Global Council
The Global Council is comprised of 48 delegates, each representing one of three regions (ARC, EMEA, APRC). The delegates work on behalf of the global membership to reflect the needs of member institutions. Members can contact any Global Council delegate to share ideas, offer feedback, and ask questions. Global Council committees complete much of the group’s work. The working groups include:
- Global Council Executive Committee
- Global Council Bylaws Committee
- Global Council Nominating Committee
- Global Council Program Committee
![Earl Givens, Jr. Earl Givens, Jr. [photo]](/content/marketing/publish/en_us/membership/councils/_jcr_content/par/parsyscolumncontrol_/col0/tabs_51f1/1480337841/parsyscolumncontrol__0/col1/highlightbox_351c/highlightbox/textimage_70a7/image.img.jpg/1647007321176.jpg)
A message from Earl Givens, Jr.,
Global Council Chair
Welcome from your Global Council!
OCLC member institutions represent a mixture of library types, sizes, cultures, and languages committed to serving our communities and embracing our differences. We are passionate about our diversity and dedicated to improving the lives of our communities through technology, innovation, and our skills as library professionals. As your delegates, we are here to listen and reflect the different needs of libraries and to work with OCLC on providing solutions that benefit libraries throughout the globe. I invite you to join us on this learning journey. Together, OCLC members and the OCLC Global Council can make positive progress towards a more just and equitable world.
Recent news
-
2021 Global Council election results announced
The 2021 elections for OCLC Regional Council delegates are complete. In addition to welcoming new delegates, new leadership for each of the Regional Councils will begin on 1 November 2021.
Past events
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13 April 2022
Libraries and Open Ecosystems: Metadata challenges and opportunities in the open ecosystem
Join Kathryn Stine, OCLC Research Library Partnership, and library leaders from OCLC’s Global Council as they discuss the next generation of metadata, including contributing environmental factors, and the findings of the Reimagine Descriptive Workflows project.
- Time: 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time, North America [UTC -4]
This event has passed. View the archive.
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16 March 2022
Libraries and Open Ecosystems: The library’s role in open research
Join Ixchel M. Faniel, Senior Research Scientist, Library Trends and User Research, and library leaders from OCLC’s Global Council to discuss the library’s role in open research.
- Time: 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time, North America [UTC -4]
This event has passed. View the archive.
Americas Regional Council
OCLC members in the Americas—Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America—actively participate in the cooperative through the Americas Regional Council (ARC). Members are encouraged to attend meetings, sign up for information to learn about the latest innovations and initiatives, and to provide feedback to their ARC representatives. ARC members are eligible to participate in ARC elections and run for one of the 32 delegate positions that represent ARC on the OCLC Global Council. ARC hosts an annual conference that is open to all members and interested parties, which provides a forum to discuss issues important to libraries in the region.
- Americas Regional Council Executive Committee
- Americas Regional Council Nominating Committee
![Earl Givens, Jr. Earl Givens, Jr. [photo]](/content/marketing/publish/en_us/membership/councils/_jcr_content/par/parsyscolumncontrol_/col0/tabs_51f1/1480337840/parsyscolumncontrol__0/col1/highlightbox_e83c/highlightbox/textimage_70a7/image.img.jpg/1647007321396.jpg)
A message from Earl Givens, Jr., Chair for the Americas Regional Council
Welcome from your Americas Regional Council!
It is an honor and privilege to serve as this year’s Chair of the Americas Regional Council (ARC). OCLC member institutions in the Americas represent a mixture of library types, sizes, cultures, and languages all of whom are committed to serving our communities and embracing our differences. As a Regional Council, we are passionate about our diversity and dedicated to improving the lives of our communities through technology, innovation, and our skills as library professionals.
As your elected ARC delegates, we are here to listen and reflect the different needs of ARC libraries and to work with OCLC on providing solutions that benefit libraries throughout the globe. Communicating our unique perspectives and experiences helps make OCLC an even more valuable organization for libraries. As a Council we learn from one another and inspire positive action in our communities.
I invite you to join us on this learning journey. Together, OCLC members and the OCLC Global Council can make positive progress towards a more just and equitable world.
Recent news
-
2021 Global Council election results announced
The 2021 elections for OCLC Regional Council delegates are complete. In addition to welcoming new delegates, new leadership for each of the Regional Councils will begin on 1 November 2021.
Past events
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02 October 2019 - 03 October 2019
OCLC Library Futures Conference – Phoenix, Arizona
Join fellow library leaders and members of the OCLC Americas Regional Council (ARC) to discuss and discover how we can build not only future-forward libraries but also future-ready communities.
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Venue: Sheraton Grand Phoenix
This event has passed. View the archive.
