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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>OCLC Next</title> <atom:link href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://blog.oclc.org/next/</link> <description>Next provides insight and information about the work being done by and for libraries all over the world.</description> <lastBuildDate>Wed, 31 Jul 2024 14:12:23 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.5</generator> <item> <title>From data to action: Leveraging insights to make more informed collection decisions</title> <link>https://blog.oclc.org/next/insights-for-collections/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sohaib Baig]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 31 Jul 2024 14:12:23 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Analytics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Cataloging]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Collective Collection]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Library Management]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shared Print]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Strategy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[WorldCat]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.oclc.org/next/?p=5347</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>“How many books are there on Islamic law?” This was the deceptively simple question posed by a colleague while brainstorming the potential scope of a digitization project on Islamic legal history. For non-librarians, it might seem like something one could just “look up.” But as you and I know, that kind of analysis only begins […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/insights-for-collections/">From data to action: Leveraging insights to make more informed collection decisions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5349" src="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/leveraging_insights_banner.jpg" alt="" width="1160" height="370" srcset="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/leveraging_insights_banner.jpg 1160w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/leveraging_insights_banner-300x96.jpg 300w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/leveraging_insights_banner-1024x327.jpg 1024w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/leveraging_insights_banner-768x245.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px" /></p> <p>“How many books are there on Islamic law?”</p> <p>This was the deceptively simple question posed by a colleague while brainstorming the potential scope of a digitization project on Islamic legal history. For non-librarians, it might seem like something one could just “look up.” But as you and I know, that kind of analysis only begins with a simple question and branches out into many more complex issues of data analysis, accounting for duplicate titles, different editions, and multiple languages, etc.</p> <p>But I decided to give it a go and survey a selected number of libraries in North America using the tool Choreo Insights. I published the in-depth results of my findings in another <a href="https://islamiclaw.blog/2023/08/03/islamic-law-collections-across-14-north-american-libraries/">post on the Islamic Law Blog</a>, but today wanted to talk more about the process.</p> <p><span id="more-5347"></span></p> <h2>Defining the whole, exploring specifics</h2> <p>My source is <a href="http://oc.lc/choreo">Choreo Insights</a>, an analytics tool developed by OCLC for collection development, shared print, and other management purposes. It allows us to analyze and compare library collections by accessing data directly from WorldCat.</p> <p>When first starting to use the tool, I wanted to work toward that “big number.” Something close to the total of all Islamic law texts in library collections, or at least a place to start. So, I chose 14 large North American libraries with holdings in WorldCat (listed here by number of holdings that matched my search): Harvard, Library of Congress, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, NYU, UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, UCLA, University of Chicago, Cornell, and McGill.</p> <p>I searched for “Islamic Law” in the FAST heading filter—and when I searched across all these libraries I returned a set of 46,032 distinct title editions.</p> <p>Now, this is obviously not a complete answer to the original question. But it gives us a reasonable “<a href="https://www.oclc.org/research/publications/2013/2013-09r.html">collective collection</a>” to then perform deeper, specific explorations.</p> <h2>Different lenses on the collective collection</h2> <p>Once I had my initial list, I could start to do some research based on what’s important to my discipline. And also, what I’m personally curious about. So, I dove into:</p> <ul> <li>Top languages (Arabic, English, Persian, Indonesian, and Urdu)</li> <li>Countries of publication (Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia)</li> <li>Dates of publication over the 19th, 20th, and 21st century</li> </ul> <p>These queries yielded really interesting results! For example, it revealed the relatively high standing of Indonesian language titles on Islamic law, as compared to languages like Urdu and Turkish. It also showed that around 65% of the titles have been published since 1990. Which is confirmation of something I expected to find—that the growth of the library collections within this subject corresponds with the growth of Islamic law as a field of research in North American universities.</p> <h2>More titles vs. more holdings</h2> <p>With a little more digging, I found another interesting detail. Even though the majority of titles (30,671 out of the aforementioned 46,032) were published in Arabic, the most popular titles were, by far, ones published in English, with several being owned by more than 500 libraries across WorldCat. The most popular Arabic title about Islamic law was held by only 257 libraries, and with only a few more held by more than 100. The numbers for other languages were even more limited.</p> <p>Even more fascinating to me was that ALL the authors of the works published in Arabic are authors from the medieval period, not works by modern scholars. This is, again, consistent with the growth of Islamic legal scholarship in the west, by modern authors, publishing predominantly for a North American and/or English-speaking audience.</p> <h2>Acting on insights</h2> <p>The ability to easily probe into the collection information from a number of large academic libraries on a specific subject proved very useful. In the past, doing research like this would have required working with an API or doing many queries and then sorting and cleaning them up. Both of which require specific expertise. This tool was very easy to use, and the spreadsheet exports allowed me to dig even further into the results using Excel.</p> <p>While the data in my research does not represent “everything” on the subject, it’s good enough to make some conclusions and recommendations:</p> <ul> <li>The largest proportion of the collections are from Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, and Saudi Arabia; their publications dominate the study of Islamic law. Librarians looking to diversify their collections might look for resources from other areas, including especially Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Turkey, and the Balkans.</li> <li>The bulk of these holdings are only around 30 years old. This provides an opportunity to expand our attention to materials published in the early 20th century and before. These materials will often be more vulnerable to physical disintegration due to the nature of their paper and structure, and less easy to locate. They should be prioritized for retention, both locally and as part of shared print processes.</li> <li>This data also makes priorities for digitization more apparent. The information here can be compared against Islamic law materials in digital collections such as the <a href="https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Search/Home?type%5B%5D=subject&lookfor%5B%5D=islamic%20law&page=1&pagesize=100&ft=ft">HathiTrust</a> and <a href="https://dlib.nyu.edu/aco/search/?subject=Islamic%20Law&scope=containsAll">Arabic Collections Online</a> to see which titles still haven’t been digitized.</li> </ul> <p>It’s important to work toward actionable insights like this, because what is the good of new knowledge if we don’t put it to use?