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OCLC Research 1978–2003

Discovering stronger, smoother pathways for information seekers

In OCLC’s 1977/78 annual report, Founder and President, Frederick G. Kilgour, announced the formation of a new Research Department “responsible for conducting mission-oriented research into aspects of library and information science to provide information, models, theories, evaluation, algorithms and other findings that will be useful to both OCLC and to the broader library and information science community.”

Twenty-five years later, the efforts, priorities and projects pursued by OCLC Research have changed, but the focus on discovering stronger, smoother pathways for information seekers to find the resources they need remains the same.

Photo of Stuart Weibel“The decade just past has witnessed more change and challenge than any time in the history of libraries. Working in the Office of Research at OCLC affords a unique opportunity to leverage the resources of the cooperative to address these challenges. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to change the way an important part of the world works.”

Stu Weibel, Consulting Research Scientist,
who joined OCLC in 1985

 

“The research that preceded the development of the FirstSearch service has had a phenomenal impact on library reference service and library users. Prior to the introduction of FirstSearch, database searching meant high cost for connection time, learning search protocols of different systems and preplanning search strategies. Only those library staff with special training searched on behalf of end-users. FirstSearch paved the way for end-user searching of databases online.”

Chandra Prabha, Senior Research Scientist, who joined OCLC in 1985

Annual highlights of OCLC Research

Highlights of the past 25 years of OCLC Research retrace many of the footsteps OCLC researchers have taken in developing new and enhanced methods for access to information. Many of the projects eventually developed into services OCLC would later offer to libraries.

1978
Organization of OCLC’s Research Department

1979
Analysis of search key effectiveness; home delivery of library services via phone and TV

1980
Investigation of subject access and design of an online catalog

1981
Study of human-computer interaction and improved access to information in large, online systems

1982
Study of OPACs to help libraries move from card catalogs to online catalogs

1983
Prototyping systems for electronic document delivery and subject access to the OCLC Online Union Catalog

1984
Exploration of gateways and intelligent networking systems; automation of human-computer tasks

1985
 Studying the use of compact discs for document delivery, cataloging and reference

1986
Development of the Graph-Text document delivery system; prototyping a system for electronic article retrieval

1987
Development of an automated descriptive cataloging technique to build original bibliographic records

1988
Investigation of full-text storage, retrieval and display; collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University on Project Mercury

1989
Graph-Text receives a patent; Sun Microsystems and OCLC agree to exchange technology

1990
OCLC’s Usability Lab opens; the CORE project begins to develop an online system to provide access to text and graphics in chemistry journals

1991
Collaboration with The Ohio State University Libraries to determine the extent of book deterioration in Ohio libraries

1992
Publication of the Online Journal of Current Clinical Trials, the world’s first peer-reviewed electronic science journal (in partnership with AAAS)

1993
Development of technology underlying OCLC’s electronic journal interface, Electronic Dewey and algorithms to improve OCLC database quality

1994
Work with leaders in the World Wide Web community to provide access to OCLC’s electronic journals and reference services through Mosaic

1995
Evaluation of the Java programming language for delivery of OCLC services over the World Wide Web; first Dublin Core Metadata Initiative workshop held in Dublin, Ohio

1996
Introduction of PURL software; development of models and standards for describing information resources (metadata)

1997
Collaboration with the Library of Congress to make large-scale authority control more efficient

1998
Study of Web-accessible information and pairing of popular LCSH with DDC numbers

1999
Launch of Web Characterization Project Web site and Cooperative Online Resources Catalog (CORC) project

2000
 Continued study of the World Wide Web; study of CORC for classification of library materials and the digital preservation landscape

2001
Continued study of digital preservation; new projects include Faceted Application of Subject Terminology (FAST) and new DDC uses

2002
Publication of OCLC/RLG metadata framework for preservation of digital objects; testing of IFLA’s FRBR model using WorldCat records

2003
Development of software applications that support the Open Archives Initiative; DCMI Registry introduced

“Of all the work we’ve done, the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative has probably had the most impact on contemporary librarianship.  It has changed how metadata is created for a wide variety of materials, and has served to tie librarianship with other users of metadata.”

Thom Hickey, Chief Scientist, who joined OCLC in 1977

 

25 years of OCLC Research: Discovering stronger, smoother pathways for information seekers

In 2003, OCLC Research has more than 20 projects under way that continue the mission of helping the OCLC and library and information science communities understand how to meet the needs of 21st century information seekers.

  • Automatic Classification Research: Explores the questions of making standard library classification schemes adaptable to automatic classification and how useful improvements to automatic classification systems can be.
  • Centroids-based Collection Analysis: Investigates automated ways to analyze digital collections and create automatic descriptions of them.
  • Comparative Collection Assessment for Books: Characterizes ILL usage patterns and book collection holdings, formulates e-book collection development strategies, and contributes to e-book standards development.
  • DCMI Registry: Promotes the discovery, reuse and extension of existing semantics, and facilitates the creation of new vocabularies to assist Dublin Core users.
  • Economics of Digital Preservation: Investigates foundational issues associated with the economics of digital preservation.
  • Electronic Theses and Dissertations: Focuses on thesis metadata via the Open Archives Initiative’s Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH).
  • ePrints-UK: Influences and promotes the use of e-print archives in U.K. universities by harvesting records from these archives, enhancing them and distributing them to U.K. knowledge hubs.
  • Faceted Application of Subject Terminology (FAST): Adapts Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) with a simplified syntax to retain the rich LCSH vocabulary, while making LCSH easier to use.
  • Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR): Tests the feasibility of implementing IFLA’s FRBR structure in a large catalog database, and examines issues involved with converting records to meet FRBR requirements.
  • IMS Support: Represents OCLC in the Instructional Management Systems/e-learning developer community.
  • Metadata Switch: A set of projects that constructs experimental modular services that add value to metadata.
  • Open Archives Initiative (OAI): Develops and promotes interoperability standards that facilitate the efficient dissemination of content.
  • OpenURL Registry: Develops applications to support the OpenURL protocol.
  • OCLC/RLG Preservation Metadata Working Group: Cosponsors a working group that develops recommendations and best practices for preservation metadata.
  • PURL: Maintains an OCLC-developed naming and resolution service for general Internet resources.
  • RDF-DC Interoperability Testbed: Demonstrates cross-disciplinary metadata interoperability using RDF as an encoding format and RDFS as the means for declaring schemas.
  • RDF Topicmaps: Explores subject navigation of Web sites using semiautomatically generated finding aids.
  • Scorpion: An open-source project offering software that implements a system for automatic classification of Web-accessible text documents.
  • Virtual International Authority File (VIAF): Explores the virtual combination of name authority files from the Library of Congress and Die Deutsche Bibliothek into a single name authority service.
  • Web Services and SRW: Develops service standards for SRW (Search and Retrieve on the Web) and SRU (Search and Retrieve with URLs) and a reference implementation.
  • Z39.50: Continues the advancement of this Library of Congress-maintained international standard and provides consultation on the standard to OCLC and the information science community.

Financial and program highlighs | OCLC Research 1978-2003 | OCLC Board of Trustees