# OCLC > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/OCLC > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/OCLC.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC > Source revision: 1356303965 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American nonprofit library cooperative}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox organization | name = OCLC, Inc. | image = OCLC logo.svg | image_size = 250px | caption = OCLC headquarters in 2007 | predecessor = Ohio College Library Center; Online Computer Library Center | formation = {{Start date and age|1967|07|05}} | founder = [Frederick G. Kilgour](/source/Frederick_G._Kilgour) | type = [501(c)(3) organization](/source/501(c)(3)_organization) | tax_id = 31-0734115 | headquarters = [Dublin, Ohio](/source/Dublin%2C_Ohio), United States | coordinates = {{coord|40.1025|-83.1269|display=inline,title}} | region_served = Worldwide | products = {{hlist|[WorldCat](/source/WorldCat)|[Dewey Decimal Classification](/source/Dewey_Decimal_Classification)|[EZproxy](/source/EZproxy)|CONTENTdm|WorldShare|[VIAF](/source/Virtual_International_Authority_File)}} | num_members = More than 30,000 libraries in more than 100 countries{{Cite web |url=https://www.oclc.org/en/about.html |title=About OCLC |publisher=OCLC |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311152413/https://www.oclc.org/en/about.html |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=March 11, 2022}} | leader_title = President and CEO | leader_name = [Skip Prichard](/source/Skip_Prichard) | revenue = US$217.8 million{{Cite web |url=https://www.oclc.org/en/annual-report/2021/home.html |title=OCLC Annual Report 2020-2021 |date=December 20, 2021 |publisher=OCLC |location=Dublin, Ohio |language=en |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311162629/https://www.oclc.org/en/annual-report/2021/home.html |url-status=live}} | website = {{URL|oclc.org}} }} '''OCLC, Inc.''' is an American nonprofit library cooperative based in [Dublin, Ohio](/source/Dublin%2C_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. OCLC and its member libraries maintain [WorldCat](/source/WorldCat), a global union catalog that aggregates bibliographic and holdings records from libraries and other cultural institutions.{{cite book |last=Oswald |first=Godfrey |date=2017 |chapter=Largest unified international library catalog |title=Library world records |edition=3rd |location=Jefferson, NC |publisher=[McFarland & Company](/source/McFarland_%26_Company) |page=291 |isbn=9781476667775 |oclc=959650095 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G4owDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA291 |access-date=December 11, 2019 |archive-date=March 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200308230751/https://books.google.com/books?id=G4owDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA291 |url-status=live}} 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.{{Cite web |date=June 26, 2017 |title=Certificate of Amendment of the Amended Articles of Incorporation of OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. |url=https://bizimage.ohiosos.gov/api/image/pdf/201717701088 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321070613/https://bizimage.ohiosos.gov/api/image/pdf/201717701088 |archive-date=March 21, 2020 |access-date=August 18, 2019 |publisher=[Ohio Secretary of State](/source/Ohio_Secretary_of_State)}} See also: {{cite web |date=June 23, 2017 |title=Amended Articles of Incorporation of OCLC, Inc. |url=https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/membership/articles-of-incorporation.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311061001/https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/membership/articles-of-incorporation.pdf |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |access-date=March 11, 2022 |publisher=OCLC}} ==History== ===Founding and shared cataloging, 1967-1977=== 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](/source/Ohio_State_University) and hired [Frederick G. Kilgour](/source/Frederick_G._Kilgour), a former [Yale University](/source/Yale_University) medical school librarian, as its first executive director.{{cite web |title=In the beginning |url=https://www.oclc.org/us/en/about/history/beginning.htm |website=oclc.org |publisher=OCLC |access-date=August 28, 2012 |archive-date=October 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004135231/https://www.oclc.org/us/en/about/history/beginning.htm |url-status=dead}}{{Cite journal |last=Kilgour |first=Frederick G. |date=1987 |title=A personalized prehistory of OCLC |journal=[Journal of the American Society for Information Science](/source/Journal_of_the_American_Society_for_Information_Science) |volume=38 |issue=5 |pages=381-384 |doi=10.1002/(SICI)1097-4571(198709)38:5<381::AID-ASI6>3.0.CO;2-B}} Kilgour and Ralph H. Parker, head of libraries at the [University of Missouri](/source/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. On August 26, 1971, [Ohio University](/source/Ohio_University)'s Alden Library became the first library to perform online cataloging through OCLC. ===National and international expansion, 1978-2002=== 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.