</p> <h2>An impossible question with very possible results</h2> <p>What started as an impossible question—and still probably is—yielded some very helpful information. While large groups and consortia can certainly do things together to “<a href="https://www.lorcandempsey.net/operationalizing-a-collective-collection/">operationalize their collective collections</a>,” with tools like Choreo Insights, any individual researcher, educator, cataloger, or collection development specialist can go in and do some quick, easy research to get an idea of strategies that can help:</p> <ul> <li>See what’s unique to your library—and possibly important for retention and digitization</li> <li>Diversify your collection based on language, period, and country of publication</li> <li>Compare to libraries whose programs you admire, or with whom you could collaborate or extend resource sharing opportunities</li> <li>Make sure you have what you need for teaching purposes (using <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/browse.aspx?y=55">CIP codes</a>, available as a search criteria within Choreo)</li> </ul> <p>It’s an exciting way to pursue new avenues of research and collection development. Not just based on our own experience—or interesting questions asked at conference—but backed up by a huge amount of shared library metadata.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/insights-for-collections/">From data to action: Leveraging insights to make more informed collection decisions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>OCLC’s role in advancing library linked data</title> <link>https://blog.oclc.org/next/oclc-advancing-linked-data/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mary Sauer-Games]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 16 Jul 2024 15:49:06 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Cataloging]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Linked data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Library Management]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Linked Data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Metadata]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Strategy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[WorldCat]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.oclc.org/next/?p=5332</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>There are times when a single organization’s decision to embrace a particular technology will have an outsized influence on everyone else in that sector. For example, with the release of “Toy Story” in 1995—the first feature-length film entirely created with CGI—Pixar set a new standard for animated movies. While CGI had been used before, the […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/oclc-advancing-linked-data/">OCLC’s role in advancing library linked data</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5333" src="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/nextbanner_linked_data_position_paper.jpg" alt="" width="1160" height="370" srcset="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/nextbanner_linked_data_position_paper.jpg 1160w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/nextbanner_linked_data_position_paper-300x96.jpg 300w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/nextbanner_linked_data_position_paper-1024x327.jpg 1024w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/nextbanner_linked_data_position_paper-768x245.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px" /></p> <p>There are times when a single organization’s decision to embrace a particular technology will have an outsized influence on everyone else in that sector. For example, with the release of “Toy Story” in 1995—the first feature-length film entirely created with CGI—Pixar set a new standard for animated movies. While CGI had been used before, the success of Pixar’s approach encouraged other studios to adopt the technology more quickly and fully.</p> <p>We are at a moment like this today. The shifting of operational workflows to incorporate linked data will transform how libraries create, manage, and improve WorldCat, the largest source of library metadata in the world. OCLC’s strategy to champion this change, along with the support of its thousands of members, represents a significant event for the library profession worldwide.</p> <p><span id="more-5332"></span></p> <p>In two previous posts, Jeff Mixter provided an <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/intro-to-library-linked-data/">introduction to linked data</a> and some thoughts on how linked data can <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/linked-data-libraries-online-impact/">help libraries make more of an impact</a>. In both, he touched on some of the plans we have in this area and provided an excellent overview of the topic. What I’ll be covering in this post is a synopsis of our commitment to linked data, as articulated more fully in this recent position paper, “<a href="https://www.oclc.org/go/en/publications/linked-data-the-future-of-library-cataloging.html">Linked data: the future of library cataloging</a>.”</p> <h2>OCLC’s commitment to a linked data future</h2> <p>OCLC has been a leader in research on linked data for more than 20 years. That background means that every decision we make—both large, strategic ones, and feature-level options—is based on a lot of previous thinking by both OCLC staff and members of the community. Early exploratory research into the possibilities of semantic web technologies focused on understanding how they could be applied within the existing frameworks of library data systems. Insights from these programs laid the groundwork for today’s developments, such as the integration of linked data elements into WorldCat, which was rolled out in January of this year.</p> <p>But linked data technology is not just about enhancing bibliographic databases; it’s about creating a more integrated and accessible knowledge ecosystem. This means thinking bigger, bolder, beyond improving today’s services. It’s building bridges between isolated data silos within libraries and across campuses, and knitting together globally accessible resources. Through linked data, we can increase the visibility of library collections and enrich the contextual relationships between persons, works, places, organizations, events, and topics providing an information-rich landscape for users to make their curiosity journeys.</p> <p>We also know that library staff are eager to learn about the benefits and challenges of this technology. Linked data is a good change. But even good changes can be challenging for staff and library workflows. Through workshops, seminars, and collaborative projects, we’ll provide guidance and support, explaining and demonstrating the value of linked data to help make it more accessible to libraries of all sizes and types.</p> <h2>Why cooperation—at scale—matters</h2> <p>Linked data, with its emphasis on interoperability and sharing, fits naturally into OCLC’s cooperative ethos. Member libraries can proceed at their own pace, adopting linked data in ways that make sense for their circumstances and workflows. For small libraries, this could be by adding WorldCat entity information to specific local collections to make them more discoverable, while larger institutions might move more quickly to begin actively cataloging with linked data models like BIBFRAME.</p> <p>When we enhanced WorldCat with linked data from WorldCat Entities, we transformed existing catalogs into dynamic, interconnected resources even for libraries that are still primarily or exclusively MARC-based. WorldCat Entities joins other existing connected services based on OCLC WorldCat, such as improved visibility and discoverability of library collections.</p> <p>WorldCat is the definitive proof point for global library metadata cooperation that libraries world wide rely on for enhanced discovery and access. . . Leveraging it can help move library linked data adoption along more quickly and in ways that benefit all libraries.</p> <p>The benefits are here today for libraries who have already participated in the cooperative building and sustaining of WorldCat, and those benefits will continue to accrue.</p> <h2>An integrated strategy for cataloging, discovery, and library management</h2> <p>For OCLC, linked data is about creating rich, interconnected information networks, and broad integration of linked data into library workflows to redefine the role of libraries in the digital age.</p> <p>This process begins with the creation of metadata standards and practices that support linked data technologies. The WorldCat ontology, for example, provides key, foundational definitions of how linked data can work with existing MARC catalogs, BIBFRAME data, and other outside data models, such as those used in museums, archives, and research management systems. It’s a strategy built around how libraries work, but with added flexibility to support connections to wider partners.