare Management Services to 171.
Among the new subscribers:
• Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin
• Cedar Crest College, Allentown, Pennsylvania
• College of Western Idaho, Nampa, Idaho
• Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, Texas
• Freed-Hardeman University, Henderson, Tennessee
• Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan
• Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, Tennessee
• National Endowment for Democracy, Washington, D.C.
• Northwest University, Kirkland, Washington
• Ovid-Elsie Area Schools, Elsie, Michigan
• Saint Francis University, Loretto, Pennsylvania
• San Bernardino County Law Library, San Bernardino, California
• San Juan Island Library, Friday Harbor, Washington
• Santa Fe Springs City Library, Santa Fe Springs, California
• Stanford Hospital Health Library, Palo Alto, California
• Thomas Jefferson Foundation Library, Charlottesville, Virginia
• Union University, Jackson, Tennessee
• University of California, Merced
• Westminster Seminary California, Escondido, California
• William Carey International University, Pasadena, California
OCLC WorldShare Management Services enable libraries to share infrastructure costs and resources, as well as collaborate in ways that free them from the restrictions of local hardware and software. And libraries using OCLC WorldShare Management Services find that they are able to reduce the time needed for traditional tasks and free staff time for higher-priority services.
In 2010, OCLC announced that it was making OCLC WorldShare Management Services available to early adopters. OCLC WorldShare Management Services were released for general availability July 1, 2011. Today, 33 libraries are live with WorldShare Management Services.
More about OCLC WorldShare Management Services can be found on the website at http://www.oclc.org/webscale/default.htm.
January 24th, 2012
OCLC, together with OCLC Global Council and members, is taking the cooperative’s ongoing strategy to help libraries operate and innovate at Webscale to a much broader level with the introduction of OCLC WorldShare, a new platform and a new brand that signals OCLC’s commitment to greater collaboration in library service delivery.
OCLC is launching the OCLC WorldShare Platform, which will enable library developers, partners and other organizations to create, configure and share a wide range of applications that deliver new functionality and value for libraries and their users.
OCLC will also deploy data centers around the world in support of OCLC WorldShare and other services. The first data center outside the United States will be implemented this week in the United Kingdom. Additional data centers will be deployed in continental Europe, Australia and Canada in the coming year.
“OCLC’s mission and public purpose are clearly aligned with the concept of Webscale,” said Jay Jordan, OCLC President and CEO. “We have been providing infrastructure and services that have enabled members to build efficiencies in the management of libraries, and to increase the visibility and impact of their collections in compelling user environments on the Web. To date, this work has been significant. Now we see a need to provide more of those connective elements, the services and systems that will allow libraries to leverage even more of their activities and data together, at Webscale.”
The OCLC WorldShare Platform facilitates collaboration and app-sharing across the library community, so that libraries can combine library-built applications, partner-built applications and OCLC-built applications. This enables the benefits of each single solution to be shared broadly throughout the library community.
In the coming weeks, participants from platform pilot libraries will work with members of the OCLC Developer Network to help create and build new applications to populate the OCLC WorldShare App Gallery, where users will see available apps and can install them into current work environments. Developers can showcase their creativity, partners can create add-on functionality and library staff can find practical, everyday solutions to streamline and enhance their workflows.
The first services built on this new technical infrastructure are Webscale Management Services, which have been rebranded as OCLC WorldShare Management Services, and include circulation, acquisitions and license management applications. Today, more than 30 libraries are already using OCLC WorldShare Management Services, and more than 150 libraries worldwide have committed to the new service since September 2010.
Over time, OCLC will bring together additional OCLC services and applications under the OCLC WorldShare name, including resource sharing, consortial borrowing, metadata management and additional applications. OCLC’s currently deployed library management solutions will continue to be maintained and enhanced in line with libraries’ ongoing requirements under their current brand names.
WorldCat will continue to serve as the name for shared data, including registries and the knowledge base, as well as discovery services such as WorldCat.org and WorldCat Local.
There are many examples of organizations contributing to the broader Webscale information environment. Some, like HathiTrust, JSTOR and Europeana, are most recognizable to libraries and library users. Others, such as Google and Amazon, are global services familiar to all Web users. These services, and many others, are all part of the information environment users navigate every day—a Webscale environment.
OCLC is committed to working with libraries to expand the scope and type of partnerships that will be critical for libraries to achieve Webscale.