{{Cite web |title=SAA Dictionary: OCLC |url=https://dictionary.archivists.org/entry/oclc.html |access-date=April 27, 2025 |website=dictionary.archivists.org}} As OCLC expanded outside the United States, its governance structure was modified again in 2002 to accommodate international participation.{{Cite book |last=Jordan |first=Jay |author-link=Jay Jordan (businessman) |chapter=OCLC: a worldwide library cooperative |title=Encyclopedia of library and information sciences |editor-last=Bates |editor-first=Marcia J. |editor-last2=Maack |editor-first2=Mary Niles |date=2010 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=9780849397127 |oclc=769480033 |doi=10.1081/E-ELIS3-120043963 |location=Boca Raton, Florida |pages=3924-3937 |volume=5 |edition=3rd}} 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. 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.{{Cite journal |last=Bailey-Hainer |first=Brenda |date=October 19, 2009 |title=The OCLC Network of Regional Service Providers: The Last 10 Years |journal=Journal of Library Administration |volume=49 |issue=6 |pages=621-629 |doi=10.1080/01930820903238792 |s2cid=61936408 |issn=0193-0826}} ===Service expansion and governance changes, 2002-present=== 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](/source/EZproxy), CONTENTdm, WorldShare Management Services, WorldCat Discovery, and the [Virtual International Authority File](/source/Virtual_International_Authority_File).{{cite web |url=https://www.oclc.org/news/releases/200690.htm |title=OCLC acquires EZproxy authentication and access software |date=January 11, 2008 |website=oclc.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117060440/https://www.oclc.org/news/releases/200690.htm |archive-date=January 17, 2008 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |last=Breeding |first=Marshall |date=January 2, 2019 |title=Discovery services: bundled or separate? |magazine=[American Libraries](/source/American_Libraries) |url=https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/01/02/discovery-services/ |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-date=May 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522192009/https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/01/02/discovery-services/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.oclc.org/en/viaf/viaf-council.html |title=VIAF Council |publisher=OCLC |website=oclc.org |date=December 20, 2019 |language=en-US |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425220348/https://www.oclc.org/en/viaf/viaf-council.html |url-status=live}} In 2017, OCLC formally changed its legal name from OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. to OCLC, Inc. 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.{{cite web |title=Membership and Governance Protocols |website=oclc.org |url=https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/membership/membership_protocols.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421062054/https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/membership/membership_protocols.pdf |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |access-date=January 23, 2023 |url-status=live}} ===Funding and pricing model=== 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. 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. 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. In July 2010, SkyRiver filed an antitrust lawsuit against OCLC, and [Innovative Interfaces](/source/Innovative_Interfaces) later joined the suit.{{cite web |url=https://kcoyle.blogspot.com/2010/07/skyriver-sues-oclc-over-anti-trust.html |first=Karen |last=Coyle |title=SkyRiver Sues OCLC over Anti-Trust |publisher=Karen Coyle |date=July 29, 2010 |access-date=April 12, 2012 |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417042522/https://kcoyle.blogspot.com/2010/07/skyriver-sues-oclc-over-anti-trust.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/886099-264/skyriver_and_innovative_interfaces_file.html.csp |title=SkyRiver and Innovative Interfaces File Major Antitrust Lawsuit Against OCLC |first=Marshall |last=Breeding |work=[Library Journal](/source/Library_Journal) |date=July 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802044208/https://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/886099-264/skyriver_and_innovative_interfaces_file.html.csp |archive-date=August 2, 2010}} The suit was dropped in 2013 after Innovative Interfaces acquired SkyRiver.