OCLC Board of Trustees and Members Council to convene Review Board of Shared Data Creation and Stewardship

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA, 13 January 2009—OCLC Members Council and the OCLC Board of Trustees will jointly convene a Review Board of Shared Data Creation and Stewardship to represent the membership and inform OCLC on the principles and best practices for sharing library data. The group will discuss the Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records with the OCLC membership and library community.

The purpose of this Review Board is to engage the membership and solicit feedback and questions before the new policy is implemented. In order to allow sufficient time for feedback and discussion, implementation of the Policy will be delayed until the third quarter of the 2009 calendar year.

In November 2008, OCLC announced that it was implementing the new Policy to update the existing Guidelines for Use and Transfer of OCLC-Derived Records. The goals of the new Policy are to modernize record use and transfer practices for application on the Web, foster new uses of WorldCat data that benefit members and clarify data sharing rights and restrictions. The Policy is intended to foster innovative use of shared records, while protecting the investment OCLC members have made in WorldCat, and ensuring that use of WorldCat records provides benefit to the membership.

"We have listened to questions and concerns about the revised Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records and have concluded that the issues surrounding the Policy needed further review and discussion,” said Larry Alford, Chair, OCLC Board of Trustees, and Dean of University Libraries, Temple University.

"This will be an effective way to assemble the advice and input of the Members Council," said Members Council President Loretta Parham, Library Director and CEO, Robert W. Woodruff Library at the Atlanta University Center. "It is in the best interest of the cooperative to maintain an open process and encourage dialogue.”

Jennifer Younger, Edward H. Arnold Director of Hesburgh Libraries, University of Notre Dame, and an OCLC Members Council delegate, will chair the Review Board. Members Council delegates and other leaders in the library community will be represented on the Review Board.

"It is important to hear from the membership on the subject of OCLC's and members' joint investment in cooperative library data, systems and services and use what we learn to strengthen our joint investment going forward," said Dr. Younger.

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

• Consult with librarians and member representatives as appropriate.
• Review reports, letters and comments including blog and listserv messages from the global library community regarding the revised Policy.
• 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.

Karen Calhoun, Vice President, OCLC WorldCat and Metadata Services, will serve as liaison between the Review Board and OCLC.

The Review Board will also take into consideration other sources of review, like the recently formed ARL Study Group. The Review Board will provide findings to the President of Members Council, the Chair of the Board of Trustees, and the OCLC President and CEO.

The Review Board on Principles of Shared Data Creation and Stewardship is scheduled to meet in late January to develop a work plan.  The Review Board will organize information sharing and feedback sessions with Members Council delegates and other constituencies as determined by the Review Board, and a preliminary report will be made to Members Council during its February meeting.

Delegates will discuss the report at the May Members Council meeting, and a final report is scheduled to be submitted to the OCLC Board of Trustees following the May meeting.

Implementation of the Policy had been set for February 2009, but the Policy will be under further review by the Board of Trustees and Members Council into the third quarter of 2009.

About Members Council
The 71-delegate Members Council supports OCLC’s mission by serving as the key discussion forum and communications link between member libraries, regional networks and other partners, and OCLC management. By providing a channel for recommendations and questions from Members Council delegates, approving changes in the Code of Regulations and electing six members of the Board of Trustees, Members Council helps shape the future direction of OCLC.

About OCLC
Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC is a nonprofit library service and research organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, eContent, preservation, library management and Web services to 69,000 libraries in 112 countries and territories.  OCLC and its member libraries worldwide have created and maintain WorldCat, the world’s richest online resource for finding library materials.  For more information, visit www.oclc.org.

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