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OCLC

Coordinates: 40°06′09″N 83°07′37″W / 40.1025°N 83.1269°W / 40.1025; -83.1269
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OCLC, Inc.
PredecessorOhio College Library Center; Online Computer Library Center
FormationJuly 5, 1967; 58 years ago (1967-07-05)
FounderFrederick G. Kilgour
Type501(c)(3) organization
31-0734115
HeadquartersDublin, Ohio, United States
Coordinates40°06′09″N 83°07′37″W / 40.1025°N 83.1269°W / 40.1025; -83.1269
Region served
Worldwide
Products
MembersMore than 30,000 libraries in more than 100 countries[1]
President and CEO
Skip Prichard
RevenueUS$217.8 million[2]
Websiteoclc.org

OCLC, Inc. is an American nonprofit library cooperative based in Dublin, Ohio. Founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, it provides shared cataloging, metadata, discovery, resource-sharing, and library-management services to libraries worldwide.[1] OCLC and its member libraries maintain WorldCat, a global union catalog that aggregates bibliographic and holdings records from libraries and other cultural institutions.[3]

OCLC began as a state-level effort to reduce duplicated cataloging work among Ohio academic libraries through a shared computerized system. It expanded nationally and then internationally as libraries adopted its online cataloging network, and its shared database developed into WorldCat. From the 1980s onward, OCLC broadened from cataloging infrastructure into classification, discovery, interlibrary loan, access authentication, digital collections, and linked-data services. The organization formally changed its legal name to OCLC, Inc. in 2017.[4]

History

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Founding and shared cataloging, 1967-1977

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OCLC began in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, a nonprofit cooperative created by Ohio college and university leaders to explore computerized library cataloging. The group signed articles of incorporation on July 5, 1967, at Ohio State University and hired Frederick G. Kilgour, a former Yale University medical school librarian, as its first executive director.[5][6]

Kilgour and Ralph H. Parker, head of libraries at the University of Missouri, had proposed a shared cataloging system in a 1965 report to the Committee of Librarians of the Ohio College Association. Kilgour later described the plan as an effort to combine computer-based information storage and retrieval with library cataloging in order to reduce duplication and improve access across institutions.[6] On August 26, 1971, Ohio University's Alden Library became the first library to perform online cataloging through OCLC.[5]

National and international expansion, 1978-2002

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For its first decade, OCLC membership was limited to institutions in Ohio. In 1978, the organization adopted a governance structure that allowed institutions outside Ohio to join, and the name changed to the Online Computer Library Center.[7] As OCLC expanded outside the United States, its governance structure was modified again in 2002 to accommodate international participation.[8]

OCLC's shared cataloging database developed into WorldCat, a union catalog built from bibliographic records contributed by participating libraries. The growth of WorldCat made OCLC's original cataloging network a broader bibliographic infrastructure used for cataloging, discovery, and resource sharing.[3][8]

As OCLC expanded services in the United States outside Ohio, it worked through regional service providers known as networks, which supplied training, support, and marketing to participating libraries. OCLC later reorganized this arrangement: in 2008, its council approved governance changes that separated the networks from OCLC governance, and in 2009 the organization opened a centralized support center.[9]

Service expansion and governance changes, 2002-present

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During the 2000s and 2010s, OCLC expanded beyond shared cataloging into discovery, resource sharing, electronic-resource management, access authentication, digital-collection hosting, and linked-data services. Acquisitions and product development added services such as EZproxy, CONTENTdm, WorldShare Management Services, WorldCat Discovery, and the Virtual International Authority File.[10][11][12]

In 2017, OCLC formally changed its legal name from OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. to OCLC, Inc.[4] In 2022, membership and governance rules expanded so that institutions subscribing to qualifying OCLC services could become members, replacing the earlier emphasis on membership through contributing intellectual content or participating in resource sharing.[13]