</p> <p>We’re also developing a range of services and resources designed to support libraries in their transition to linked data. These include new platforms for data enrichment (WorldCat Entities), services for data linking (OCLC Meridian), and ways to allow libraries to manage and share their linked data more effectively (integration with Record Manager and other metadata management services).</p> <h2>The long-term role of MARC</h2> <p>While embracing the future of linked data, OCLC acknowledges the ongoing importance of MARC and other fixed data formats. We’re committed to ensuring our linked data initiatives complement and enhance MARC-based systems, allowing for a hybrid approach that respects the rich legacy of library data while paving the way for future innovations. This balanced approach helps libraries transition at their own pace, preserving the value of their existing data while gradually integrating new linked data techniques.</p> <p>Transitioning to linked data does not require a one-size-fits-all solution. OCLC supports a spectrum of engagement levels, enabling libraries to participate in ways that best suit their individual circumstances—from small-scale activities that introduce basic linked data concepts to more comprehensive programming integrations. Providing flexibility with how libraries experiment with and learn about linked data without the pressure of complete system overhauls, facilitates a smoother and more manageable adoption process.</p> <p>Our strategy can help libraries see immediate benefits from small initial steps. These then build confidence and encourage further exploration and adoption. This approach reduces the risk associated with new technology adoption, making it more feasible for libraries with limited resources to begin integrating linked data into their operations.</p> <p>We encourage libraries to consider linked data as a means to enhance their service offerings, improve user satisfaction, and increase operational efficiencies, rather than as an end in itself. By thinking strategically about linked data, libraries can integrate these technologies in ways that are helpful, achievable, and economically viable.</p> <h2>Moving forward together</h2> <p>Our commitment to linked data is driven by a desire to make library services more interconnected, accessible, and useful to library users worldwide while improving efficiency for library staff.</p> <p>What’s important to remember is that moving to linked data is more than a technological upgrade. It’s a fundamental shift towards a more discoverable, collaborative and dynamic knowledge ecosystem, where libraries are valued contributors. By participating in this change, libraries not only enhance their own operations but also contribute to the broader goal of creating a more informed and connected world.</p> <p>With linked data, library catalogs are no longer simply databases filled with records—they become hubs in a living web of knowledge.</p> <hr /> <p><em>This post is the third in a series of three about library linked data.</em></p> <ol> <li>“<a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/intro-to-library-linked-data/">An introduction to library linked data</a>.”</li> <li>“<a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/linked-data-libraries-online-impact/">How linked data can help libraries make more of an impact online</a>.”</li> <li>“<a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/oclc-advancing-linked-data/">OCLC’s role in advancing library linked data</a>.”</li> </ol> <p>Find more information about <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/linked-data.html">OCLC’s linked data strategy here</a> and about how <a href="https://www.oclc.org/go/en/publications/linked-data-the-future-of-library-cataloging.html">linked data is the future of library cataloging</a>.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/oclc-advancing-linked-data/">OCLC’s role in advancing library linked data</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>How linked data can help libraries make more of an impact online</title> <link>https://blog.oclc.org/next/linked-data-libraries-online-impact/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jeff Mixter]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 15:01:00 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Cataloging]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Linked data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Strategy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Discovery]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Librarianship]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Library Management]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Linked Data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Metadata]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Research]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[WorldCat]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.oclc.org/next/?p=5304</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>In a recent post, I introduced the topic of linked data for libraries and OCLC’s plans for moving forward. Today, let’s dig into the details on how linked data amplifies the knowledge in library collections and the tools we can use to make it happen. This shift toward linked data isn’t just a technology upgrade, […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/linked-data-libraries-online-impact/">How linked data can help libraries make more of an impact online</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5319" src="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/banner_next_linked_data_2.jpg" alt="Graphic banner for linked data blog post showing WorldCat Entities linked data text on a futuristic background" width="1160" height="370" srcset="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/banner_next_linked_data_2.jpg 1160w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/banner_next_linked_data_2-300x96.jpg 300w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/banner_next_linked_data_2-1024x327.jpg 1024w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/banner_next_linked_data_2-768x245.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px" /></p> <p>In a <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/intro-to-library-linked-data/">recent post</a>, I introduced the topic of linked data for libraries and OCLC’s plans for moving forward. Today, let’s dig into the details on <em>how</em> linked data amplifies the knowledge in library collections and the tools we can use to make it happen.</p> <p>This shift toward linked data isn’t just a technology upgrade, but a long-term strategy for enhancing the findability and accessibility of the important materials that libraries curate and manage. It’s a technical challenge, yes. But I also believe it’s a chance to better promote our values.</p> <p><span id="more-5304"></span></p> <h2>Easy to publish, hard to promote</h2> <p>We all know that for every piece of good, reliable information, we often have to wade through thickets of lower-quality work, dubiously sourced materials, unreliable second-hand summaries, and other bad options. We also find that excellent information from underrepresented communities can be harder to locate and access within the tangles of lower-quality, mainstream, dominant content.</p> <p>The web has done a great job of democratizing the production and publication of content. If you want to share a blog post, podcast, videos, or music? There are all kinds of free options. And if your goals are personal—sharing photos with family, keeping a journal, tracking ideas for a neighborhood group—then findability isn’t an issue.</p> <p>While it is possible to publish anything on the open web, the sheer volume of content available makes finding unique, curated content—often stored in stand-alone data silos—harder to find unless it’s provided through a platform that’s heavily advertised or very popular (in the sense of content that “goes viral”).</p> <p>These options are rarely, if ever, possible for works that libraries uniquely curate. Which is where linked data fits in.</p> <h2>Automating connections</h2> <p>When information is published as linked data, it can be found and used by automated content generation systems in many more ways.</p> <p>Linked data has been used like this for years to facilitate both discovery and economic transparency. Linked data facilitates a kind of “automated collaboration” among participating organizations. Examples include:</p> <ul> <li><strong>The Google Knowledge Graph</strong>: Snippets of information and links that appear next to search results, giving users access to commonly sought questions.</li> <li><strong>Wikidata</strong>: The shared linked data store for Wikimedia projects such as Wikipedia.</li> <li><strong>The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)</strong>: The BBC organizes its content libraries using linked data to facilitate discovery on its own platforms and the wider web.