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Extending the OCLC cooperative

Photo of a netLibrary patron accessing an eBook on a PDA.

Fulfillment

Our objective in 2000 was to provide information to people when and where they need it, in a form they want. Today, OCLC is helping libraries become the preferred source of e-content on the Web with click, borrow and buy options that allow libraries to put information in the hands of their users quickly and inexpensively.

Providing information when and where people need it

The OCLC FirstSearch service provides libraries with a range of easy order and delivery options, including online purchasing, online viewing and interlibrary loan. And netLibrary, a division of OCLC, offers an online eBook collection of 60,000 titles.

As the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County celebrates its 150th anniversary, not only are more people than ever going to the library, the library is going to the people. A rich digital collection of Web-based resources, including 53 databases from the OCLC FirstSearch service, including WorldCat, and 2,800 netLibrary eBooks, is being delivered 24/7/365 to users’ palm pilots and desktops in homes, offices, schools and businesses. Use of this digital collection grew 20 percent last year. In addition, despite budget cuts and reduced hours, in-house use of the Main Library and its branches is setting new records based on circulation statistics, program attendance and Internet access.

Photo of Becky Shea, Sally Kramer, Sandy Bolek, and Kim Fender of the Cincinnati Public Library.

These librarians make sure the library has a rich collection of print materials, audiovisual items and electronic resources to meet a wide range of user demands. They are, from left, Becky Shea, Juvenile Collection Development; Sally Kramer, Adult Collection Development; Sandy Bolek, Internet Site Coordinator; and Kim Fender, Executive Director.

“Convenient access to information, whether it’s in the middle of the day or the middle of the night, is of paramount importance today in order to serve a diverse base of users and be an integral part of the community. OCLC services help us meet this challenge and be a leader among public libraries.”

Kimber L. Fender, Executive Director
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Photo of Carmine Lacobucci

Carmine Lacobucci, right, enjoys visiting the library and browsing the collection. He is one of 405,000 registered card holders who jointly borrowed 14.4 million items last year, ranking the library number one in U.S. circulation per card holder.

 

Deborah Sturdevant and Octavio Ruiz, left, are avid searchers of the library’s electronic resources, including OCLC FirstSearch, from their homes and schools. A high school teacher, Ms. Sturdevant searches WorldCat to borrow 10 to 20 items each month to use in her classes. Mr. Ruiz views online full-text articles to support his research studies and borrows Spanish language juvenile books to read to his three young children.

 

Discovery and navigation | Fulfillment | Year in review