The global cooperative takes shape

The new OCLC Global Steering Committee met in Dublin, Ohio September 21−22, 2009 to plan and organize the program for the first Global Council meeting, to be held April 19−22, 2010. When the meeting concluded, NextSpace talked with Jan Ison, President, 2010 OCLC Global Council, and Executive Director, Lincoln Trail Libraries System, Champaign, Illinois, USA, about the cooperative’s new governance structure.

NextSpace: What does it mean for OCLC members to be part of a global organization?

Jan Ison: I think it means that we are all partners in an organization to bring first rate information and educational access to the users of our respective institutions. It also means that we have an opportunity for more dialogue between OCLC and members and between members in different geographies and institutions. The words “global” and “membership” are important and we need to understand the specific meaning of these words in all parts of the world and how organizations participate in the OCLC cooperative.

I would say, though, that the value of the cooperative has been reinforced by the growing number of international members. We’ve heard from many Asia Pacific members, for example, that they really want to share more of what they’re doing and play a more active role in the cooperative.

NS: What new benefits do you see for members in this new structure?

JI: Any cooperative has to provide meaningful, measurable benefits in order to be of value. But there also have to be realistic expectations of what is expected from the members themselves. It’s not a one-way street. Cooperation is not free. The money spent on cooperative activities—research, publications, industry activities, advocacy, member meetings and communications, for example—is money that isn’t invested in product development. We have to agree that these cooperative efforts are worthwhile, both for our membership and for the profession. Access to information is a democratic value, and supporting our values requires efforts beyond cost-sharing and standards.

NS: What member achievements have really captured the spirit of cooperation and OCLC’s vision?

“OCLC should not be ‘they’ from any member’s perspective. We’re all ‘we’.” —Jan Ison, President, OCLC Global Council

JI: A simple example comes from a library in Lincoln Trail Libraries System where I work. A school library, serving fewer than 500 students, was asked to loan an item to another library in Montana. They were so excited because the staff of the library in Montana called and asked if they would loan it and told them that they were the closest library with that item. This makes what that library does even more important as they know they are valued beyond the local school, beyond Lincoln Trail. It is also a great thing to report to school administrators.

Throughout the cooperative, we have great opportunities like this to shine a light on how libraries, from big to small, are all important. Documenting local history, stewarding unique collections and ephemera, preserving collections with one-of-a-kind digitization projects … libraries need a way to get these resources out there. And when we do it together, at the network level, we not only provide great materials and services to users, but we can use the management data in interesting new ways.

NS: How do you think the benefits of OCLC membership have changed over the years?

JI: Well, they haven’t decreased, that’s for sure. Even if we look solely at resource sharing—borrowing and loaning of materials keeps going up. And the rate of OCLC cataloging, worldwide, does nothing but increase.

I do think we must remember OCLC’s public purpose and even expand it if needed. Mostly we should remind our members of the public purpose so that we all understand what this means for the membership. Our ability to negotiate on behalf of our members—both contracts and services—is an extraordinary benefit. That’s going to be a key factor in the near future as more of our content becomes electronic and digital. We need to help libraries become premier institutions for the discovery and use of electronic resources.

NS: What would you like to see in terms of increased engagement and feedback from members and participants?

JI: I’d like to see more dialogue with members. Thoughts and ideas from members for new programs or products can be forwarded to OCLC management and others with a vested interest in the success of the cooperative. OCLC should not be “they” from any member’s perspective. We’re all “we.” We’re a team and we should be proud to be members of OCLC. We won’t always all agree on everything, but it never hurts to have more discussions with broader groups of participants.

Also, OCLC can’t ever stop trying new things. We need to continue to be proactive. Our membership is a great source of creativity. New ideas can come from anywhere. OCLC is listening, and now is the time for members to speak up!

NS: What value do you feel OCLC provides for libraries, museums and other memory institutions worldwide, outside of products and services?

JI: Because we are a nonprofit, we can tackle big issues facing libraries on behalf of the cooperative. We continue to do new research, update environmental scans, report on trends and inform libraries and cultural heritage institutions about what’s going on in the profession all over the world.

We can also leverage the power of the membership to address negotiations and give every library, no matter what size, a voice in the larger information sphere.

NS: What are the greatest challenges libraries will face in the next decade and beyond? How do you think OCLC can help?

JI: Funding will continue to be a huge challenge for libraries, as it will be for OCLC. In times of economic stress, organizations tend to pull back rather than cooperate. We need to band together and find solutions. Working together shouldn’t cost more than going it on your own. Being part of a cooperative should be a no-brainer from a financial standpoint. Otherwise, when libraries pull back, we risk the future for all of us.

I am passionate about cooperation. I’ve been doing it for 30 years and believe that it’s a powerful force for good in our profession. I would love to hear every member refer to OCLC as “our cooperative.” Together we can achieve more.

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