Intelligence for the network

WorldCat Registry centralizes data essential for delivering content and services more efficiently on the Web

By Bob Murphy

In January 2007, OCLC will launch the WorldCat Registry, a global directory for libraries, consortia, archives and museums and the services they provide. The Registry will help these institutions manage and share data that define their organizations—such as institution type, location, URLs for electronic services, circulation statistics and population served—through a single, authoritative Web platform.

Profile data in the Registry will support end-user access to a number of OCLC services, including FirstSearch, the open-Web version of WorldCat, and others. Later, as the Registry service expands, details such as branch library locations will enhance the ability of WorldCat on the open Web to connect users to the nearest library that holds an item—another step closer to making all libraries’ holdings discoverable through WorldCat.

The Registry also helps solve an increasingly common administrative burden for libraries and library groups: keeping multiple institutional identities up to date across different internal and third-party applications and through a variety of methods, including Web interfaces, faxed paper forms and phone calls.

“Libraries, consortia and electronic content vendors all need to maintain current files of information such as computernetwork IP addresses, local administrative contacts and size said Celeste Feather, Electronic Resources Librarian at The Ohio State University Libraries. “The problem for libraries is that they are expected to maintain this information in many places if they want to ensure reliable service. Vendors also need an efficient way to maintain this information in their systems.”

“A centralized database such as the WorldCat Registry for this type of information would facilitate efficient sharing of critical information among many interested parties. If widely adopted, the registry service could provide a solution to a difficult workflow issue for librarians,” said Feather.

Any institution or consortium—OCLC members and nonmembers alike—can use the Registry to share its profile with other libraries, technology vendors, e-content providers, funding agencies and other parties that could benefit from access. A Registry profile is shared via a special Web link that provides instant, read-only access to the most current data.

OCLC has prepopulated the Registry with automatically generated profiles for its member institutions and many others outside the cooperative. Upon release, the Registry will be the most comprehensive source of library and library service data in the world.

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