“OCLC WorldShare provides a Web-based platform for collective innovation across shared services, integrated applications and streamlined library workflows,” said Mr. Jordan. “In combination with WorldCat, OCLC WorldShare will support the work of libraries of all types to collaborate in new, more efficient ways, reduce operating costs and provide greatly enhanced user experiences.”
Visit the OCLC website at www.oclc.org for more details about OCLC WorldShare.
December 6th, 2011
Are you planning to attend the American Library Association conference in Washington, D.C. this month?
If so, please plan to join OCLC for programs about classification, cataloging and metadata, acquisitions and technical services for your library.
Register now to reserve your spot at these and other OCLC sessions at ALA.
Friday, June 25
Enhance Sharing Session
This interactive session is a forum for Q&A and for the exchange of information concerning OCLC’s Enhance program and Expert Community.
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon, Washington Convention Center, Room 102A
Saturday, June 26
Dewey Update Breakfast: News and Research
Start your day with breakfast and details about what’s new with Dewey and the research that supports it.
7:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m., Grand Hyatt Washington, Independence Rooms B-C
Redesigning Technical Services Workflows
Join speakers Janet Fransen, University of Minnesota, Ksenija Mincic-Obradovic, The University of Auckland Library and Ted Fons, OCLC, for a lively discussion around the theme, “Synchronization and syndication of library data.”
8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., Washington Convention Center, Room 145B
WorldCat Selection Users Group Meeting
Hear from Dawn Waller, University of Virginia, and Carolyn Morris, Coutts, about the University of Virginia’s implementation of WorldCat Selection, and David Whitehair, OCLC, about an OCLC update.
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Washington Convention Center, Room 142
Monday, June 28
Cataloging Alchemy: Making Your Data Work Harder
Join OCLC staff Glenn Patton, Rich Greene and Jean Godby for a cataloging update and discussion on tools that help WorldCat data work harder for you, and lay a foundation for more effective use of bibliographic data on the Web.
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon, Grand Hyatt Washington, Constitution Rooms C-E
June 14th, 2010
Maximizing the Value of Your OCLC Cataloging Subscription
Join OCLC for our new webinar designed to help cataloging and technical services managers contain costs, improve efficiency and use staff resources most effectively. This free session will focus on the many options for cataloging with OCLC, activities, and services that are included in the OCLC cataloging subscription.
Maximizing the Value of WorldCat.org
This webinar provides an introduction to WorldCat.org, the cooperative’s public-facing discovery tool for library-owned materials worldwide. This course illustrates how public services staff, managers, and technical services staff can work behind the scenes to help users get the best results from WorldCat.org.
WorldCat Holdings: Why They Matter and the Tools to Maintain Them
Back by popular demand, this webinar reviews the importance of having your holdings accurate and up-to-date in WorldCat. It is intended for cataloging and technical services managers who are looking to select and implement the holdings maintenance methods that are most appropriate for their library.
March 26th, 2010
As OCLC and the Michigan Library Consortium (MLC) continue to work in partnership on behalf of OCLC member libraries, we would like to inform you about some important changes with regard to how your library will now access support for OCLC products and services. Please be sure to share this news with staff members in your organization who use OCLC services.
OCLC customer support. MLC/OCLC members will now contact OCLC Customer Support for all questions related to support for OCLC products and services. To contact OCLC Customer Support, please email support@oclc.org or call 1-800-848-5800.
OCLC Service Hours. OCLC support professionals are available 14 hours a day, Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. Eastern Time, to assist you with your needs. They will provide answers about OCLC products and services, to help your library maximize the value of your OCLC membership.
OCLC billing. MLC will offer billing assistance to your library for OCLC products and services. To contact MLC for billing assistance, call Janet LaCross at 1-800-530-9019 extension 116, or email lacrossj@mlcnet.org.
OCLC sales. To order OCLC Cataloging subscriptions and other OCLC products and services, see OCLC’s Orders web page, To request a quote or other sales information, contact OCLC at us@oclc.org.
OCLC news. MLC is teaming up with INCOLSA and OCLC to keep you informed about the latest OCLC news. With the introduction of OCLC’s new service model, INCOLSA will provide information about new and enhanced OCLC products and services via regular updates on the MLC website, the Communique blog, and mlcinfo mailing list.
For further information, see MLC’s OCLC Services web page.
June 17th, 2009
Registration now open.