Funding and pricing model

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OCLC is funded primarily through fees paid by participating libraries and other institutions for access to its services. Its revenue comes from subscriptions and service charges for cataloging, metadata, discovery, resource-sharing, authentication, and library-management products.[2] In 2022, OCLC revised its membership rules so that institutions subscribing to qualifying OCLC services could become members, reflecting the organization's shift from a cataloging-only cooperative toward a broader service provider for libraries.[13]

OCLC's pricing and data policies have been a recurring subject of discussion within the library community because many libraries both contribute records to WorldCat and pay to use OCLC services built on the shared database. Critics have argued that this structure gives OCLC substantial influence over bibliographic data infrastructure, while OCLC has described the fees as supporting the operation, maintenance, and development of shared library services.[14][15]

In July 2010, SkyRiver filed an antitrust lawsuit against OCLC, and Innovative Interfaces later joined the suit.[16][17] The suit was dropped in 2013 after Innovative Interfaces acquired SkyRiver.[18]

Presidents

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The following people have served as president of OCLC:[19]

Services and systems

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OCLC's services developed from its original shared cataloging network. The organization continues to provide cataloging and metadata infrastructure while also operating discovery, resource-sharing, authentication, digital-collection, and linked-data services for libraries.[1][13]

WorldCat

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Main article: WorldCat

WorldCat is OCLC's global union catalog. It aggregates bibliographic and holdings records contributed by public, academic, school, special, and national libraries, and is used for cataloging, discovery, and resource sharing.[3] WorldCat is available through subscription services such as FirstSearch and through the public WorldCat.org interface.[20][21]

Cataloging and metadata services

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OCLC provides shared cataloging and metadata services that allow libraries to create, reuse, and maintain bibliographic records. These services are the direct continuation of the cooperative cataloging model that led to OCLC's creation.[6][8] Starting in 1971, OCLC produced catalog cards for member libraries alongside its shared online catalog. The organization printed its last catalog cards on October 1, 2015.[22]

Library management and discovery systems

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OCLC provides library-management and discovery systems, including WorldShare Management Services and WorldCat Discovery. These services support library functions such as acquisitions, circulation, electronic-resource management, interlibrary loan, and patron discovery.[11][23]

OCLC has also operated CONTENTdm for digital collections, EZproxy for access authentication, and Tipasa for interlibrary loan management. CONTENTdm has been discussed in library technology literature as a digital-collection management system, while EZproxy became part of OCLC through a 2008 acquisition.[24][25][10]

Dewey Decimal Classification

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OCLC maintains the Dewey Decimal Classification system. The organization acquired the trademarks and copyrights associated with Dewey when it bought Forest Press in 1988.[26]

Identifiers and linked data

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OCLC assigns a unique control number, called an OCLC Control Number, to each new bibliographic record in WorldCat. In 2013, OCLC declared the control numbers to be in the public domain, allowing wider reuse outside OCLC systems.[27][28]

OCLC also runs the Virtual International Authority File, an international name authority file overseen by a council of representatives from contributing institutions.[12] VIAF identifiers are used in authority-control systems, including Wikipedia and Wikidata integrations.[29][30]

In 2024, OCLC launched Meridian, a linked-data management tool for creating, curating, and connecting linked-data entities.[31]

Research and advocacy

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OCLC Research has published reports, articles, and presentations on library operations, metadata, discovery, and information access. During the COVID-19 pandemic, OCLC participated in the REopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums project, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which studied surface transmission risks on library, archive, and museum materials.[32]

OCLC has also operated library training and advocacy programs. WebJunction, a training service for library staff, has operated as an OCLC program with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[33] OCLC has collaborated with the Wikimedia Foundation and volunteer Wikimedia communities through metadata integration, a Wikipedian-in-residence program, and the WebJunction training program Wikipedia + Libraries: Better Together.[29]

Acquisitions

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OCLC has used acquisitions to extend its services beyond shared cataloging into e-books, research-library infrastructure, authentication, library automation, collection analysis, resource sharing, and digital content platforms.