</li> <li><strong>Retail companies:</strong> Best Buy and other retailers use Schema.org linked data to enhance SEO and improve efficiency across their supply chains.</li> <li><strong>Scholarship in several areas of science:</strong> These include Linked Life Data (LLD) and Bio2RDF.</li> </ul> <p>For libraries, linked data will promote integration with major web services, academic departments and disciplines, and research initiatives. By “unlocking” information held in previously siloed applications, linked data makes it possible to both automate discovery in new situations and easily promote the best results for users.</p> <h2>OCLC and today’s library linked data environment</h2> <p>In the mid 2000s, OCLC began converting and sharing data in ways that make library materials easier to find on the web. The OCLC Research team and the Research Library Partnership (RLP) have done some of the <a href="https://www.oclc.org/research/areas/data-science/linkeddata.html">most important research</a> on library linked data and prototypes. This includes <a href="https://www.oclc.org/research/publications/2019/oclcresearch-creating-library-linked-data-with-wikibase-project-passage.html">Project Passage</a>, which tested linked data methods and processes. As part of these efforts, we’ve added linked data elements directly to WorldCat records and within other workflows.</p> <p>Earlier this year, OCLC took a major step forward, announcing that <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/worldcat/entities.html">WorldCat Entities linked data</a> can now be found within WorldCat bibliographic records. Those URIs (uniform resource identifiers) define and connect traditional MARC data fields about Works, Persons, Organizations, Places, Events, and other entities into the wider linked data environment. As a result, every library that catalogs with OCLC can benefit from new connections enabled by this more open, useful technology.</p> <p>It’s a big deal. All at once, the hundreds of millions of records that OCLC and its member libraries have created and improved for 60+ years are more available and accessible to platforms and services within and outside the educational and library fields.</p> <h2>Research and rewards</h2> <p>Shifting to linked data also presents exciting research opportunities, allowing for new forms of comparison and contexts that can inspire fresh thinking about library services and programs. OCLC continues to be at the forefront of this exploration, seeking to understand and maximize the benefits for libraries and their users, providing the needed tools and infrastructure to connect the knowledge in library collections to the larger global knowledge graph that informs our lives.</p> <p>As exciting as all of this change is, we know we’ll be working in a hybrid cataloging environment for a while. Shifting infrastructure and workflows takes time, not just for the technology implementation, but more importantly, to support the people who also have to learn and grow to effectively do next-generation knowledge work.</p> <p>Our goal is to provide a bridge that allows libraries to move at their own pace while cataloging systems and infrastructures are improved in ways that won’t require undue strain or expense. For example, the upcoming launch of Meridian means catalogers and other library metadata workers will be able to add new entity and authority information to WorldCat Entities. Those improvements will also enhance MARC records.</p> <p>Linked data is not just a new format for library metadata. It represents a fundamental and essential shift in how library data interacts with the world. It’s a commitment to make library resources more accessible, discoverable, and impactful than ever before.</p> <p>I’m excited to be on this journey together with library partners, our members, and my OCLC colleagues. And I’m excited to continue to learn and grow with the global metadata community.</p> <p>I can’t wait to see what we’ll be able to accomplish together.</p> <hr /> <p><em>This post is the second in a series of three about library linked data.</em></p> <ol> <li>“<a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/intro-to-library-linked-data/">An introduction to library linked data</a>.”</li> <li>“<a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/linked-data-libraries-online-impact/">How linked data can help libraries make more of an impact online</a>.”</li> <li>“<a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/oclc-advancing-linked-data/">OCLC’s role in advancing library linked data</a>.”</li> </ol> <p>Find more information about <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/linked-data.html">OCLC’s linked data strategy here</a> and about how <a href="https://www.oclc.org/go/en/publications/linked-data-the-future-of-library-cataloging.html">linked data is the future of library cataloging</a>.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/linked-data-libraries-online-impact/">How linked data can help libraries make more of an impact online</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Connecting with libraries, reaffirming our mission</title> <link>https://blog.oclc.org/next/connecting-with-libraries-reaffirming-our-mission/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Skip Prichard]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 12:54:45 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Librarianship]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Organizational culture]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Community Engagement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Library Management]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Membership]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Organizational Culture]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Partnerships]]></category> <category><![CDATA[WebJunction]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.oclc.org/next/?p=5310</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Earlier this month, Columbus wasn’t just the capital of Ohio, but a center of knowledge and literacy as it welcomed public library professionals to the Public Library Association 2024 Conference. Hosting this conference was a testament to Columbus’s status as a hub of technical and educational engagement, and to the important role that public library […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/connecting-with-libraries-reaffirming-our-mission/">Connecting with libraries, reaffirming our mission</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5311" src="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/connecting-with-libraries-banner.jpg" alt="" width="1160" height="370" srcset="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/connecting-with-libraries-banner.jpg 1160w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/connecting-with-libraries-banner-300x96.jpg 300w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/connecting-with-libraries-banner-1024x327.jpg 1024w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/connecting-with-libraries-banner-768x245.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px" /></p> <p>Earlier this month, Columbus wasn’t just the capital of Ohio, but a center of knowledge and literacy as it welcomed public library professionals to the <a href="https://www.placonference.org/event/016e56a2-bc16-4851-a9ce-699d90a92e7c/summary">Public Library Association 2024 Conference</a>. Hosting this conference was a testament to Columbus’s status as a hub of technical and educational engagement, and to the important role that public library professionals play in our country’s intellectual and civic lives. That focus continued with <a href="https://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek">National Library Week 2024</a>. This year’s theme, “Ready, Set, Library!” was such a great way to think about libraries—not only as places where learning, growth, and education happen, but as active, engaged partners in so many ways.</p> <p>OCLC staff were very much involved at PLA and during National Library week. So now that things have calmed down a bit, I want to take a moment to reflect on what libraries mean to me.</p> <p><span id="more-5310"></span></p> <p>In a <a href="https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2024/04/06/public-library-association-conference-pla-2024-national-library-week/73172818007/">letter to the Columbus Dispatch</a> during PLA, I celebrated the wealth of Ohio’s library resources. The Columbus Metropolitan Library is recognized among the nation’s elite and exemplifies the strength of Ohio’s library network, which comprises 251 public library locations statewide. <a href="https://olc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Did-You-Know-Fact-Sheet-2024.pdf">According to the Ohio Library Council</a>, more than 7.7 million Ohioans hold library cards and together they make close to 40 million library visits in a year. They use public library computers more than 5.7 million times per year and borrow, download, or stream library resources more than 166 million times.