Welcome from your Americas Regional Council!

Welcome to ARC, the OCLC Regional Council that represents libraries from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. More than 8,000 institution members are served by 32 Global Council delegates, all who have been elected by you as OCLC members, to reflect the diversity of history, cultures, and languages of the libraries within The Americas.

These have been challenging times for all of us in the library community. The COVID-19 pandemic, heightened discussions around equality, and changing technology and funding have certainly forced us to look at how we serve our users. In the blink of an eye, we have had to adopt new modes of services and adapt to unanticipated and new needs of our users. But, one thing is definite – never before have we been more sure of the vital role our libraries play in the current and future well-being of our own communities, our regions, and the world.

On behalf of your elected ARC delegates, I encourage you to actively engage in the OCLC cooperative. Please share your views, ideas, and experiences with your ARC delegates and OCLC colleagues. Participate in the work that Global Council is doing to learn more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and how libraries can impact regional and global stability. Together, as members of the OCLC cooperative, our collective resources and activities will continue to not only enhance the world of knowledge and provide easier and faster access to it, but also find solutions to any challenges which we and our communities have yet to face.

Welcome from your EMEA Regional Council

The EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region represents more than 60 countries, a multitude of languages, and a vast number of people who depend on libraries, museums and archives to serve their interests and improve their lives. We understand that the diversity of our region is a strategic strength that builds the OCLC cooperative and provides our members with the products and services needed to enhance their institution’s ability to serve their users.

The eleven members of the EMEA Regional Council take seriously our duty to communicate the changing needs, and the challenges, of being contemporary libraries generated from ancient civilizations. Our regions, our cultures, and the contributions we make as part of a global force of information providers has helped to make OCLC the global organization that it is today. As we go forward, we understand that our strength is in our diversity, our respect for our profession, and our ability to work together to the betterment of ourselves and our global colleagues. It is that understanding that motivates us to continue our important work on behalf of libraries, our countries, and our Regional Council.

Welcome from your Asia Pacific Regional Council

It’s an honor to have been elected to the Asia Pacific Regional Council and to have the opportunity to serve as the APRC Regional Council Chair for 2021. The depth of our region’s histories and cultures are reflected in the collections of our institutions and are highly prized as an important part of the WorldCat database. We are proud of the breadth of resources and to contribute to the worldwide viewpoints that stitch together the OCLC collaboration of libraries. We help OCLC understand the unique needs of APRC institutions and work with our global colleagues to examine the emerging issues faced by modern global libraries.

By working locally, regionally and globally we benefit from and contribute to the innovation and research OCLC provides. We would like to invite libraries from the Asia Pacific region to continue to play an active role in the cooperative. We welcome your input, questions, comments, and concerns and will proudly represent the interests of libraries, archives and other member institutions as OCLC serves the interests of the global library community.