WebJunction launches new online social and learning experience for the library community

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA,  13 August 2008—WebJunction, the online learning community for librarians and library staff, has launched a new social and learning experience in close collaboration with partners in 15 state libraries. The new site builds on the deep repository of helpful content, relevant courses, and active discussions that have been the hallmark of WebJunction since 2003.

The new capabilities make it easier for librarians and staff to:

• Connect with friends, peers, and colleagues from across the library community using powerful new social tools such as friends, public profiles, groups, discussions, tagging, and recommendations;
• Create their own content, conversations, and spontaneous communities with fast, fun and easy-to-use tools;
• Learn the skills they need to thrive in their careers with new and more flexible online courses covering general business, technical, and library skills, complimented by powerful social and learning management tools that add depth to the experience.

"WebJunction and our partners have been helping libraries take advantage of collaboration and e-learning tools for the past five years," said George Needham, Vice President, OCLC Member Services. "This latest release continues that work, and also brings some of the social tools of the modern Web to the library community in a unique and tailored way."

Originally launched five years ago with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, OCLC, and partners from across the library community, WebJunction has grown to over 30,000 registered members and has delivered thousands of courses.

Along with the new central site, 15 state libraries launched branded WebJunction portals for libraries and staff in their states. Eleven existing partners migrated their prior sites to the new platform over the past few months: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Connecticut State Library; Illinois State Library; Indiana State Library; State Library of Iowa; State Library of Kansas; Maine State Library; WebJunction Minnesota, a statewide partnership between Metronet, MINITEX and Minnesota State Library Services; New Hampshire State Library; Vermont Department of Libraries; and the Washington State Library.

WebJunction has also announced that four new state library portals are launching for the first time: Georgia Public Library Service, the Idaho Commission for Libraries, the State Library of Ohio, and Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services.

To see a complete list of links to WebJunction partner portals, visit www.webjunction.org/partners.

About WebJunction
WebJunction is the online learning community for librarians and library staff. We provide information, insights, and online learning relevant to staff, their organizations, and the library field as a whole as part of our mission to foster collaboration and partnership within the library community. WebJunction is supported in part by OCLC, grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute for Museum and Library Services, partners in state library agencies and other library systems and organizations, and by the library community. Launched in 2003, WebJunction is based in Seattle, Washington and Dublin, Ohio. More information is available at www.webjunction.org.

About OCLC
Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC is a nonprofit library service and research organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, eContent, preservation, library management and Web services to more than 60,000 libraries in 112 countries and territories.  OCLC and its member libraries worldwide have created and maintain WorldCat, the world’s richest online resource for finding library materials.  For more information, visit www.oclc.org.

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OCLC, WebJunction and WorldCat are trademarks and/or service marks of OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. Third-party product, service and business names are trademarks and/or service marks of their respective owners.