Recently in OCLC Category

If you missed the free webinars "RDA and OCLC" that were presented during the last couple of weeks, you can view the recording here.

OCLC has also scheduled one more live session, which will take place on Nov. 19, 12pm (central). You can register for that here.

There is a brief write up about the webinar and the post includes screenshots of some of the poll results from those attending the two webinars. It can be found on Karen Calhoun's blog, Metalogue.

For those of you who remember the old days of dedicated OCLC terminals, complicated cable arrangements, blinking modems... We found this poem in some old files. It was written by Becky Bell sometime in the late 70s.

(note: Fred Kilgour was the founder of OCLC and "Paul" was a technician there.)

Dirge for OCLC
OCLC, built by Fred
Now our terminal is dead!
Worked for months without a hitch,
Should we throw it in a ditch?
Computer systems built for us
Now they've left us in disgust!

Circuits blew, the screen went blank
Paul asked us if we heard a clank.
No more cursor flashing green
We no longer have a screen.
OCLC, built by Fred
Oh, my Lord, it just turned red!

Does the poem take you back? Share some of your funny OCLC memories with us!

If you're not attending ALA, OCLC has set up online access for a number of meetings (using WebEx), and no preregistration is required.

Simply login to the OCLC WebEx Web site with your name and e-mail from the provided link below, then call into the conference line:

Toll-free number 866-699-3239
Enter your "unique attendee ID number", or the Meeting Number as indicated below.

Saturday, July 11, 2009
What Do You Get with Meta-Search in WorldCat Local? Everything You're Looking For...
1:30 PM CST
Join the online meeting first
Then join the teleconference. Meeting number: 716 099 347

WorldCat.org and WorldCat Mobile pilot session
3:30 PM CST
Join the online meeting first
Then join the teleconference. Meeting number: 713 547 604

Sunday, July 12, 2009
OCLC Developer Network session
12:00 PM CST
Join the online meeting first
Then join the teleconference. Meeting number: 719 233 400

What Your Users Aren't Telling You: Findings from Usability Studies
3:30 PM CST
Join the online meeting first
Then join the teleconference. Meeting number: 717 438 980

Monday, July 13, 2009
WorldCat Local Users Group Meeting
10:30 AM CST
Join the online meeting first
Then join the teleconference. Meeting number: 719 587 354

Many sessions in addition to these listed will be videotaped and available after the conference.

We've kept you informed about our changing relationship with OCLC, so you know that, as of July 1, you'll contact OCLC with support questions related to OCLC products and services.

As part of these same changes, Minitex will continue offering OCLC-related training, but now you'll also have access to training provided by other organizations around the country. Note that Minitex will be implementing differential pricing; fees for registrants from the Minitex region will be lower than those for registrants from outside our region. We don't have many training sessions scheduled yet, but look for more as we move into Fall.

Here is the official announcement about OCLC training:

• Minitex and OCLC continue to work together on behalf of OCLC member libraries.
• We are pleased to announce that OCLC and Minitex will work together to provide you with expanded access to quality OCLC training and related educational offerings.
• Minitex has been certified to provide OCLC training--adhering to specific standards and use of OCLC-developed curriculum to ensure consistency of training objectives across all OCLC product and service areas.
• As an OCLC-certified training provider, Minitex makes its OCLC-related course offerings available on the OCLC Training Portal, a Web-based, customer-centered resource that allows you to locate and register for courses that meet your personal learning objectives.
• The Training Portal displays OCLC-certified courses from all Training Partners across the U.S. All of the courses listed on the Training Portal are available to anyone interested in learning more about using OCLC products and services.
• Social networking features available on the Training Portal allow you to join groups, add friends, bookmark courses and much more.
• The OCLC Training Portal will be accessible starting July 1, 2009, by visiting the OCLC Training Portal Web site.
• For questions regarding the OCLC Training Portal, call 1-800-848-5800, or email training@oclc.org.
• For questions specific to training opportunities offered by Minitex, call 800-462-5348 or 612-624-4002, visit the Minitex Training and Events Web page or email mino@umn.edu.

Please take note that the role Minitex has played in supporting your library's use of OCLC products and services will shift somewhat in the coming fiscal year. As OCLC and Minitex continue to work in partnership on behalf of OCLC member libraries, we would like to inform you about some important changes with regard to how your library will access support for OCLC products and services.

• Beginning July 1, 2009, OCLC members will contact OCLC Customer Support for all questions related to support for OCLC products and services. OCLC's teams of support professionals are available 14 hours a day, Monday - Friday, 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. Central Time, to assist you with your needs. These dedicated individuals will provide answers and information to help your library maximize the value of your membership and use of OCLC products and services.
• In addition to product support specialists, the OCLC Customer Support organization is also comprised of a specialized team of librarians focused on providing consultative and workflow support tied to the use and satisfaction of OCLC products and services.