</p> <h2>So many ways “to library”</h2> <p>One thing that struck me as I met with colleagues at PLA and absorbed all the great stories from National Library Week is how flexible today’s library workers must be. Yes, of course, they still help people access knowledge in so many ways. But they are increasingly:</p> <ul> <li>Relied upon to evaluate the validity of information</li> <li>On the front lines of media literacy and information advocacy</li> <li>Assisting small businesses with services that drive local economic growth</li> <li>Providing social services related to substance abuse and homelessness</li> <li>Guiding immigrants through the citizenship process</li> <li>Helping students get financial aid</li> </ul> <p>And so many more things that, traditionally, many don’t even associate with libraries.</p> <p>Library workers also regularly advocate for equitable access to educational materials, while also championing privacy. That can be a tricky needle to thread, but they do it, and it makes a difference.</p> <h2>What do librarians want to learn?</h2> <p>To keep up with all these changes—and because it’s part of their DNA—library workers are always looking for ways to learn and grow. If you look at the most popular webinars provided by <a href="https://www.webjunction.org/home.html">WebJunction</a>—a free service provided by OCLC—you’ll find an incredibly wide range of topics that speaks to how widely informed today’s library workers need to be. Some of our most popular programs include:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/AI-and-libraries.html">AI and libraries</a>: Enhancing services and engaging communities</li> <li><a href="https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/low-morale-in-libraries.html">Low morale in libraries</a>: Impacts and countermeasures</li> <li><a href="https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/designing-for-diversity.html">Designing for diversity</a> in your library’s communications</li> </ul> <p>While these webinars are aimed at public library workers, many of the topics are applicable to those who work in academic, research, community college, and special libraries, too.</p> <h2>Getting libraries the attention they deserve</h2> <p>Events like National Library Week and the Public Library Association convention are great ways for those of us working in and with the profession to get fired up about our love for libraries. And here at OCLC, we enjoy these events and celebrations because they remind us that the work we do resonates far beyond our walls here in Columbus, Ohio. It gives me such energy and excitement to go back and work on projects like:</p> <ul> <li>Our <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2024/20240130-linked-data.html">linked data initiatives</a> that help put library data into more informational streams online</li> <li>Programs like our <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2023/20230621-ai-book-recs-worldcatorg.html">use of AI in WorldCat.org</a> that help library users find more resources at their nearest library</li> <li>New opportunities, like our <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2024/20240402-cloudlibrary-now-part-of-oclc.html">recent acquisition of cloudLibrary</a>, that connect us even more closely to public libraries through access to great content</li> </ul> <p>It also gives all of us at OCLC a great sense of personal pride to be able to focus on libraries every day of the year. When the conferences are over and everyone moves on, we still get to spend our days finding new ways to connect people to libraries.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/connecting-with-libraries-reaffirming-our-mission/">Connecting with libraries, reaffirming our mission</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Engage faculty and students with digital collections</title> <link>https://blog.oclc.org/next/engage-faculty-and-students-with-digital-collections/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Missy Tubbs]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 13:36:51 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Digital collections]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Workflows]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Digital Collections]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Discovery]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Library Management]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Research Collections and Support]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.oclc.org/next/?p=5290</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>There are almost as many reasons for digitizing library collections as there are collections themselves. Public libraries may do so to curate and promote unique local history or culture. Museums, of course, want to make their treasures available for study and enjoyment to people who can’t visit the physical building. And while academic libraries have […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/engage-faculty-and-students-with-digital-collections/">Engage faculty and students with digital collections</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5296" src="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/digital_collections_blog_banner.jpg" alt="" width="1160" height="370" srcset="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/digital_collections_blog_banner.jpg 1160w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/digital_collections_blog_banner-300x96.jpg 300w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/digital_collections_blog_banner-1024x327.jpg 1024w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/digital_collections_blog_banner-768x245.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px" /></p> <p>There are almost as many reasons for digitizing library collections as there are collections themselves. Public libraries may do so to curate and promote unique local history or culture. Museums, of course, want to make their treasures available for study and enjoyment to people who can’t visit the physical building. And while academic libraries have just as many, varied reasons for beginning a specific digitization project, there’s often a longer-term goal in mind: to promote study and learning around the collection.</p> <p><span id="more-5290"></span></p> <h2>Enhance coursework with unique materials</h2> <p>The American University in Cairo’s <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/member-stories/american-university-in-cairo.html">Rare Books and Special Collections Library</a> offers a prime example of how libraries can engage faculty and students through digital collections. The library, awarded the <em>UNESCO/Jikji Memory of the World Prize</em> in 2022, serves nearly 7,000 students, in part, by making rare materials easily accessible. Since the 1950s, the library has collected unique resources, and its official establishment in the 1990s marked the beginning of a significant era of cultural preservation.</p> <p>How can your faculty integrate your rare digital materials into their curriculum? Here are a few ideas to get started:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Direct learning.</strong> Provide faculty with information based on current course descriptions. Get creative about how and where materials might fit into their teaching. For example, historical materials could be used for creative writing prompts or photographs as part of art projects. Or they can inform class discussions and critical thinking skills.</li> <li><strong>Research projects</strong>. Work with faculty to encourage students to use your library’s digital collections for research projects as primary sources. This will not only improve research skills but also deepen appreciation for your institution’s distinct assets.</li> <li><strong>Virtual exhibits and presentations.</strong> Inspire the reuse of digital materials (when copyright allows) as part of student or faculty presentation projects. This can help students learn to curate content, develop narratives around specific themes, and use digital tools for academic and creative expression.</li> </ul> <p>Regardless of the activities, make sure you connect people back to your library’s wider resources, too.</p> <h2>Collaborate with partners and alumni</h2> <p>The American Library’s successful collaboration with external institutions, like the loan of original architectural drawings to New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), demonstrates the potential for digitized content to create powerful connections. By working with the library, faculty can leverage digital collections for innovative research projects, funding activities, or alumni communications. For example:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Recruiting materials.