DUBLIN, Ohio, 22 October 2026—OCLC is expanding its Library and Information Science (LIS) Education Program, helping LIS schools equip students with the practical skills and experience needed to lead in today’s dynamically changing library environment.

Since 1979, OCLC has brought the tools librarians use every day into LIS classrooms. Through the LIS Education Program, faculty and students can access select OCLC services, connecting classroom instruction with the real-world systems and workflows used across the library profession.

“Tomorrow’s library leaders need opportunities to put their learning into practice with the technologies, data services, and connected workflows that will shape their careers,” said Mary Sauer-Games, OCLC Chief Product Officer. “For more than 45 years, the OCLC LIS Education Program has supported faculty and students with hands-on experience, research, professional development, and connections to the broader library community. Now we’re expanding the program to include next-generation linked data services that connect library data to the broader world.”

OCLC cataloging and metadata services help libraries create, manage, and share high-quality bibliographic data more efficiently. By drawing on WorldCat, the world’s largest network of library data and expertise, libraries reduce duplicate effort, improve discovery of collections, and make it easier for users to find materials across institutions.

Services available through the OCLC LIS Education Program include:

• Connexion - Access to Connexion enables students to create and edit high-quality bibliographic and authority records.
• Meridian - Students can practice creating and connecting linked data entities, as well as learn how to enrich metadata by creating connections to existing values in MARC records.
• WebDewey - The Dewey Decimal Classification system is the most widely used library classification system in the world. WebDewey access gives students the most up-to-date DDC numbers to practice classifying library materials.
• WorldShare Record Manager - Access to WorldShare Record Manager allows students to search and view WorldCat bibliographic and authority records, create bibliographic records and save and edit them.

A new release of CONTENTdm digital collection management tools will become available through the program over the coming year.

In addition to access to OCLC services, participating programs can draw on resources from the WebJunction community and OCLC Research to help faculty and students stay current on important professional topics and emerging practices.

More about the OCLC LIS Education Program, along with application details, is on the website.