In 1988, OCLC acquired Forest Press, bringing the Dewey Decimal Classification system under OCLC management.[26] In 2002, it acquired NetLibrary, a provider of electronic books and textbooks, and sold the business to EBSCO Industries in 2010.[34] In 2006, the Research Libraries Group merged with OCLC, adding research-library programs and data services.[35]

OCLC acquired EZproxy in 2008, expanding its role in library access authentication.[10] In 2013, it acquired the Dutch library automation company HKA and its integrated library system Wise, which OCLC later offered in the United States.[36][37]

In 2015, OCLC acquired Sustainable Collection Services, a collection-analysis business focused on print collection management.[38] In 2017, it acquired Relais International, a provider of interlibrary-loan and resource-sharing services.[39] In 2024, OCLC acquired the cloudLibrary digital-content platform, adding an e-book, audiobook, digital magazine, and streaming-media lending service for libraries.[40]

Criticism and data-use policy

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Market-share questions have also appeared in discussions of library technology. In a 2019 analysis for Ithaka S+R, Roger C. Schonfeld wrote that Ex Libris, following its acquisition of Innovative Interfaces, had become the dominant supplier of integrated library system services in the United States, with more than 70 percent market share among academic libraries and more than 50 percent among public libraries, compared with about 10 percent for OCLC in both sectors.[41]

OCLC has been criticized over competition and data-use policies. In 2008, librarian Jeffrey Beall criticized OCLC for monopolistic practices and other concerns in an essay in Radical Cataloging.[15] Other library commentators disputed parts of Beall's critique while acknowledging that some concerns about OCLC's role in library infrastructure were substantive.[42]

In November 2008, OCLC issued a proposed Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records that would have required member libraries to include an OCLC policy note on bibliographic records. The policy drew criticism from librarians and open-data advocates, including concerns that it would restrict projects such as Open Library, Zotero, and Wikipedia.[43][14] OCLC withdrew the proposed policy and created a review board after criticism from the library community.[14]