</strong> If the library’s collections are particularly interesting for a specific subject or discipline, work with your institution to incorporate their value into recruiting materials. Enhancing a text-only invitation with links to exciting digital content could improve response rates and attract more talent.</li> <li><strong>Co-branding or sponsorship opportunities.</strong> Evaluate your collection’s potential to support partnerships. Is there a particular collection that “fits” with outside companies, brands, or groups? And would a partnership improve the brand or reputation of your institution, the faculty involved, and the partner organization?</li> <li><strong>Alumni connections.</strong> At some institutions, alumni organizations struggle to find meaningful content or ways to connect after graduation. You can build events, updates, and activities around digital collections that reinforce how great the alma mater is, while also improving the reputation of your library.</li> </ul> <p>Spend some time identifying audiences and objectives with your faculty and other university departments. There may be many ways to leverage your digital content that can help your colleagues achieve their goals.</p> <h2>Promote digital diversity and inclusion</h2> <p>The American University also made its digital collections more accessible by adding Arabic language metadata. That approach not only enhances user engagement but also supports the university’s mission to act as a bridge between cultures. Consider working with faculty to identify materials and audiences that may be underserved by mainstream materials. How can your library’s digital collections “act as a bridge” between different communities? Even the act of presenting resources in class can help students develop critical information literacy skills, enabling them to navigate and interpret a more diverse range of sources.</p> <h2>Use the past to create a brighter future</h2> <p>Digital collections can play an important role in academic life, supporting your institution’s mission to educate and engage a variety of communities. By making rare and unique collections accessible, you don’t just preserve your rich heritage, but you offer resources that faculty and students can use to understand the past in ways that inform the future. When you think about your digital collections strategically—and connect to faculty and students in new ways—you can center these discussions around the value that your library brings to the table.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/engage-faculty-and-students-with-digital-collections/">Engage faculty and students with digital collections</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>An introduction to library linked data</title> <link>https://blog.oclc.org/next/intro-to-library-linked-data/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jeff Mixter]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2024 12:37:46 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Cataloging]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Linked data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Librarianship]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Library Management]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Linked Data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Metadata]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.oclc.org/next/?p=5279</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>We recently announced a comprehensive strategy to bring linked data into mainstream library cataloging workflows. It’s a long-term approach, recognizing that most libraries will move to linked data slowly and incrementally—and we’re committed to providing tools and resources to support the transition for everyone. Working closely with libraries around the world, we know that staff […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/intro-to-library-linked-data/">An introduction to library linked data</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5281" src="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/next_banner_linked_data.jpg" alt="" width="1160" height="370" srcset="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/next_banner_linked_data.jpg 1160w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/next_banner_linked_data-300x96.jpg 300w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/next_banner_linked_data-1024x327.jpg 1024w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/next_banner_linked_data-768x245.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px" /></p> <p>We <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2024/20240130-linked-data.html">recently announced</a> a comprehensive strategy to bring linked data into mainstream library cataloging workflows. It’s a long-term approach, recognizing that most libraries will move to linked data slowly and incrementally—and we’re committed to providing tools and resources to support the transition for everyone.</p> <p>Working closely with libraries around the world, we know that staff at some libraries are already educating themselves on the topic, piloting linked data services, and taking part in ongoing research. But we also know that many others have a lot of questions. In addition to technical issues, librarians are also wondering how linked data will impact and affect the work they are currently doing. To help, OCLC is rolling out linked data infrastructure and services that meet libraries where they are today and provide meaningful improvement to challenges facing libraries.</p> <h2><span id="more-5279"></span><br /> What is linked data?</h2> <p>At its simplest, linked data is about connections. It’s a way to organize and connect data on the web so it can be easily, automatically, and programmatically shared and used by various systems and services.</p> <p>For a brief, more technical introduction, jump down to the end of this post. But the super-short version is that linked data is simply lines of standardized HTML code that computers use to link different concepts by their relationships to each other.</p> <p>If you look at the “knowledge panel” in a Google result, you’ll often see information about a subject from many sources. That “info card” is populated with linked data from many other sites (including <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2022/20220413-google-search-links-directly-to-library-books.html">direct links to library resources</a>, using information from WorldCat). Other related linked data sources, including VIAF, Wikidata, and DBpedia, are already being used to connect services and create new applications.</p> <p>As more related linked data comes online, we’ll see more opportunities for additional library-focused applications. By breaking up the valuable, library-focused data locked in MARC records and publishing it using URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers), library staff will be able to provide greater context for information and build rich connections across library resources, their communities, and beyond.</p> <h2>How is linked data different? Is it better?</h2> <p>Traditional, fixed data formats—like MARC records—have two major limitations. It’s hard to get useful data from other, nonlibrary sources into library workflows and it’s hard for potential users of library information to get MARC data into their workflows.</p> <p>The first is a challenge because, as we know, there are many sources of information to help improve the discovery and use of library materials. That could be across campus—in another department or system that is more heavily used by students and researchers—or from experts around the world. The second is a lost opportunity, because library metadata is created by cataloging workers (at libraries and OCLC) who are among the most talented data specialists in the world. Many other industries and areas could benefit from the work they do.</p> <p>Linked data helps address both challenges. For example, OCLC works with organizations like Google to insert library linked data into their services. These efforts make library materials more visible in places where people search online. And there are opportunities for partners to help do the same in reverse, getting their information into systems and services where library workers and users can connect. For example, linked data makes connecting works across languages much easier, meaning that publishers can direct inquiries in one language to materials available in others.</p> <p>In both cases, it helps connect library work to the wider web, promoting libraries while improving efficiency.