OCLC Research Quarterly Highlights

Message from Lorcan Dempsey

Welcome to our second edition. We were very encouraged by the response to the first, and hope that this is equally interesting. OCLC Research has several roles. It carries out shared research and development for the library community. It provides consultancy and support internally at OCLC, in which role it is also home to the OCLC Innovation Lab. And it supports the OCLC Research Library Partnership. I thought I would highlight four areas of our recent work here.

1. ArchiveGrid. This is a database and discovery service that grew out of RLG's Archival Resources initiative. ArchiveGrid connects you with primary source material held in archives around the world, including historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. ArchiveGrid also helps researchers contact archives to request information, arrange a visit, and order copies. ArchiveGrid is currently available as a subscription service at archivegrid.org, it will eventually become a free discovery system. To facilitate this transition, OCLC Research is developing a new ArchiveGrid discovery interface that is now freely available at http://beta.worldcat.org/archivegrid. Go look at it. Tell us what you think. And contribute!
2. OhioLink collection and circulation analysis. We believe that this is the largest ever investigation of book usage data in a library setting. We were very pleased to carry out this major study with our colleagues and neighbors in OhioLink. OCLC Research worked with the Collection Building Task Force of OhioLink to better understand the disposition and usage patterns of collections across Ohio. This work will have important policy and planning implications for the participating libraries, but will also be generally helpful as libraries everywhere consider the nature of their print collections in coming years. We are doing further analysis of the data ourselves, but recognize that its value will be increased if others can also work with it. So, we are pleased to release the data set generated by the work. Further information and links are available at http://www.oclc.org/research/activities/ohiolink/.
3. Website for Small Libraries (WSSL). Many small libraries do not have an effective web presence. Designed to meet the needs of libraries with a collection size under 20,000 items, WSSL allows libraries with no technical staff to expose their library and library collection on the web, with prominent site features for hours of operation, contact information, calendar functions, policy communication, and inventory management, all with built-in mobile web support. The aim is to give libraries a pre-populated, template website which provides very low barriers to entry. It is available on a trial basis until the end of the year, at which time a beta service will be introduced. For more information see http://experimental.worldcat.org/lib/.
4. Linked data. Linked data has become a much discussed topic. OCLC Research has been heavily involved. We participated in the W3C Library Linked Data Incubator Group http://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/lld/XGR-lld-20111025/. We have brought out VIAF (Virtual International Authority File) as linked data and we have some other resources in preparation. We have been exploring modeling issues with bibliographic data, looking at models from the British Library and Europeana, as well as at Schema.org (from Google, Microsoft and Yahoo). We look forward to contributing to community discussions around library bibliographic infrastructure as the Library of Congress and others begin redesigning the central parts of that infrastructure. We have also been pleased to work with partners. So, for example, we have worked with Cambridge University Library on the Comet project as part of the UK Discovery initiative. We enriched their data with links and provided some data for release. My colleague Jim Michalko discussed the project, and OCLC's participation, on hangingtogether.org.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter. Get in touch with me or with any of my colleagues if you would like to discuss any aspect of our work.

Regards, Lorcan Dempsey

Publications

Marie L. Radford, Gary P. Radford, Lynn Silipigni Connaway, and Jocelyn A. DeAngelis
On Virtual Face-work: An Ethnography of Communication Approach to a Live Chat Reference Interaction

Four researchers use an ethnography of communication approach and Erving Goffman's face-work concept to analyze a librarian–user interaction in this article in The Library Quarterly. (30 September 2011)

Martha O'Hara Conway and Merrilee Proffitt
Taking Stock and Making Hay: Archival Collections Assessment

This report identifies projects and methodologies to make it easier for institutions of all types to undertake collections assessment and to encourage a community of practice. (26 September 2011)

OhioLINK Collection Building Task Force, Julia Gammon and Edward T. O'Neill
OhioLINK-OCLC Collection and Circulation Analysis Project 2011

This report describes a collaborative project between OCLC and OhioLINK that examined circulation in academic libraries, and includes an overview of data publicly available from the activity. (21 September 2011)

Leah Prescott and Ricky Erway
Single Search: The Quest for the Holy Grail

This report highlights successful strategies in providing a single point of access to library, archive and museum collections. (22 August 2011)

Rick Bennett, Edward T. O'Neill, Kerre Kammerer, and JD Shipengrover
mapFAST: A FAST Geographic Authorities Mashup with Google Maps

mapFAST is a mashup that uses Google Maps to present a different way to look at subject access to bibliographic records. (Published in Code4Lib Journal.) (28 July 2011)

Lynn Silipigni Connaway and Marie L. Radford
Seeking Synchronicity: Revelations and Recommendations for Virtual Reference

This report distills five years of research into a readable summary that includes valuable statistics, lists of references, additional readings, and specific recommendations for what libraries and librarians can do to move VR forward in local environments. (18 July 2011)

A complete list of OCLC Research publications is available online at: http://www.oclc.org/research/publications/.

Prototypes and Services

New Innovation Lab Prototype: OCLC WSSL: WebSite for Small Libraries—OCLC WSSL is a cloud-based service that provides a simple web presence and a basic inventory management system for libraries with 2 or fewer full-time staff and a collection size under 20,000 items. More...

WorldCat Identities Network—The WorldCat Identities Network gives users the opportunity to visually explore the interconnectivity and relationships between WorldCat Identities More...

ArchiveGrid® is a discovery service that provides access to detailed collection descriptions for materials held in archives throughout the world. OCLC Research is developing a new, freely available system to replace the current subscription service by June 2012. More...

News

OCLC Researcher and Other Staff Contribute to W3C Library Linked Data Draft Final Report and Other Linked Data Activities

7 July 2011

OCLC Research Software Architect Jeff Young is an author/editor of the Relevant Technologies section of the draft final report of the Library Linked Data Incubator Group of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which is available for review and comment. More...

Congratulations Dan Cohen, 2011 Kilgour Award Winner!

1 July 2011

Dan was one of the award winners OCLC recognized at its 27 June annual President's Luncheon at the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. More...

A complete list of OCLC Research news items is available online at: http://www.oclc.org/research/news/.