Library Stuff

OCLC – “Digital cameras and other mobile capture devices are revolutionizing special collections reading rooms and the research process, but at the same time are being wrongly framed as a threat or a challenge for some repositories to remain relevant. While some librarians and archivists have resisted digital cameras, others have embraced them—and rightfully so. Researchers, repositories, and collection materials can reap undeniable benefits from using digital cameras. In addition, digital cameras can help librarians and archivists achieve their fundamental goals of improving conditions for their collections materials, facilitating greater research economically and efficiently, and resolving competing demands for resources and maximizing the productivity of their staff.”

OCLC – “This brief call-to-action document includes a list of ten action items for libraries in today’s rapidly changing scholarly research landscape.”

Read the report

OCLC – “This new partnership will give OCLC member libraries more options for obtaining a wide range of electronic resources and services that complement OCLC cooperative product and service offerings. WALDO offers consortia packages and pricing for Web accessible databases and services, and serves the academic, public and special library communities.”

OCLC – “OCLC today announced four new agreements have been signed with European national libraries and affiliated institutions which significantly increase the coverage of records in WorldCat and the visibility of libraries in WorldCat.org in the Europe and Middle East regions.”

OCLC – “The Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) and OCLC signed the agreement in Paris today, setting in motion plans for OCLC to process an estimated 13.2 million bibliographic records from the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Once records are added to WorldCat, they will be more visible and accessible to Web users worldwide through WorldCat.org, the destination for search and discovery of library materials on the Web.”

OCLC – “WebJunction, the leader in online learning for library staff, is working with the British Columbia Library Association (BCLA), British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association, and the British Columbia Library Trustees Association to launch WebJunction–British Columbia, the first WebJunction learning community created for libraries outside the United States. Members of the three associations and public library staff and volunteers in British Columbia will have access to courses, articles, discussions and a professional network that will keep their skills up-to-date and help their libraries stay relevant to current user needs.”

hangingtogether – “The first WorldCat Hackathon was held last week at the Science, Industry, and Business Library of New York Public Library, an RLG Partner institution.”

Panlibus – “There has been much coverage on Panlibus and several other blogs, about the way the recently updated Record Use Policy was announced, the elements of the policy, and its ramifications for the wider library community.”

Family Man Librarian – “Basically, based on what I’ve read, I agree that OCLC is trying to checkmate the likes of LibraryThing and others by monopolizing control over library-generated metadata.”

Information Today – "When Robert “Jay” Jordan became president of OCLC in 1998, he found an organization with a talented, dedicated staff focused on North America. In the 10 years he has been president, he has transformed the company into a global enterprise and created greater value for libraries and the public"