OCLC and the emerging worldwide library co‐operative

Jordan, Jay

doi:10.1108/01435120310464835

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Enthused by developments across the Atlantic, a series of similar initiatives, some more successful than others, were developed in the UK, including the Birmingham Libraries Co-operative Mechanisation Project (BLCMP), South West Academic Libraries Co-operative Automation Project (SWALCAP), and the Scottish Libraries Co-operative Automation Project (SCOLCAP) (Tedd, 1994). Of course, by 1979 the shared cataloguing system used by OCLC had attracted libraries, not just from across the USA, but from across the world, and by 1981 OCLC decided to change their name to the OCLC Online Computer Library Centre (Jordan, 2003). Today OCLC has become a leading international library organisation and presides over the largest union catalogue in the world: WorldCat (OCLC, 2004).…”

Section: Improved Performance and Interoperability 227mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards improved performance and interoperability in distributed and physical union catalogues

Macgregor

Nicolaides

2005

Program

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Structured AbstractPurpose of this paper: This paper details research undertaken to determine the key differences in the performance of certain centralised (physical) and distributed (virtual) bibliographic catalogue services, and to suggest strategies for improving interoperability and performance in, and between, physical and virtual models.Design/methodology/approach: Methodically defined searches of a centralised catalogue service and selected distributed catalogues were conducted using the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol, allowing search types to be semantically defined. The methodology also entailed the use of two workshops comprising systems librarians and cataloguers to inform suggested strategies for improving performance and interoperability within both environments. Findings:Technical interoperability was permitted easily between centralised and distributed models, however the various individual configurations permitted only limited semantic interoperability.Significant prescription in cataloguing and indexing guidelines, greater participation in the Program for Collaborative Cataloging (PCC), consideration of future 'FRBR' migration, and greater disclosure to end users are some of the suggested strategies to improve performance and semantic interoperability. Practical implications:This paper informs the LIS research community and union catalogue administrators, but also has numerous practical implications for those establishing distributed systems based on Z39.50 and SRW, as well as those establishing centralised systems.What is original/value of the paper?: The paper moves the discussion of Z39.50 based systems away from anecdotal evidence and provides recommendations based on testing and is intimately informed by the UK cataloguing and systems librarian community. 1This paper is published in 'Program: electronic library and information systems ', Vol.39, No.3, 2005, pp.227-247. IntroductionUnion catalogues are by no means a new phenomenon. As Cannel and Guy (2001) As with most technical service models, each has numerous advantages and disadvantages. Some of these have been widely documented in the literature for some time (Cousins, 1999;Nicholson, 2000;Stubley et al, 2001;Gatenby, 2002;Friesen, 2002;Taylor, 2003) or examined (Moen, 2001a; 2 This paper is published in 'Program: electronic library and information systems ', Vol.39, No.3, 2005, pp.227-247. Still, although Z39.50 has a long history, it is far from outmoded. As Taylor (2003) notes and predicts, Z39.50 may have peculiar problems but it remains capable of adapting to new environments and will experience wider deployment within the LIS sector and beyond for many years. Such predictions are certainly manifest in wider LIS deployment. As in many information rich countries, the UK is experiencing an increasing deployment of Z39.50 applications. While this is most marked in academic and research libraries, it is extending also to Further Education (FE) Colleges, public libraries and lifelong learning institutions. For example, t...

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Section: Improved Performance and Interoperability 227mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards improved performance and interoperability in distributed and physical union catalogues

Macgregor

Nicolaides

2005

Program

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“…Yet another article on OCLC comes from the pen of Jordan (2003). He emphasises the centrality of OCLC's enhanced WorldCat to its global strategy for co-operation with``the world-wide library community''.…”

Section: Co-operationmentioning

confidence: 99%