Advancing further, faster, together
We have greater impact when we collaborate. As OCLC, libraries come together as a network to address shared challenges and opportunities at scale.Share this on Twitter.
Whether we’re supporting discoveries on the leading edge of science or helping children build a strong learning foundation, shared knowledge is the common thread. Together we connect people to the world’s collected knowledge and, in doing so, ignite research, learning and innovation.
Because what is known must be shared.SM
Together we make breakthroughs possible.
“I started linking books to sites where people could purchase the #CharlestonSyllabus resources, but one of the librarians suggested that we link them directly to WorldCat.org. That makes sense because you don’t have to purchase a book; you can just show up at a local library and borrow it.”
In the wake of the racially motivated violence in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, scholars and librarians collaborated on a bibliography to inform ongoing conversations about race relations. The vision is that by sharing knowledge in this way, new understanding, approaches and change can occur.
Remarkable things can happen when knowledge is accessible to all. Libraries fuel learning, research and innovation.
Maintaining and growing
a strong, global library community
“Members share basic values of what a library is about and wants to achieve. As OCLC, we can and do achieve what we couldn’t do separately.”
New countries represented: Algeria, Cameroon, Croatia, Indonesia, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Malta, Nepal, Portugal, Saint Lucia, Zimbabwe
16,912 members in
118 countries
Public Libraries
College and University Libraries
School Libraries
Federal, State and Municipal Government
Corporate and Business
Community College and Vocational
Foundations and Associations
Association of Research Libraries
State and National Libraries
Other
Top ten
lending members
| Items lent FY2015 | |
|---|---|
| Minitex | 60,596 |
| University of Texas at Austin | 39,272 |
| University of Chicago | 39,079 |
| University of Michigan | 36,012 |
| Indiana University | 34,135 |
| University of Wisconsin–Madison | 34,099 |
| Pennsylvania State University | 32,754 |
| The Ohio State University | 32,398 |
| University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | 31,965 |
| Texas A&M University | 24,558 |
Top ten
online original catalogers
| Original records added FY2015 | |
|---|---|
| University of Hong Kong | 71,280 |
| National Central Library (Taiwan) | 38,151 |
| McGill University | 36,817 |
| National Agriculture Library | 24,348 |
| National Taiwan University | 23,096 |
| National Library Board, Singapore | 20,066 |
| New York Public Library | 13,776 |
| US Government Publishing Office | 11,036 |
| University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | 10,999 |
| Thammasat University Library | 10,950 |
Creating impact
both locally and globally
“Membership empowers librarians to share their views, challenges and opportunities. Working together enables us to achieve more for the future of libraries.”
An engaged membership
Members have many opportunities to contribute their voice to OCLC. Three Regional Councils—Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Asia Pacific—serve to identify local needs and opportunities, fostering collaboration among members and visibility on a global scale. Global Council brings these worldwide viewpoints together, informing and guiding the cooperative with this unique perspective. Over 1,000 people participated in Regional Council meetings in FY2015. In addition, Member Forums held in 25 cities in the US and Canada hosted more than 1,500 librarians, who shared ideas and discussed needs with colleagues and OCLC staff.
A record 326 people from 39 countries gathered in Florence, Italy, to attend the sixth EMEA Regional Council Meeting.
The Asia Pacific Regional Council Membership Conference was held in Jeju, South Korea. Attendees included 270 librarians from 12 countries and territories.
The Americas Regional Council Annual Meeting, held at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Chicago in the US, drew 497 attendees, including 297 virtual participants.
Leading
the community
“We all have a stake in our collective future. Our OCLC relationship is unique—by coming together, we have the ability and the responsibility to chart our course as a broader community. Every member has a voice and an opportunity to contribute and to lead.”
Dynamic leadership
Members contribute to the future of OCLC by participating in governance. Member libraries have a voice through their elected representatives.
New Global Council leaders
In FY2015, each Regional Council elected member representatives to Global Council. These 51 leaders represent the voices and perspectives of all members.
Anja Smit
Global Council President
University Librarian, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Peter Sidorko
Global Council Vice President / President-elect
Director, University Librarian, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Newly elected Board member
The 14-member Board of Trustees shapes OCLC’s vision and includes nine librarians, six of whom are elected by the Global Council. In FY2015, Global Council elected one new member to the OCLC Board of Trustees. Barbara Preece’s term begins in November 2015.
Barbara Preece
OCLC Board of Trustees
Director, Loyola/Notre Dame Library, USA
The 2014–2015 OCLC Board of Trustees
Front row, left to right:
Jennifer Younger
Executive Director
Catholic Research Resources Alliance
USA
Brady J. Deaton*
Chancellor Emeritus
University of Missouri
USA
Kathleen Keane*
Director
Johns Hopkins University Press
USA
Sandra Yee
Chair, OCLC Board of Trustees
Dean of University Libraries & School of Library and Information Science
Wayne State University
USA
Skip Prichard
President and CEO
OCLC
USA
Barbara Lison
Director
Bremen Public Library
Germany
David Roselle
Vice Chair, OCLC Board of Trustees
Director
Winterthur Museum and Country Estate
USA
Back row, left to right:
John Szabo*
City Librarian
Los Angeles Public Library
USA
Loretta Parham
CEO and Director
Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center
USA
John R. Patrick
President
Attitude LLC
USA
Ellen Tise*
Senior Director: Library and Information Services
JS Gericke Library
Stellenbosch University
South Africa
James G. Neal
University Librarian Emeritus
Columbia University
USA
Cindy Hilsheimer
Managing Principal
BeecherHill
USA
Berndt Dugall
Direktor a.D./Librarian
Universitätsbibliothek Johann Senckenberg
Universität Frankfurt
Germany
Brian E. C. Schottlaender
The Audrey Geisel University Librarian
University of California, San Diego Libraries
USA
* New Trustees as of November 2014