</p> <h2>What about MARC?</h2> <p>If we look at the history of metadata, there’s a consistent record of libraries moving to systems and services that let more people interact with it in more ways.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Closed stacks</strong> were the ultimate data filter. When users had to ask library staff to fetch resources from a closed room, there was no chance for direct interaction.</li> <li><strong>Shelf browsing</strong>, using systems like Dewey and LCC (Library of Congress Classification), allowed users to interact with metadata themselves, making their own choices. Library workers moved from the position of data gatekeepers to being guides, educators, and advocates.</li> <li><strong>Centralized databases</strong>, such as WorldCat, connected library catalogs for cooperative record creation and improvement, as well as new discovery and resource sharing options within library-based services.</li> <li><strong>Online access</strong> to library databases, in places like WorldCat.org, meant that anyone with access to a web browser could find and use library metadata online. Early OCLC partnerships also meant that library data could—with some additional work—be shared in other online resources.</li> </ul> <p>Linked data is the next step in this evolution. Until now, everything we’ve done was primarily to make library metadata more accessible to people. Now we’re putting library data out there in a way that’s more accessible to today’s online services, programs, machine learning systems, and artificial intelligence (AI) applications.</p> <p>MARC will be with us for the foreseeable future. After all, it took nearly 50 years for many libraries to fully make the transition from printed cards to online cataloging. Our plan is to continue to support MARC-based functions while actively building powerful library linked data tools and resources.</p> <h2>Why should I care about linked data today?</h2> <p>As libraries continue to focus on new ways to facilitate the creation and sharing of knowledge, and as the volume and variety of information increases, metadata and metadata expertise are more important than ever. Evolving library data into linked data frees the knowledge in library collections and connects it to the knowledge streams that inform our everyday lives—on the web, through smart devices, and using technologies like AI.</p> <p>Here are some of the reasons I think you should be excited about what’s happening with linked data today:</p> <ul> <li>It allows us to harness the collective expertise of library workers at thousands of institutions. That’s exciting both in terms of <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/worldcat/entities.html">partnerships</a> and <a href="https://www.oclc.org/research/areas/data-science/linkeddata.html">original research</a>.</li> <li>It synchronizes and enhances library data at scale. <a href="https://entities.oclc.org/worldcat/entity">WorldCat Entities</a> is a set of centralized data that establishes the context for bibliographic metadata curation. And we’re connecting it to existing systems like the DDC (Dewey Decimal Classification) and FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Technology) to integrate linked data into other library workflows.</li> <li>It helps current systems and workflows through the transition to linked data by integrating data like WorldCat Entities URIs to WorldCat.</li> <li>We’re creating new tools that will let cataloging workers add linked data to existing records. This will allow for enhanced cataloging applications, record output with identifiers, and soon, the launch of OCLC Meridian, a WorldCat Entities linked data management tool.</li> <li>We’ll also launch a bibliographic editing tool that works seamlessly between BIBFRAME and MARC data, helping to meet the needs of librarians as they transition to non-MARC formats.</li> </ul> <p>There’s a lot to be excited about. And this will be a marathon, not a sprint. But for today? Know that OCLC is working toward a linked data future that supports all libraries as they transition at their own pace and in ways that provide value without impacting current processes.</p> <p>—</p> <p><em>This is the first of three posts about linked data. Keep an eye on this space, check out <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/linked-data.html">the main page for OCLC linked data</a> strategy and news, and <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/linked-data.html#linked-data-bottom">sign up for updates</a> on this important subject.</em></p> <hr /> <h3>Technical background for linked data</h3> <p>When Tim Berners-Lee and the team at <a href="https://home.cern/">CERN</a> invented the basic protocols for the web in 1989, they proposed three basic technologies to connect people to resources:</p> <ul> <li>Unique resource identifiers (URIs) for anything that can be connected on the web; URLs (Uniform Resource Locators)—commonly known as “web page names”—are a type of URI</li> <li>The Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) code used to format documents on the web</li> <li>The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which is used to establish connections between web pages and related assets (pictures, sound, video, apps, and data)</li> </ul> <p>When you—a human user of the web—click on a link that says, for example, “<a href="https://cdm15982.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/">Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives</a>,” you have an expectation that it will take you to another page with related information. The context for that journey is based on how people use documents and links to find and access related resources.</p> <p>Later, Berners-Lee expanded this, outlining principles to link data between computers rather than people. He proposed that “conceptual things” should have a URI for an online name that returns data about that thing in a standard format, and that other related things should also be given a URI. In this way, similarly to how people use links, computer programs can move from page to page (URI to URI), using common technology to search for and utilize related information.</p> <p>The URI for a “thing” (commonly called an “entity,” which could be any object, person, date, concept, place, etc.) is just a web page that has linked data code on it. That code contains information about the subject, and also links to other entities using something called “a triple,” which is just:</p> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">[Thing 1] <has this relationship> to [Thing 2]</p> <p>So, for example:</p> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">[Octavia E. Butler] <is the author of> [Parable of the Sower]</p> <p>That information would be found in a line of code on the page for both Butler and the novel. So, when a computer program finds either page, it will be able to “know” the relationship between those two entities. And when billions of pieces of linked data are published and connected all over the web, it becomes possible to build applications that utilize previously disconnected information in unique and powerful ways.</p> <p>For example, another site might publish linked data about where famous people are born, and could have the following triple on the page for Pasadena, California, USA:</p> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">[Pasadena, California, USA] <is the birthplace of> [Octavia E. Butler]</p> <p>And a third application might be pulling data from many sites in order to display interesting travel-related information for vacation planning. Its service could pull linked data from the birthplace site, and then search for related, interesting links. So that when you use its software to plan a trip to Pasadena, it would search that linked data, which would then connect to library data, and provide library links to works by authors from that city.</p> <p>The main thing to keep in mind is that linked data is simply computer code on ordinary web pages that provides contextual information about things (“entities”). That data is then read by automated programs that put it together with linked data from other sources to create new applications and services.</p> <hr /> <p><em>This post is the first in a series of three about library linked data.</em></p> <ol> <li>“<a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/intro-to-library-linked-data/">An introduction to library linked data</a>.”</li> <li>“<a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/linked-data-libraries-online-impact/">How linked data can help libraries make more of an impact online</a>.”</li> <li>“<a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/oclc-advancing-linked-data/">OCLC’s role in advancing library linked data</a>.”