Library Technology Guides

OCLC awarded IMLS grant to develop free online continuing education program for public library staff. OCLC has been awarded a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to partner with the Idaho Commission for Libraries to develop a free online continuing education program for public library staff. The project will replace an outdated series and result in a new set of courses for library staff on core library services such as collection development, collection maintenance, cataloging, and delivery of programming and services that are responsive to community needs. [Full Announcement].

OCLC builds on its linked data strategy by creating uniform resource identifiers for Dewey Decimal Classification numbers. OCLC, the worldwide leader in library cataloging and metadata services, is unlocking the power of the Dewey Decimal Classification system to build an increasingly robust linked data infrastructure by creating uniform resource identifiers for Dewey numbers. As the foundation for “concept” entities, this Dewey linked data provides subject classifications to Works entities in WorldCat Entities, creating a layer of new relationships for knowledge graphs that power discovery. [Full Announcement].

Heidelberg University Library selects OCLC's WorldShare Management Services as its new library services platform. OCLC announced that internationally esteemed Heidelberg University Library has selected WorldShare Management Services (WMS) as its cloud-based library services platform. Heidelberg's selection of WMS follows an extensive review of the modern, next-generation platform. [Full Announcement].

Essen Public Library to modernize its library system with OCLC's BIBLIOTHECAnext. OCLC welcomes Essen Public Library as the most recent major public library to announce the move from its current library system to BIBLIOTHECAnext, the newest generation of the market-leading system used by some 4,000 libraries in German-speaking countries in Europe. Large public libraries such as Frankfurt, Bielefeld, and Vienna are already working with BIBLIOTHECAnext. Other major users of the OCLC software include the public libraries in Bremen, Leipzig, Dresden, and Wuppertal. [Full Announcement].

Rockefeller Archive Center joins the OCLC Research Library Partnership. The Rockefeller Archive Center has joined the OCLC Research Library Partnership (RLP) as a Partner. The RAC collects, manages, preserves, and provides broad and equitable access to the historical records of philanthropy and other efforts to work on behalf of the public good to inspire critical analysis and contribution of knowledge to diverse learning communities throughout the world. It holds the archives of a large and growing number of philanthropic institutions, including the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Knight Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, and many other foundations and civil society organizations, as well as the papers of individuals associated with these organizations. [Full Announcement].

31 new libraries sign on to OCLC's WorldShare Management Services platform. In the last six months, 31 new libraries have signed on to use OCLC's WorldShare Management Services (WMS), the fully integrated library services platform designed to meet the needs of modern libraries. In addition, other libraries have signed extended renewals of WMS this year, reinforcing their commitment to OCLC's shared data network and technology for more efficient workflows. More than 850 libraries have signed on to use WMS worldwide. [Full Announcement].

New OCLC position paper articulates the value of linked data to the library community. OCLC, the worldwide leader in library cataloging and metadata services, has released “Linked data: The future of library cataloging,” a position paper that articulates the value that linked data can bring to library catalogs, and the tools already available to help ease libraries into creating a more interconnected experience for information seekers. [Full Announcement].

WorldCat Entities URIs now automatically added to WorldCat records for newly controlled headings. Earlier this year, OCLC enriched more than 400 million WorldCat records with Worldcat Entities uniform resource identifiers. OCLC announced the extension of this initiative to routinely enhance WorldCat record quality through the automated addition of WorldCat Entities URIs to WorldCat records. [Full Announcement].

Vanderbilt University's Heard Libraries join OCLC Research Library Partnership. The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries at Vanderbilt University have strengthened their commitment to innovation and collaborative scholarship by joining the OCLC Research Library Partnership. A multinational community of research libraries, the OCLC RLP is dedicated to improving library practice through professional development, collaborative research and information sharing. [Full Announcement].

Big Ten Academic Alliance libraries are now live with OCLC Resource Sharing for Groups. Big Ten Academic Alliance libraries are now live using the new OCLC Resource Sharing for Groups, the state-of-the-art solution that reimagines resource sharing for library groups and consortia. OCLC Resource Sharing for Groups is a modern consortial borrowing solution that expedites delivery of digital and print items to library users. Participating libraries have all the tools needed to easily lend and borrow resources from group members. If a request can't be filled within the group, it seamlessly scales out to regional partners and to OCLC's global resource sharing network of more than 10,000 libraries, without any staff intervention. The solution also builds on smart fulfillment functionality for fast, predictable delivery based on local policies, group profiles, available resources, library relationships, and user needs—with first-supplier fill rates at 90-95 percent. [Full Announcement].

OCLC acquires firm to help higher education institutions with software decisions and implementations. OCLC has acquired JJH Consulting, a firm that specializes in advising institutions of higher education on how to maximize the value of their enterprise resource planning business processes and the implementation of Workday enterprise systems and software. The acquisition will expand OCLC's service profile and enable the organization to work with higher education institutions to help determine the best use of systems and services to fit their specific needs. Workday is a leading cloud-based financial, human capital management, and student information system that engages with external firms to advise, implement, and optimize their innovative systems. JJH Consulting has been a Workday Advisory Partner since 2018. OCLC has used Workday since 2015. [Full Announcement].