{{cite web |url=https://www.infodocket.com/2013/03/04/innovative-interfaces-integrates-all-skyriver-services-and-withdraws-antitrust-lawsuit-against-oclc/ |title=III Drops OCLC Suit, Will Absorb SkyRiver |first=Gary |last=Price |work=[Library Journal](/source/Library_Journal) |date=March 4, 2013 |access-date=February 7, 2020 |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418015212/https://www.infodocket.com/2013/03/04/innovative-interfaces-integrates-all-skyriver-services-and-withdraws-antitrust-lawsuit-against-oclc/ |url-status=live}} ===Presidents=== The following people have served as president of OCLC:{{cite web |title=OCLC Presidents |publisher=OCLC |url=https://www.oclc.org/en/about/leadership/presidents.html |access-date=March 10, 2020 |archive-date=February 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223151254/https://www.oclc.org/en/about/leadership/presidents.html |url-status=live}} * 1967-1980: [Frederick G. Kilgour](/source/Frederick_G._Kilgour) * 1980-1989: [Rowland C. W. Brown](/source/Rowland_C._W._Brown) * 1989-1998: [K. Wayne Smith](/source/K._Wayne_Smith) * 1998-2013: [Jay Jordan](/source/Jay_Jordan) * 2013-present: [Skip Prichard](/source/Skip_Prichard) ==Services and systems== 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. ===WorldCat=== {{Main|WorldCat}} [WorldCat](/source/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. WorldCat is available through subscription services such as FirstSearch and through the public WorldCat.org interface.{{cite web |url=https://www.oclc.org/firstsearch/ |title=FirstSearch: Precision searching of WorldCat |publisher=OCLC |access-date=June 26, 2019 |archive-date=February 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221114441/https://www.oclc.org/firstsearch/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Hane |first=Paula J. |date=July 17, 2006 |title=OCLC to open WorldCat searching to the world |url=http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/NewsBreaks/OCLC-to-Open-WorldCat-Searching-to-the-World-16951.asp |website=infotoday.com |publisher=[Information Today](/source/Information_Today) |access-date=June 26, 2019 |archive-date=May 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510194419/http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/NewsBreaks/OCLC-to-Open-WorldCat-Searching-to-the-World-16951.asp |url-status=live}} ===Cataloging and metadata services=== 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. Starting in 1971, OCLC produced [catalog card](/source/catalog_card)s for member libraries alongside its shared online catalog. The organization printed its last catalog cards on October 1, 2015.{{Cite news |url=https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2015/201529dublin.html |title=OCLC prints last library catalog cards |date=October 1, 2015 |website=OCLC |language=en |access-date=May 28, 2015 |archive-date=February 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227132310/https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2015/201529dublin.html |url-status=dead}} ===Library management and discovery systems=== 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.{{Cite web |title=WorldShare Management Services: An advanced, cloud-based library services platform |url=https://www.oclc.org/en/worldshare-management-services.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501143514/https://www.oclc.org/en/worldshare-management-services.html |archive-date=May 1, 2020 |access-date=April 25, 2020 |publisher=OCLC |language=en-US}} OCLC has also operated CONTENTdm for digital collections, [EZproxy](/source/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.{{Cite web |url=https://www.oclc.org/en/contentdm.html |title=CONTENTdm |publisher=OCLC |language=en-US |access-date=May 28, 2017 |archive-date=May 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527221552/https://www.oclc.org/en/contentdm.html |url-status=live}}{{cite journal |last1=Gilbert |first1=Heather |last2=Mobley |first2=Tyler |date=April 17, 2013 |title=Breaking up with CONTENTdm: why and how one institution took the leap to open source |journal=The Code4Lib Journal |issue=20 |url=https://journal.code4lib.org/articles/8327 |issn=1940-5758 |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-date=May 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522192004/https://journal.code4lib.org/articles/8327 |url-status=live}} ===Dewey Decimal Classification=== OCLC maintains the [Dewey Decimal Classification](/source/Dewey_Decimal_Classification) system. The organization acquired the trademarks and copyrights associated with Dewey when it bought Forest Press in 1988.{{Cite web |url=http://deweybrowser.oclc.org/ddcbrowser2/ |title=OCLC DeweyBrowser |website=deweybrowser.oclc.org |access-date=May 28, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206025029/http://deweybrowser.oclc.org/ddcbrowser2/ |archive-date=December 6, 2012}} ===Identifiers and linked data=== 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](/source/public_domain), allowing wider reuse outside OCLC systems.