New governance and focus on membership
OCLC has adopted a new set of governance practices to move to a model that better represents member institutions all over the world. This change was initiated and approved by the Board of Trustees as well as the OCLC Members' Council.
The new governance structure is comprised of members, regional councils, a global council and a Board of Trustees. Members are libraries or other memory institution that embrace the OCLC values of collaboration and sharing. Institutions worldwide become members of OCLC by contractually agreeing to contribute intellectual content or share resources. Members participate in meetings of their respective Regional Councils.
Regional Councils are assemblies of OCLC members in their respective regions. Members convene at one or more Regional Council meetings each year to keep current on issues of vital and immediate interest to the OCLC cooperative. Through participation in the Regional Councils, members can bring resolutions to the table for voting, and for direct consideration by the Global Council. Regional Councils elect Member Delegates who attend the Annual Global Council Meetings.
The Global Council is comprised of Member Delegates elected by the Regional Councils. The Global Council's principal responsibilities are to elect six members of the Board of Trustees and ratify amendments to the Articles of Incorporation and Code of Regulations of OCLC. The Global Council convenes at least once a year at an Annual Global Council Meeting.
The 15-member Board of Trustees possesses powers similar to those of university trustees. In addition to the six Global Council-elected members, the Board consists of the President of OCLC and eight trustees elected by the Board itself, five of whom come from fields outside librarianship. The Board meets five times annually.