Clemson University Libraries joins the OCLC Research Library Partnership. Clemson Libraries provides research and information resources and services to the students, faculty, staff, and community patrons of Clemson University, a public, land-grant research university located in Upstate South Carolina. With more than 28,700 undergraduate and graduate students and more than 6,280 faculty and staff, Clemson offers degree programs in more than 100 majors. [Full Announcement].

CEU selects OCLC's WorldShare Management Services to manage 20 libraries that serve over 96,000 users in Spain. The Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU has selected OCLC's WorldShare Management Services as its fully integrated library services platform to handle all essential functions of its diverse institutions' libraries in Spain. In addition to providing a library services platform to bring CEU libraries together, OCLC will create a single catalog of collections from participating institutions to search through one interface. [Full Announcement].

OCLC Meridian makes it possible for libraries to create linked data that connect resources to the wider web. Introducing OCLC Meridian, a web application and set of APIs that libraries and other organizations that manage metadata for knowledge collections can use to create, curate, and connect linked data entities. Published in WorldCat Entities, this linked data is then available for use across a wide variety of services, systems, and data sets to connect to other knowledge streams where people search for information. Meridian enables the creation of linked data entities and descriptive relationships from within libraries' current workflows, forming connections to existing bibliographic records and other datasets in the global information ecosystem. Through these connections, WorldCat Entities data improves library discovery, findability, and relevance across the web. This new service allows libraries and other organizations managing metadata to contribute to a shared linked data infrastructure. Libraries can contribute at their own pace and without disruptions to their current workflows. [Full Announcement].

EBLIDA and OCLC sign new multi-year agreement. The European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations and OCLC have signed a multi-year agreement, demonstrating their commitment to work more closely and strengthening the bond between the two organizations. This agreement will allow the organizations to collaborate more, build on their existing relationship, make information more accessible, engage with libraries throughout Europe, and participate in collaborative projects including support of conferences and programs. [Full Announcement].

OCLC Global Council elects Xuemao Wang, re-elects Anja Smit to Board of Trustees. OCLC Global Council has elected Xuemao Wang, Dean of Libraries and the Charles Deering McCormick University Librarian for Northwestern University, and re-elected Anja Smit, Director of DANS, an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Dutch Research Council, to the OCLC Board of Trustees. [Full Announcement].

cloudLibrary is now part of OCLC. OCLC has acquired cloudLibrary, a platform that offers access to a wide variety of digital content through libraries. The acquisition will help OCLC support public libraries in their efforts to successfully manage accelerated shifts to digital collections. Nearly 500 libraries in 20 countries rely on cloudLibrary to provide access to a rich collection of digital content including millions of ebooks and audio books as well as tens of thousands of magazines, digital newspapers, digital comics, and streaming media services in more than 50 languages. Libraries make these collections available to their communities through cloudLibrary's top-rated mobile app while a web portal makes it easy for library staff to manage their subscriptions. [Full Announcement].

OCLC Global Council ratifies plans to streamline council structure, increase member engagement. Following a comprehensive governance study, the OCLC Global Council ratified plans to establish a new council structure to clarify its role and increase member engagement. The new OCLC Leaders Council will be phased in over the next year with a clear purpose: to provide library perspectives that inform OCLC's strategic goals and to elect six trustees to the Board of Trustees. The new Leaders Council combines three Regional Councils into one group comprised of two delegations—one consisting of members from North, Central, and South America and one that unites Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific regions. It allows flexibility in its membership to range from no fewer than 20 to no more than 24 members. [Full Announcement].

OCLC partners with Equinox Open Library Initiative to provide access to the WorldCat Metadata API for mutual customers. OCLC is partnering with Equinox Open Library Initiative to offer access to the WorldCat Metadata API for OCLC cataloging libraries using service platforms supported by Equinox. The integration is available to mutual customers.Equinox, a leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is the first to sign on to integrate the WorldCat Metadata API through the OCLC Partner Platform Program, which allows partners to integrate OCLC cataloging, discovery, and resource sharing functionality through a variety of APIs. The program also allows library service providers to integrate with OCLC's WorldShare Management Services and OCLC Wise library service platforms. [Full Announcement].

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf is now live with OCLC's WorldShare Management Services. The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, a research institution in Germany, is now live with OCLC's WorldShare Management Services, the fully integrated library services platform designed to meet the needs of modern libraries. The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf conducts research in the fields of energy, health, and matter. The HZDR library is part of the K10plus, a union catalog that brings together more than 200 million holdings of print and digital media from academic libraries in 10 federal states; the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation; and other academic, research, and cultural institutions. Partners include most German state universities and colleges, and institutions such as the Helmholtz Centers. [Full Announcement].