Please note: This experimental research project has concluded.
The research prototype application is no longer supported or maintained by OCLC services, and information on this page is provided for historical purposes only. Some portion of this content may be out-of-date and include broken links. Please visit the OCLC Research website to learn more about our current research.

Software

OCLC Research offers free software for the benefit of libraries, archives, and museums. The offerings include useful utilities for the development of library-oriented software and ready-to-use components for library systems. Most packages are open source, although some are offered under other licenses. Please be sure to check the license section of the Web page related to the specific software of interest. Open source offerings include source code and documentation, as well as the class files or binaries.

Licensing

Open source

Since 2006 we have issued open source software under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

Many earlier open source offerings were issued under the OCLC Research Public License 2.0 ( PDF version; 130K/3pp.). Which license governs a given package is specified on the overview page for that package as well as in the software itself.

If you have or are interested in open source software licensed under one of the older licenses and would like to use it under the Apache license, please contact us – we may be able to update the software to use the Apache license.

Other licenses

For those few packages not issued under an open source license, the terms and conditions of use are summarized on the overview page and available in full before the end of the download process.

Feedback

We are always interested in hearing about your experiences using and enhancing our software. Please use the contact link below or on the individual software pages to send us your comments.

Ongoing development

Open source offerings are being further developed as Open Source Development projects. You may wish to contribute to the development of this software by becoming a member of one or more of these projects. The Open Source initiative is described in more detail on the OCLC Research Open Software Development page.