{{cite web |last=Wallis |first=Richard |title=OCLC Declare OCLC Control Numbers Public Domain |website=dataliberate.com |date=September 24, 2013 |url=https://dataliberate.com/2013/09/oclc-declare-oclc-control-numbers-public-domain/ |access-date=January 3, 2014 |archive-date=September 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911124756/https://dataliberate.com/2013/09/oclc-declare-oclc-control-numbers-public-domain/ |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |title=OCLC Control Number |url=https://www.oclc.org/batchload/controlnumber.en.html |access-date=January 3, 2014 |archive-date=January 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103190346/https://www.oclc.org/batchload/controlnumber.en.html |url-status=live}} OCLC also runs the [Virtual International Authority File](/source/Virtual_International_Authority_File), an international name authority file overseen by a council of representatives from contributing institutions. VIAF identifiers are used in authority-control systems, including Wikipedia and Wikidata integrations.{{cite web |url=https://www.oclc.org/research/themes/community-catalysts/libraries-wikimedia.html |title=Libraries Leverage Wikimedia |publisher=OCLC |website=oclc.org |language=en-US |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-date=April 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414203036/https://www.oclc.org/research/themes/community-catalysts/libraries-wikimedia.html |url-status=live}}{{cite journal |last1=Klein |first1=Maximilian |last2=Kyrios |first2=Alex |date=October 14, 2013 |title=VIAFbot and the integration of library data on Wikipedia |journal=The Code4Lib Journal |issue=22 |url=https://journal.code4lib.org/articles/8964 |issn=1940-5758 |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-date=April 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415011435/https://journal.code4lib.org/articles/8964 |url-status=live}} In 2024, OCLC launched Meridian, a linked-data management tool for creating, curating, and connecting linked-data entities.{{cite news |last=Scardilli |first=Brandi |date=May 14, 2024 |title=OCLC unveils Meridian tool for creating, curating, and connecting linked data entities |url=https://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/Digest/OCLC-Unveils-Meridian-Tool-for-Creating-Curating-and-Connecting-Linked-Data-Entities-164003.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521102954/https://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/Digest/OCLC-Unveils-Meridian-Tool-for-Creating-Curating-and-Connecting-Linked-Data-Entities-164003.asp |archive-date=May 21, 2024 |access-date=May 8, 2025 |publisher=[Information Today](/source/Information_Today)}} ==Research and advocacy== 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](/source/Institute_of_Museum_and_Library_Services), which studied surface transmission risks on library, archive, and museum materials.{{cite web |title=REALM Project |url=https://www.oclc.org/realm/home.html |publisher=OCLC |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425121710/https://www.oclc.org/realm/home.html |url-status=live}} 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](/source/Bill_%26_Melinda_Gates_Foundation).{{cite web |url=https://www.webjunction.org/about-us.html |title=About WebJunction |publisher=WebJunction |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425121713/https://www.webjunction.org/about-us.html |url-status=live}} 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''. ==Acquisitions== 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](/source/Dewey_Decimal_Classification) system under OCLC management. In 2002, it acquired [NetLibrary](/source/NetLibrary), a provider of electronic books and textbooks, and sold the business to [EBSCO Industries](/source/EBSCO_Industries) in 2010.{{cite web |url=https://www.oclc.org/services/content/lettertomembers2010.htm |title=Letter to members 2010 |last=Jordan |first=Jay |author-link=Jay Jordan (businessman) |date=March 17, 2010 |publisher=OCLC |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326140956/https://www.oclc.org/services/content/lettertomembers2010.htm |archive-date=March 26, 2010}} In 2006, the [Research Libraries Group](/source/Research_Libraries_Group) merged with OCLC, adding research-library programs and data services.Wilson, Lizabeth; Neal, James; Jordan, Jay (October 2006). "RLG and OCLC: Combining for the Future". Library and Information Science. Vol. 6, no. 4. OCLC acquired [EZproxy](/source/EZproxy) in 2008, expanding its role in library access authentication. In 2013, it acquired the Dutch library automation company HKA and its integrated library system Wise, which OCLC later offered in the United States.