Extending the OCLC Cooperative 2000-2003

In 2000, OCLC shared with the membership a strategic plan to extend the library cooperative and provide integrated services around the world based on the local needs of libraries in their regions. The three-year strategy focused on five areas: WorldCat, Metadata, Archiving and Content Management, Discovery and Navigation, and Fulfillment. Following is a progress report.

Our objective in 2000 was to transform WorldCat into a globally networked information resource of text, graphics and sound. Today, WorldCat is becoming a 21st century knowledge map that describes and connects the global body of physical and digital information resources.

Building a 21st century knowledge map

The WorldCat bibliographic database supports cataloging, resource sharing and reference services in libraries. Powered by Oracle technology, the new WorldCat is the foundation for a new generation of OCLC services that support a range of standards and protocols, including Unicode, OAI, MARC, Dublin Core and IFLA’s Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records. It will streamline library operations and provide a rich discovery experience for library users by harvesting and merging metadata from knowledge repositories around the world and by linking to articles, objects, audio and video. In an information universe that’s constantly expanding, the new WorldCat will connect information and people in exciting new ways.

To the membership | Extending the cooperative| Cataloging and metadata