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25 October 2018 - 26 October 2018
2018 OCLC Americas Regional Council Conference
Connect with OCLC at the 2018 Americas Regional Council Conference in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- Location: Chicago, IL
This event has passed. View the archive.
EMEA Regional Council
The Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Regional Council currently elects 11 representatives who serve as delegates to the Global Council. Members in the EMEA region are encouraged to vote for their representatives and are invited to attend an annual conference open to all members and interested parties, which provides a forum to disucss issues important to libraries in the region.
- EMEARC Executive Committee
- EMEARC Nominating Committee
![Sarah Hurter-Savie Sarah Hurter-Savie [photo]](/content/marketing/publish/en_us/membership/councils/_jcr_content/par/parsyscolumncontrol_/col0/tabs_51f1/1480337839/parsyscolumncontrol_/col1/highlightbox_8ac3/highlightbox/textimage_984e/image.img.jpg/1647007321577.jpg)
A message from Sarah Hurter-Savie, Chair for the Europe, Middle East and Africa Regional Council
Welcome from your EMEA Regional Council
The EMEA region represents more than 70 countries in which libraries, museums and archives all face many different challenges. Understanding and communicating this diversity is key to identifying regional priorities regarding OCLC’s services and development of the global cooperative. This 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 Executive Committee of the EMEA Regional Council aims to represent all OCLC members and this calls for a well-developed network and excellent communication among the membership. We are working to develop member engagement and we welcome your input, questions, comments, and concerns. We represent members’ interests and provide informed opinions to OCLC about the direction of the library community. This motivates us to continue our important work on behalf of libraries. Therefore, we strongly invite you to help us!
The diversity of OCLC membership, across regions, countries and library types is the strength of the cooperative. Together, we are a global community committed to making a difference for the future of libraries.
Recent news
-
2021 Global Council election results announced
The 2021 elections for OCLC Regional Council delegates are complete. In addition to welcoming new delegates, new leadership for each of the Regional Councils will begin on 1 November 2021.
Past events
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26 February 2019 - 27 February 2019
EMEA Regional Council Meeting 2019
Join us for this two day conference in Marseille, France!
- Location: Marseille, France
- Venue: Palais du Pharo
This event has passed. View the archive.
Asia Pacific Regional Council
The Asia Pacific Regional Council (APRC) represents member libraries from the territory west of Hawaii, stretching from China, Korea and Japan in the north to Australia and New Zealand in the south and Pakistan to the west. APRC elects delegates to the Asia Pacific Executive Committee, five of whom also currently serve as delegates to Global Council. APRC hosts an annual conference that is open to all members and interested parties, which provides a forum to discuss issues important to libraries in the region.
- APRC Executive Committee
- APRC Nominating Committee
![Constance Wiebrands Constance Wiebrands [photo]](/content/marketing/publish/en_us/membership/councils/_jcr_content/par/parsyscolumncontrol_/col0/tabs_51f1/1480337838/parsyscolumncontrol__0/col1/highlightbox_83/highlightbox/textimage_356f/image.img.jpg/1647007321805.jpg)
A message from Constance Wiebrands, Chair for the Asia Pacific Regional Council
Welcome from your APRC Regional Council
I am very pleased to be able to serve as the APRC Regional Council Chair for this year, and particularly excited about the many contributions from our region that serves to expand the depth and breadth of WorldCat and contributes to critical global knowledge.
We have worked hard to preserve and protect our regions' histories, cultures, and art, and are pleased to be able to use the valuable resources from OCLC that makes serving our communities possible. 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 member institutions as a valuable part of the OCLC cooperative.
Recent news
-
2021 Global Council election results announced
The 2021 elections for OCLC Regional Council delegates are complete. In addition to welcoming new delegates, new leadership for each of the Regional Councils will begin on 1 November 2021.
Past events
Show details
20 November 2019 - 21 November 2019
OCLC Library Futures Conference – Singapore
Join fellow library leaders and members of the OCLC Asia Pacific Regional Council (APRC) to discuss and discover how we can build not only future-forward libraries but also future-ready communities.
- Location: Singapore
- Venue: Events Centre, Village Hotel at Sentosa
This event has passed. View the archive.
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28 November 2018 - 29 November 2018
OCLC Asia Pacific Regional Council Meeting 2018
Join us for this two day conference in Bangkok, Thailand!
- Location: Bangkok, Thailand
- Venue: Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers
This event has passed. View the archive.
Interested in learning more or getting involved?
If you are interested in participating in Americas, Asia Pacific, or EMEA Regional Council activities, or in representing your region on the OCLC Global Council, please contact Member Relations.