{{cite journal |last=Breeding |first=Marshall |date=November 2013 |title=OCLC acquires the Dutch ILS provider HKA |journal=Smart Libraries Newsletter |volume=33 |issue=11 |pages=2-6 |url=https://librarytechnology.org/document/21205 |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425222523/https://librarytechnology.org/document/21205 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Ben |date=April 2, 2019 |title=OCLC Wise Reimagines the ILS |url=http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/NewsBreaks/OCLC-Wise-Reimagines-the-ILS-130813.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522192006/http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/NewsBreaks/OCLC-Wise-Reimagines-the-ILS-130813.asp |archive-date=May 22, 2020 |access-date=April 25, 2020 |publisher=[Information Today](/source/Information_Today)}} In 2015, OCLC acquired Sustainable Collection Services, a collection-analysis business focused on print collection management.{{Cite web |url=https://www.infodocket.com/2015/01/13/print-collections-oclc-acquires-sustainable-collection-services/ |title=Print Collections: OCLC Acquires Sustainable Collection Services |date=January 13, 2015 |access-date=March 6, 2015 |website=Infodocket |last=Price |first=Gary |archive-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411202539/https://www.infodocket.com/2015/01/13/print-collections-oclc-acquires-sustainable-collection-services/ |url-status=live}} In 2017, it acquired Relais International, a provider of interlibrary-loan and resource-sharing services.{{Cite web |url=https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2017/201702dublin.html |title=OCLC agrees to acquire Relais International to provide library consortia more options for resource sharing |date=January 17, 2017 |website=oclc.org |access-date=May 16, 2017 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102170236/https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2017/201702dublin.html |url-status=live}} In 2024, OCLC acquired the cloudLibrary digital-content platform, adding an e-book, audiobook, digital magazine, and streaming-media lending service for libraries.{{cite news |last=Maher |first=John |title=OCLC Acquires CloudLibrary Digital Content Platform |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/94719-oclc-acquires-cloudlibrary-digital-content-platform |access-date=December 1, 2024 |work=Publishers Weekly |date=April 2, 2024 |language=en}} ==Criticism and data-use policy== 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.{{cite web |last=Schonfeld |first=Roger C. |date=December 5, 2019 |title=What Are the Larger Implications of Ex Libris Buying Innovative? |url=https://sr.ithaka.org/blog/what-are-the-larger-implications-of-ex-libris-buying-innovative/ |website=Ithaka S+R |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-date=June 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612014535/https://sr.ithaka.org/blog/what-are-the-larger-implications-of-ex-libris-buying-innovative/ |url-status=live}} 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''.{{cite book |last=Beall |first=Jeffrey |author-link=Jeffrey Beall |title=Radical Cataloging: Essays at the Front |publisher=[McFarland & Company](/source/McFarland_%26_Company) |year=2008 |isbn=978-0786435432 |editor-last=Roberto |editor-first=K. R. |location=Jefferson, NC |pages=85-93 |chapter=OCLC: A Review |oclc=173241123 |access-date=May 16, 2017 |chapter-url=https://eprints.rclis.org/11701/1/radcat.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525193438/https://eprints.rclis.org/11701/1/radcat.pdf |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}} Other library commentators disputed parts of Beall's critique while acknowledging that some concerns about OCLC's role in library infrastructure were substantive.{{cite web |last=Mason |first=Rick |date=June 10, 2008 |title=OCLC: A Review (a review) |url=https://www.libology.com/blog/2008/06/10/oclc-a-review-a-review.html |website=Libology Blog |access-date=February 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207170513/https://www.libology.com/blog/2008/06/10/oclc-a-review-a-review.html |archive-date=February 7, 2020 |url-status=dead}} 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](/source/Open_Library), [Zotero](/source/Zotero), and Wikipedia.{{Cite web |url=http://marc.coffeecode.net/oclc_2008_11_02/ |title=Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records |website=File_MARC package for PHP |access-date=February 6, 2020 |archive-date=December 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206170445/http://marc.coffeecode.net/oclc_2008_11_02/ |url-status=live}}{{cite tech report |last=McKenzie |first=Elizabeth |date=January 2012 |title=OCLC changes its rules for use of records in WorldCat: library community pushback through blogs and cultures of resistance |number=Research paper 12-06 |location=Boston |institution=[Suffolk University Law School](/source/Suffolk_University_Law_School) |url=https://ssrn.com/abstract=1988221 |access-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-date=March 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314100738/https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1988221 |url-status=live}} OCLC withdrew the proposed policy and created a review board after criticism from the library community. 