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Overview

Common questions

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Language Sets : Overview : Common questions

Common questions

What criteria are used to select materials?

Materials are selected by our Language Sets Collection Development team. These OCLC staff members, who offer expertise in a language or area of the world, select across a broad range of subjects most appealing to non-English speakers living in the U.S. We often select from pre-publication data and supply new materials published in the last two years. We strive to provide the highest quality bindings, and will often rebind materials for better circulation at no additional expense to the library.

What type of cataloging is available with the sets?

Every set comes completely cataloged with full-level MARC records. Every title contains an LC or Dewey call number, LC subject headings, and Bilindex headings for Spanish titles. All titles are searched against WorldCat and upgraded by a cataloger to add appropriate subject headings and call numbers, if needed. If no matching record is found, we create an original record according to AACR2 and OCLC Bibliographic Formats and Standards.

Can I have my MARC records edited to my local practice?

OCLC provides some call number and subject heading editing as part of your Language Sets order. Please see the online questionnaire for more details. For an additional charge, we can accommodate other local editing needs.

Can I get an advance list of titles in a set?

The turnaround time between selection and delivery is so close that we cannot provide advance notice. We work from pre-publication lists to guarantee the newest materials, and we match these titles against your holdings in WorldCat to ensure we don’t send you a title you already own.

Do you offer bilingual and ESL books?

We offer bilingual materials in all of our sets as we find them. They are most often available for children, and included in our juvenile sets. We do order ESL materials and place them in the sets as we receive them. If a library desires, we can find bilingual and ESL titles as part of our Custom Collection Service.

How many books in the adult sets are translations of U.S. titles?

It varies, but for the most part 20-30% of a typical set includes translations. The other 80% includes titles written by native authors.

I’ve heard there is a difference in Chinese writing, what does this mean?

In written Chinese, there are books in traditional characters and books written in simplified characters. Readers from Taiwan and Hong Kong often prefer to read books in traditional characters, readers from China often prefer to read books in simplified characters. In order to appeal to both reading groups, we typically select books in both traditional and simplified characters.

What percentage of the books are hardback vs. paperback?

Typically a set will contain a mixture of both items; however, most juvenile books are hardbound at no additional expense to the library for better circulation.

How can I promote OCLC Language Sets to my library patrons?

OCLC provides bookmarks, signage, and posters that can be put in your library, or posted at international grocery stores, recreation centers, churches and mosques. Many of these items are printable from the OCLC web site.

When can I place an order?

Sets can be ordered in one month and delivered the next. Orders are due to OCLC on or before the first Friday of the month prior. OCLC has an online store for easy ordering. Paper forms are also provided for those who prefer. If you would like to place an order for more than 5 sets in any given language in any given month, please contact an OCLC representative for scheduling.

When will I be billed for my set?

Language Sets are billed upon delivery each month; however, an entire group of sets can be billed up front, upon request. Your OCLC invoice will follow your shipment by a few weeks. For example, if you receive a set in December, you will receive your OCLC invoice in early January.

What kind of discounts does OCLC offer?

We offer a 6% discount when you order between 6 and 12 sets, or a 15% discount when you order 12 or more at one time.

Are you planning other language sets in the future?

We added Arabic books sets for adults and children last year and most recently added DVD sets in Russian, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic, and Tagalog. OCLC is always interested in expanding the languages and formats we offer. We encourage you to let us know the languages you’re interested in seeing us offer. Please send your suggestions to your Regional Service Provider or to OCLC’s Library Services Consultant, Meghan Hopkins. You may also contact OCLC by phone at 1-800-898-6252, ext. 3805, or by e-mail at libservices@oclc.org.

Is it possible to get other languages and materials that are not currently offered through Language Sets?

OCLC’s Custom Collection Service was designed to help libraries to acquire languages and materials not currently offered as pre-selected Language Sets. We can provide most languages and formats upon request. We typically work under a budget provided by the library. For more information and to place an order, see Custom collections.

If you have further questions, please contact your Regional Service Provider, your OCLC representative (Meghan Hopkins), or call OCLC at 1-800-898-6252, ext. 3805, or e-mail OCLC at libservices@oclc.org.