• OCLC Billing & Ordering: Minitex will continue to offer billing and ordering assistance to your library for OCLC products and services.
• Technical Services: Minitex Bibliographic & Technical Services (BATS) will continue to provide non-OCLC-related services and support that your library receives from Minitex today. For example, BATS will continue to provide support for general technical services issues such as cataloging and workflow, and training in the areas of digitization and cataloging.
• Reference Services: Minitex Reference Services will continue to provide support for libraries participating in AskMN: The Librarian Is In! which uses OCLC's QuestionPoint, the Minnesota NetLibrary shared collections, and Minnesota's statewide subscription to WorldCat.
• Training: Minitex will continue to provide training on OCLC products and services as well as our other traditional topic areas.
• Minitex will also assist OCLC in keeping member libraries informed by communicating updates, enhancements, new product offerings, research, membership reports and other important information on OCLC member benefits.

More details about this change in support will be sent out within the coming weeks.

To contact OCLC Customer Support, call 1-800-848-5800 or e-mail support@oclc.org.

To contact Minitex BATS, call (800) 462-5348 or (612) 624-4002, or e-mail mino@umn.edu.

The other day I attended an OCLC members council online meeting and received a couple of important updates about the new OCLC Record Use Policy.

You may have read through past announcements and a recent article in the February MINITEX/OCLC Mailing that, based on feedback from the Board of Trustees, OCLC was asked to form a review board to take a look at the recent OCLC Record Use Policy (Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records)

The Review Board now has more information up on OCLC's Web site, including the members of the Review Board and their charge.

The Review Board on Principles of Shared Data Creation and Stewardship will:

• Review reports, letters and comments including blog and listserv messages from the global library community regarding the revised Policy
• Consult with librarians and member representatives as appropriate
• Recommend principles of shared data creation and changes in the Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records that will preserve the community around WorldCat infrastructure and services, and strengthen libraries

If you have specific concerns about the new OCLC record use policy, you can send your comments directly to the review board at: reviewboard@oclc.org

The Review Board has also set up an online forum for discussion. You can access it here:
http://community.oclc.org/reviewboard

Some of you may be following the discussions and debates surrounding Level 3 records in WorldCat on the various cataloging listservs (OCLC-CAT and AUTO-CAT). OCLC made an announcement in July that they would begin loading Baker and Taylor records into WorldCat (See the July MINITEX/OCLC Mailing article, page 6, to read more about this announcement), and, soon after the announcement, discussion in the form of complaints began on the listservs. BATS staff have also been reading all of the comments and taking note of the issues brought up by our MINITEX participating libraries. We would like to provide a short summary of the listserv discussion on Level 3 records. After reading, please send us your comments. We will soon be attending one of our semi-annual meetings at OCLC headquarters in Dublin, OH, and would like to be able to voice our participants concerns.

OCLC stated that they are loading these Level 3 vendor records because they have heard a lot of "discussion from libraries about the potential of getting bibliographic data earlier in the life cycle of that data and about the potential of reducing duplicative effort by repurposing vendors' data" (Glenn Patton, OCLC). These vendor records loaded into WorldCat are not intended for cataloging use as they are, but are there to be upgraded by member libraries, vendor cataloging staff, and OCLC. See Glenn Patton’s message at the end of this article to read OCLC’s official response.

Discussion from libraries on OCLC-CAT have said that these level 3 records are so brief that, rather than upgrade the record, one is better off cataloging them from scratch. Catalogers have also stated concerns about the quality of WorldCat with the recently loaded Baker and Taylor Level 3 records. To read more user comments posted to OCLC-CAT, you can access the listserv archives and search the subject line for “level 3 records.” NOTE: You need to be a subscriber to access the archives found here

Please comment or send us your feedback!

Read Glenn Patton's Official OCLC Response to the Level 3 Records in WorldCat

Once again I find myself recommending something written by Marshall Breeding in ALA's Smart Libraries Newsletter...  In this article in the June 2007 issue, he does a great job of explaining WorldCat Local, OCLC's effort at improving the catalog search experience for local users.  In April, a beta version of WorldCat Local installed at the University of Washington Libraries was made public.

We've been hearing a lot lately about WorldCat Local and Ex Libris' Primo product (e.g. the Regional ExLibris User Group meeting), but here's a chance to actually try it out.

Read the article, then go play around in the UW implementation. 

Let us know what you think or what questions it raises for you.

OCLC is updating all of the chapters in the online Bibliographic Formats and Standards.

Our own Virginia Dudley from the BATS unit is helping to edit some of the content!
Chapters 1-5 have been updated, along with the following fields: 2XX, 3XX, 4XX, 9XX.
When the online version is complete, OCLC will offer print copies for $40.00, to be
printed sometime in late 2007.