Traditionally, summer is the time libraries set aside for special projects. Often that special project involves updating the library’s journal or periodical holdings in WorldCat: removing titles that have been weeded from the library’s collection, updating volume holdings it still holds, and adding volume and issue holdings for titles it has added to the collection in the recent past.
For many libraries the first step in this process is to review a report of their existing local holdings in WorldCat: what data is already in the database, what is missing, and what needs to be corrected? OCLC can assist with this “first step” by producing a Local Holdings Offline Product (LHOP) report, a tab-delimited text file that is available free of charge.
Simply order it online at: https://www3.oclc.org/app/lhop/. You will receive an e-mail message that notifies you when the file is ready for downloading. You can then import it into a spreadsheet program (such as Excel) and do such things as view and sort the data. For more information about this report, please contact OCLC Western at 1-800-854-5753.
OCLC has adopted a new governance structure designed to extend participation in the cooperative to an increasing number of libraries and cultural heritage institutions around the world.
On May 20, the OCLC Members Council approved changes to the Articles of Incorporation and Code of Regulations that had been recommended by the Board of Trustees. The changes will transform the current Members Council into a Global Council that connects with Regional Councils around the world.
Members Council also elected two delegates to six-year terms on the OCLC Board of Trustees: Tony Ferguson, University Librarian, University of Hong Kong Libraries; and Sandy Yee, Dean of Libraries, Wayne State University, and outgoing OCLC Members Council President. The new Global Council will replace the Members Council in a transition that is expected to take 12-18 months and will be coordinated between representatives of the 2008-2009 Members Council and the Board of Trustees.
“I believe this is the next step to make OCLC a true global cooperative, with local connections and local touch through Regional Councils,” said Larry Alford, Chair, OCLC Board of Trustees and Dean of University Libraries, Temple University. “The Board remains deeply committed to libraries and other cultural heritage organizations as we continue to work cooperatively for the benefit of our users worldwide.”
“I look forward to helping to smooth the governance transition by working closely with colleagues on the 2008-2009 Members Council,” said Ms. Yee, who will make the transition from Members Council President to Board member. “After reading the documents and listening closely to the discussions about this move, I am confident that OCLC is positioned to continue to grow and add value to the membership worldwide.”
“I’m very excited about the prospect of involving librarians from throughout the Asia Pacific region in the evaluation of OCLC products and services,” said Mr. Ferguson, who also makes the move from Members Council to the Board. “Asia Pacific librarians who attend the new Regional Council meetings will network with others facing the same challenges and will be able to directly communicate their needs and concerns to OCLC managers and developers.”
“OCLC management will do what it takes to support the transition to the new governance model,” said Jay Jordan, OCLC President and CEO. “We want and need to hear from the various regions of the OCLC cooperative. We want to improve the conversation at all levels throughout the cooperative.”
“Many people with a deep commitment to libraries and to the OCLC cooperative worked very hard over many months to develop these governance recommendations. I am very grateful to them for their time and effort,” said Mr. Alford.
Members Council passed a resolution recommending that Council, as a body, vote on the new recommended structure; that the Regional Councils should be set up based on agreed upon principles, and that they are funded properly. The resolution also stated that a methodology should be designed for broad representation of all types and sizes of institutions represented on Regional Councils.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Ms. Yee handed the gavel to incoming Members Council President Loretta Parham, Library Director/CEO, The Atlanta University Center. Council also elected Jan Ison, Executive Director, Lincoln Trail Libraries System as Vice President/President Elect for 2008/2009. Newly-elected delegates at large are:
• Poul Erlandsen, Head, Document Access Services & Collection Management, Danish University of Education • Kathleen Imhoff, Executive Director/CEO, Lexington Public Library • Lyn McKinney, Head Librarian, Billings (Montana) Senior High School • Pat Wilkinson, Library Director, University of Wisconsin—Oshkosh
As your regional service provider, OCLC Western supports and enhances the full range of OCLC products and services. As one of only two OCLC service centers in the U.S., OCLC Western is strategically positioned to deliver more education and training, more consulting, and more eContent with more insight on OCLC services—faster than ever before.
Although the OCLC Western staff is always here to help you choose the best OCLC product or service to fit your needs, you can also browse the OCLC services by broad category below or select by product name from the down-down list. In either case, you’ll go straight to the appropriate page on the OCLC site that will open in a new window.
OCLC provides services for all types and sizes of libraries—from the smallest special to the largest academic research library. Contact us to explore additional options for your library.
Through FirstSearch, we offer online access to full-text documents, abstracts, indices and WorldCat, the world’s most powerful bibliographic database. We also partner with the Library of Congress to provide a comprehensive virtual reference service.
Resource Sharing
Our suite of resource sharing products is designed to help all types of libraries. Individual libraries can create, send and track interlibrary loan requests with WorldCat Resource Sharing. OCLC's ILL management system, ILLiad, helps high-productivity libraries streamline their processes. Libraries in consortia or groups can take advantage of VDX, to send and respond to loan requests. And WorldCat Link Manager allows users to link from a journal citation in your catalog to the full-text version of the article.
