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Vision

The future
About OCLC : Vision : The future

The future

The next generation of the OCLC cooperative continues to evolve—with a new governance structure being designed to extend participation around the world, and new Web-scale services that will amplify the power of library cooperation. Some services will interconnect over the Web through machine-to-machine interfaces. Others will reside locally, where they are most effective. The goal is to create a Web presence for libraries that aggregates the power of libraries on a global scale and rivals other Internet hubs.

With WorldCat.org, the cooperative is experimenting with various models for integrating the collections, services and expertise of libraries into the common Web space to reach users who are now more likely to turn first to their Web browser—not their library—for information. Partnerships with Google, Yahoo! and other Internet companies are putting library content and services in search engines, Internet booksellers, social networking sites and course management systems to drive traffic to the local library.

As the OCLC membership changes for the future, we fully intend to hold on to the best of the past. We are a nonprofit, membership, library organization. Our roots and our hearts are in libraries and we intend to do everything we can to expand their future role. During these past 40 years, we have seen the world of technology change many times over, from mainframes to microprocessors to personal computers to the World Wide Web. And yet, through all of this change, the old-fashioned, non-technical, membership values of cooperation, sharing and working together for the public good have endured and remained vital. Without these membership values, there would be no OCLC.