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](/source/CC0) Public Domain Dedication.{{cite web |url=https://creativecommons.org/2012/08/14/library-catalog-metadata-open-licensing-or-public-domain/ |title=Library catalog metadata: Open licensing or public domain? |first=Timothy |last=Vollmer |work=[Creative Commons](/source/Creative_Commons) |date=August 14, 2012 |access-date=February 6, 2020 |archive-date=April 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421051326/https://creativecommons.org/2012/08/14/library-catalog-metadata-open-licensing-or-public-domain/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.infodocket.com/2014/02/14/library-data-national-library-of-sweden-signs-agreement-with-oclc-re-cc0-license/ |title=Metadata/Catalog Records: National Library of Sweden Signs Agreement With OCLC Re: CC0 License |first=Gary |last=Price |work=[Library Journal](/source/Library_Journal) |date=February 14, 2014 |access-date=February 6, 2020 |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418094622/https://www.infodocket.com/2014/02/14/library-data-national-library-of-sweden-signs-agreement-with-oclc-re-cc0-license/ |url-status=live}} ==See also== * [Public library advocacy](/source/Public_library_advocacy) * [Library catalog](/source/Library_catalog) * [Union catalog](/source/Union_catalog) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Further reading== {{refbegin|colwidth=30em}} * {{cite journal |last1=Bénaud |first1=Claire-Lise |last2=Bordeianu |first2=Sever |date=October 2015 |title=OCLC's WorldShare Management Services: a brave new world for catalogers |journal=[Cataloging & Classification Quarterly](/source/Cataloging_%26_Classification_Quarterly) |volume=53 |issue=7 |pages=738-752 |doi=10.1080/01639374.2014.1003668 |s2cid=62642181}} * {{cite journal |last1=Blackman |first1=Cathy |last2=Moore |first2=Erica Rae |last3=Seikel |first3=Michele |last4=Smith |first4=Mandi |date=July 2014 |title=WorldCat and SkyRiver: a comparison of record quantity and fullness |journal=Library Resources & Technical Services |volume=58 |issue=3 |pages=178-186 |doi=10.5860/lrts.58n3.178 |doi-access=free}} * {{cite journal |last=Breeding |first=Marshall |date=May 2015 |title=Library services platforms: a maturing genre of products |journal=Library Technology Reports |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=1-38 |doi=10.5860/ltr.51n4}} * {{cite book |editor-last=Jordan |editor-first=Jay |editor-link=Jay Jordan (businessman) |date=2011 |title=Weaving libraries into the web: OCLC 1998-2008 |location=London; New York |publisher=[Routledge](/source/Routledge) |isbn=9780415576901 |oclc=759584353}} * {{cite book |last=Maciuszko |first=Kathleen L. |date=1984 |title=OCLC, a decade of development, 1967-1977 |location=Littleton, Colorado |publisher=[Libraries Unlimited](/source/Libraries_Unlimited) |isbn=0872874079 |oclc=10483157 |url=https://archive.org/details/oclcdecadeofdeve00maci}} * {{cite journal |last=Matthews |first=Joseph R. |date=July 2016 |title=An environmental scan of OCLC alternatives: a management perspective |journal=Public Library Quarterly |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=175-187 |doi=10.1080/01616846.2016.1210440 |doi-access=free}} * {{cite journal |last=Richardson |first=Ellen |date=January 2012 |title=Ain't no (Sky)River wide enough to keep me from getting to you: SkyRiver, Innovative, OCLC, and the fight for control over the bibliographic data, cataloging services, ILL, and ILS markets |journal=Legal Reference Services Quarterly |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=37-64 |doi=10.1080/0270319X.2012.654065 |s2cid=62595756}} * {{cite book |editor-last=Smith |editor-first=K. Wayne |date=1998 |title=OCLC, 1967-1997: thirty years of furthering access to the world's information |location=New York |publisher=[Haworth Press](/source/Haworth_Press) |isbn=0789005360 |oclc=38732191 |url=https://archive.org/details/oclc1967199700kway}} {{refend}} ==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{Official website}} * [https://hangingtogether.org/ Hanging Together], OCLC Research blog * [https://cdm15003.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15003coll7 OCLC Annual Reports collection] at the OCLC Archives {{Authority control}} Category:OCLC Category:1967 establishments in Ohio Category:Bibliographic database providers Category:Companies based in Dublin, Ohio Category:Cooperatives based in Ohio Category:Library automation Category:Library cataloging and classification Category:Library centers Category:Library-related organizations Category:Organizations established in 1967 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.