In 2012, OCLC recommended that member libraries use the Open Data Commons Attribution license when sharing library catalog data, although some member libraries have agreements allowing catalog data to be released under the CC0 Public Domain Dedication.[44][45]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "About OCLC". OCLC. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "OCLC Annual Report 2020-2021". Dublin, Ohio: OCLC. December 20, 2021. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Oswald, Godfrey (2017). "Largest unified international library catalog". Library world records (3rd ed.). Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 291. ISBN 9781476667775. OCLC 959650095. Archived from the original on March 8, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Certificate of Amendment of the Amended Articles of Incorporation of OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc". Ohio Secretary of State. June 26, 2017. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2019. See also: "Amended Articles of Incorporation of OCLC, Inc" (PDF). OCLC. June 23, 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "In the beginning". oclc.org. OCLC. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c Kilgour, Frederick G. (1987). "A personalized prehistory of OCLC". Journal of the American Society for Information Science. 38 (5): 381–384. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-4571(198709)38:5<381::AID-ASI6>3.0.CO;2-B.
  7. ^ "SAA Dictionary: OCLC". dictionary.archivists.org. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Jordan, Jay (2010). "OCLC: a worldwide library cooperative". In Bates, Marcia J.; Maack, Mary Niles (eds.). Encyclopedia of library and information sciences. Vol. 5 (3rd ed.). Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. pp. 3924–3937. doi:10.1081/E-ELIS3-120043963. ISBN 9780849397127. OCLC 769480033.
  9. ^ Bailey-Hainer, Brenda (October 19, 2009). "The OCLC Network of Regional Service Providers: The Last 10 Years". Journal of Library Administration. 49 (6): 621–629. doi:10.1080/01930820903238792. ISSN 0193-0826. S2CID 61936408.
  10. ^ a b c "OCLC acquires EZproxy authentication and access software". oclc.org. January 11, 2008. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008.
  11. ^ a b Breeding, Marshall (January 2, 2019). "Discovery services: bundled or separate?". American Libraries. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "VIAF Council". oclc.org. OCLC. December 20, 2019. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c "Membership and Governance Protocols" (PDF). oclc.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c McKenzie, Elizabeth (January 2012). OCLC changes its rules for use of records in WorldCat: library community pushback through blogs and cultures of resistance (Technical report). Boston: Suffolk University Law School. Research paper 12-06. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  15. ^ a b Beall, Jeffrey (2008). "OCLC: A Review" (PDF). In Roberto, K. R. (ed.). Radical Cataloging: Essays at the Front. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. pp. 85–93. ISBN 978-0786435432. OCLC 173241123. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  16. ^ Coyle, Karen (July 29, 2010). "SkyRiver Sues OCLC over Anti-Trust". Karen Coyle. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  17. ^ Breeding, Marshall (July 29, 2010). "SkyRiver and Innovative Interfaces File Major Antitrust Lawsuit Against OCLC". Library Journal. Archived from the original on August 2, 2010.
  18. ^ Price, Gary (March 4, 2013). "III Drops OCLC Suit, Will Absorb SkyRiver". Library Journal. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  19. ^ "OCLC Presidents". OCLC. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  20. ^ "FirstSearch: Precision searching of WorldCat". OCLC. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  21. ^ Hane, Paula J. (July 17, 2006). "OCLC to open WorldCat searching to the world". infotoday.com. Information Today. Archived from the original on May 10, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  22. ^ "OCLC prints last library catalog cards". OCLC. October 1, 2015. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  23. ^ "WorldShare Management Services: An advanced, cloud-based library services platform". OCLC. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  24. ^ "CONTENTdm". OCLC. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  25. ^ Gilbert, Heather; Mobley, Tyler (April 17, 2013). "Breaking up with CONTENTdm: why and how one institution took the leap to open source". The Code4Lib Journal (20). ISSN 1940-5758. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  26. ^ a b "OCLC DeweyBrowser". deweybrowser.oclc.org. Archived from the original on December 6, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  27. ^ Wallis, Richard (September 24, 2013). "OCLC Declare OCLC Control Numbers Public Domain". dataliberate.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  28. ^ "OCLC Control Number". Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  29. ^ a b "Libraries Leverage Wikimedia". oclc.org. OCLC. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  30. ^ Klein, Maximilian; Kyrios, Alex (October 14, 2013). "VIAFbot and the integration of library data on Wikipedia". The Code4Lib Journal (22). ISSN 1940-5758. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  31. ^ Scardilli, Brandi (May 14, 2024). "OCLC unveils Meridian tool for creating, curating, and connecting linked data entities". Information Today. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  32. ^ "REALM Project". OCLC. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  33. ^ "About WebJunction". WebJunction. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  34. ^ Jordan, Jay (March 17, 2010). "Letter to members 2010". OCLC. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010.
  35. ^ Wilson, Lizabeth; Neal, James; Jordan, Jay (October 2006). "RLG and OCLC: Combining for the Future". Library and Information Science. Vol. 6, no. 4.
  36. ^ Breeding, Marshall (November 2013). "OCLC acquires the Dutch ILS provider HKA". Smart Libraries Newsletter. 33 (11): 2–6. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  37. ^ Johnson, Ben (April 2, 2019). "OCLC Wise Reimagines the ILS". Information Today. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  38. ^ Price, Gary (January 13, 2015). "Print Collections: OCLC Acquires Sustainable Collection Services". Infodocket. Archived from the original on April 11, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  39. ^ "OCLC agrees to acquire Relais International to provide library consortia more options for resource sharing". oclc.org. January 17, 2017. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  40. ^ Maher, John (April 2, 2024). "OCLC Acquires CloudLibrary Digital Content Platform". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  41. ^ Schonfeld, Roger C. (December 5, 2019). "What Are the Larger Implications of Ex Libris Buying Innovative?". Ithaka S+R. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  42. ^ Mason, Rick (June 10, 2008). "OCLC: A Review (a review)". Libology Blog. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  43. ^ "Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records". File_MARC package for PHP. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  44. ^ Vollmer, Timothy (August 14, 2012). "Library catalog metadata: Open licensing or public domain?". Creative Commons. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  45. ^ Price, Gary (February 14, 2014). "Metadata/Catalog Records: National Library of Sweden Signs Agreement With OCLC Re: CC0 License". Library Journal. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.

Further reading

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