Midwest CONTENTdm Users Group
4th Annual Meeting
March 18-20, 2009
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
Join our keynote speakers Michele Reilly, Arizona Memory project, and Geri Ingram, OCLC, at the upcoming Midwest CONTENTdm Users Group 4th Annual Meeting at Purdue University Wednesday-Friday, March 18-20, 2009. Registration is now open for the two-day event, as well as for two half-day pre-conference sessions to be delivered on Wednesday, March 18.
Ingram will kick off the full conference on Thursday with a keynote address highlighting new features in CONTENTdm 5 and introducing future developments in the software. Friday’s conference will be keynoted by Reilly, Digital Repository Coordinator for the Arizona Memory Project, a consortial effort to provide access to the wealth of primary sources in Arizona libraries, archives, museums and other cultural institutions. Reilly’s talk will center on ways to add value to online collections, ranging from teaching resources to innovative Web 2.0 strategies.
Two half-day pre-conference sessions will be offered on March 18, 2009. Geri Ingram will lead a hands-on, CONTENTdm 5 workshop, offered in 2 half-day sessions, morning and afternoon. Copyright and Digital Collections is the topic of an afternoon pre-conference, led by Donna Ferullo, J.D., Purdue University.
To register, click here.
This meeting is being organized by the Midwest CONTENTdm Planning Committee and supported by OCLC and Regional Service Providers in the Midwest.
For more information, contact:
Carl Snow, Purdue University
1-765-494-2764 or email him.
Brad Faust, Ball State University
1-765-285-8032 or email him.
January 5th, 2009
The OCLC eSerials Holdings service now offers a MARC record update option available on a subscription basis. Each month, this optional service will automatically deliver updated MARC bibliographic records representing the holdings set in WorldCat, automatically synchronizing a library’s online public access catalog with WorldCat.
The eSerials Holdings service automates the process of setting and maintaining holdings for ISSN-based electronic serials in WorldCat without adding to a library’s cataloging workload. It provides up-to-date serials holdings for users and a simple, efficient workflow for staff with higher fill rates and faster turnaround times for interlibrary loan and document delivery. The service debuted in July 2006 and uses the OCLC knowledgebase of eSerials to keep WorldCat informed of full text available electronically via aggregated databases and individual eJournals.
Nearly 400 libraries are enrolled in the service, which TDNet, EBSCO, WorldCat Link Manager and Serials Solutions also offer to their clients. To date libraries and vendors have added more than 4.5 million library holdings for electronic journals.
Learn out more about the eSerials Holdings service ››
November 3rd, 2008
OCLC conducted two Web-based surveys to measure the demand for non-English materials in small- to medium-sized academic libraries, community college libraries and school libraries, as well as public libraries. One of the key findings was that non-English speaking populations are growing, but library space and budget for these materials is staying the same. Another finding of both surveys was the need to expand the OCLC Language Sets service to include German and French materials, bringing the total number of languages available to 17: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malayalam, Marathi, Panjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Telugu, Urdu and Vietnamese.
Language Sets allow English-speaking librarians to build multilingual collections. OCLC language experts select, acquire and catalog best-selling and award-winning non-English materials, and set your holdings in WorldCat. With optional physical processing, materials can arrive ready to shelve.
(Other languages in addition to the 17 listed may be available through custom collections, a purchase option where OCLC staff acquire materials based on your library’s specific collection development criteria. MARC cataloging and optional physical processing are also available with this service.)
View Language Sets options ››
View a pre-recorded Web session that covers the results of the public libraries study ››
View Library Journal article on how libraries build non-English collections ››
November 3rd, 2008
OCLC is pleased to announce that YBP Library Services and Lindsay & Croft are now active WorldCat Selection partners.
YBP Library Services, founded in 1971, is a supplier of electronic and print monographs, collection management and technical service solutions to research libraries and consortia worldwide. Acquired by Baker & Taylor in 1999, YBP has over 300 employees and supports a growing database of over 3 million titles. YBP’s headquarters are located in Contoocook, New Hampshire, a village 70 miles north of Boston.
Part of the YBP group since 1998, Lindsay & Croft is one of the best-resourced providers of both English and non-English books sourced from the UK and Continental Europe and delivered to academic and research institutions around the world. In 2005, Lindsay & Howes joined forces with Croft House and was renamed Lindsay & Croft. In 2008, Lindsay & Croft relocated its offices to a new distribution centre in the heart of Oxfordshire countryside, close to the academic and publishing centre at Oxford University.
More information on YBP Library Services.
More information on Lindsay & Croft.
More information on WorldCat Selection.
Complete list of current and upcoming partners for WorldCat Selection.
October 6th, 2008
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