Online Computer Library Center

Online Computer Library Center is a global library cooperative that provides bibliographic and full-text content, management tools, and related services to its member institutions, including the Library of Congress, British Library, and National Library of Australia. The organization was founded in 1967 by Fred Kilgour, who served as its first president, and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, with additional offices in San Mateo, California, and Leiden. The Online Computer Library Center has partnerships with various organizations, including OCLC PICA, OCLC Asia Pacific, and OCLC Europe, to provide services to libraries in different regions, such as the University of California, Berkeley, University of Oxford, and University of Tokyo.

● History

The Online Computer Library Center was established in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, with the goal of creating a shared cataloging system for Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, and other Ohio libraries, including the Cleveland Public Library and Cincinnati Public Library. In the 1970s, the organization expanded its services to include interlibrary loan and cataloging for libraries such as the New York Public Library, Boston Public Library, and Chicago Public Library. The Online Computer Library Center introduced its first online cataloging system, OCLC Online Union Catalog, in 1971, which was used by libraries such as the University of Michigan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Purdue University. The organization changed its name to the Online Computer Library Center in 1981, reflecting its growing national and international presence, with members including the National Library of Canada, National Library of Scotland, and National Library of Wales.

● Services

The Online Computer Library Center provides a range of services to its member libraries, including WorldCat, a global catalog of library holdings, which includes records from libraries such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France, German National Library, and National Diet Library. The organization also offers interlibrary loan services, allowing libraries such as the University of California, Los Angeles, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Washington to borrow materials from other libraries, including the Library of Congress and British Library. Additionally, the Online Computer Library Center provides metadata management tools, such as OCLC Connexion, which is used by libraries such as the National Library of Australia, National Library of New Zealand, and National Library of South Africa. The organization also offers digitization services, allowing libraries such as the New York Public Library, Boston Public Library, and Chicago Public Library to create digital versions of their collections, including the Internet Archive and Google Books.

● Products

The Online Computer Library Center develops and markets a range of products to support library operations, including WorldCat Discovery, a discovery layer that allows users to search library collections, such as those of the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and University of Edinburgh. The organization also offers OCLC WorldShare, a suite of cloud-based services that includes integrated library system (ILS) functionality, used by libraries such as the University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Additionally, the Online Computer Library Center provides metadata management tools, such as OCLC Bibliographic, which is used by libraries such as the National Library of Canada, National Library of Scotland, and National Library of Wales. The organization also develops and maintains WorldCat, a global catalog of library holdings, which includes records from libraries such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France, German National Library, and National Diet Library.

● Governance

The Online Computer Library Center is a non-profit organization governed by a board of trustees, which includes representatives from libraries such as the Library of Congress, British Library, and National Library of Australia. The organization is also advised by a Global Council, which includes representatives from libraries such as the University of California, Berkeley, University of Oxford, and University of Tokyo. The Online Computer Library Center has partnerships with various organizations, including OCLC PICA, OCLC Asia Pacific, and OCLC Europe, to provide services to libraries in different regions, such as the University of California, Los Angeles, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Washington. The organization is also a member of various library associations, including the American Library Association, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and Association of Research Libraries.

● Impact

The Online Computer Library Center has had a significant impact on the development of library services and information technology in libraries, including the University of Michigan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Purdue University. The organization's WorldCat database has become a global standard for library cataloging, used by libraries such as the New York Public Library, Boston Public Library, and Chicago Public Library. The Online Computer Library Center's interlibrary loan services have also facilitated the sharing of library materials between libraries, including the Library of Congress and British Library. Additionally, the organization's metadata management tools have helped libraries such as the National Library of Australia, National Library of New Zealand, and National Library of South Africa to manage their collections more effectively, including the Internet Archive and Google Books. The Online Computer Library Center has also partnered with other organizations, such as the Digital Public Library of America, to promote digital scholarship and open access to library collections, including those of the University of California, Berkeley, University of Oxford, and University of Tokyo.

Category:Library cooperatives