</li> </ol> <p>Find more information about <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/linked-data.html">OCLC’s linked data strategy here</a> and about how <a href="https://www.oclc.org/go/en/publications/linked-data-the-future-of-library-cataloging.html">linked data is the future of library cataloging</a>.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/intro-to-library-linked-data/">An introduction to library linked data</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Lessons on building community while building the new OCLC Community Center</title> <link>https://blog.oclc.org/next/community-center-lessons/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Susan Chaney]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 08 Feb 2024 09:00:10 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Community]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Community engagement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Customer experience]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Membership]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Organizational culture]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Workflows]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Community Engagement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Customer Experience]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Organizational Culture]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Professional Development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.oclc.org/next/?p=5261</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>If you participate in the OCLC Community Center, you’ll know it’s recently had a major upgrade. We’re happy with the results and excited about the possibilities ahead. But getting to this point wasn’t easy. It’s been a long road. And like many large-scale tech projects, the takeaways go well beyond the new software. Every twist […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/community-center-lessons/">Lessons on building community while building the new OCLC Community Center</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5262" src="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/new_community_center_banner.jpg" alt="Next blog banner for post on OCLC community center update. Six icons representing features of the community center are shown. " width="1160" height="370" srcset="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/new_community_center_banner.jpg 1160w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/new_community_center_banner-300x96.jpg 300w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/new_community_center_banner-1024x327.jpg 1024w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/new_community_center_banner-768x245.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px" /></p> <p>If you participate in the <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/community-center.html">OCLC Community Center</a>, you’ll know it’s recently had a major upgrade. We’re happy with the results and excited about the possibilities ahead. But getting to this point wasn’t easy. It’s been a long road. And like many large-scale tech projects, the takeaways go well beyond the new software.</p> <p>Every twist and turn offered lessons about how to better create valuable content and meaningful connections with our users. The truth is, we learned a lot more than ever expected about building community. And we’re hoping our experience can provide insights that inspire and inform your work to connect and engage with the communities you serve.</p> <p><span id="more-5261"></span></p> <h2>Pay attention to negative and positive feedback</h2> <p>First up is the critical role of feedback. We took a deep dive into years’ worth of community ideas, comments, reviews, and member surveys as part of the update. And when you look at it all, it’s both positive and negative.</p> <p>It’s tempting to focus on negative feedback. When we put ourselves in the community’s shoes and reframed negative comments as problems to solve, we of course wanted to fix the squeaky wheels. At the same time, we made sure to balance the negative against positive responses. This helped us shine a light on the things our users already value.</p> <blockquote><p><span style="color: #000000;"><em>“The new modernized community center site has huge improvements. I can easily find what I want and really enjoy browsing different topics, and always can find new stuff. All the contents are well organized. It allows me to easily manage my subscriptions and get notifications in time.” </em></span></p> <p><span style="color: #000000;"><em>— Grace Ye, Pepperdine Unviersity</em></span></p></blockquote> <p>Really understanding what the community values is essential to make sure any changes are better, not just different. We found that creating a culture that welcomes both positive and negative feedback has helped foster open communications and a friendly, helpful tone.</p> <h2>Tie changes back to community needs</h2> <p>Our second big lesson was about responsiveness. Receiving feedback is part of the equation, but acting on it is what matters most. That involves asking clarifying questions, prioritizing improvements, and closing the loop so that the solutions proposed actually meet the identified needs.</p> <blockquote><p><em>“I appreciate that the Center has been streamlined, so that events, recordings, and ideas (enhancements) are grouped under their own menu headings. Being able to search across the entire site versus just within a product community is a big time saver.” </em></p> <p><em>— Laura Vogler, Wabash College</em></p></blockquote> <p>You can see below how some of the new features address specific requests and concerns of the community:</p> <ul> <li>More options for users to customize subscriptions and subscribe to new content. This includes ideas (formerly enhancement suggestions) and events so the community hears as soon as new content is added and updates are shared.</li> <li>Digest subscription options are available to minimize the number of notifications daily or weekly.</li> <li>New features in the ideas space allow greater community input, allowing users to show support more easily via “Kudos.”</li> <li>Discussion threads allow for refinement of ideas.</li> <li>Improved search capabilities help users filter results to specific content types based on their needs.</li> </ul> <p>Some of the reasons we moved to a new system were, of course, technical. But all decisions were made, across the board, based on what our community told us they wanted now and in the future. One of our main goals was to meet current needs and make future improvements and evolution easier.</p> <h2>Park it, don’t forget it</h2> <p>Sometimes, when a comment or idea comes in, your first thought will be that it’s impossible with the current system. That may be true. But don’t scrap the idea. Put it safely in a parking lot that you can revisit later.</p> <blockquote><p><em>“Shaping the direction of development via direct interaction with the product teams is invaluable.” </em></p> <p><em>— Tamsin Rothery, Oxford Brookes University</em></p></blockquote> <p>The OCLC Community Center has been around for almost nine years. And we keep all the comments—hundreds of thoughts that couldn’t be immediately incorporated, resolved, or fully evaluated when we received them. Conversations at conference lunches, input from virtual meetings, and feedback given in webinar polls were the foundation for improvements. When we started this project, it was the first place we looked.</p> <p>We already had so much invaluable feedback, ready and waiting to inform and enrich our planning. This “no comment left behind” mindset changed the trajectory of the project. If you don’t have a process in place to organize and store this data, we highly recommend it. And yes, it might be a month or a year until you go back to the parking lot, but changes may not have the same impact without it.</p> <h2>Gratitude must resonate with the recipient</h2> <p>The Community Center is, at its heart, a group of people—library staff and our experts—dedicated to improving our products and services, often by helping each other find solutions to new challenges. This includes critique. But that’s the point. So, when it comes to suggesting new features and reporting on issues, it’s out there for everyone to see and baked into the process of how we source ideas for improvements.</p> <blockquote><p><em>My favorite thing in the new Community Center is the option to receive notifications when others kudo or comment on my ideas.”</em></p> <p><em>— Sherri Langton, Northwestern College</em></p></blockquote> <p>And this is why we recognize top contributors in the Community Center—to thank them for their contributions, feedback, and critiques. We know this public recognition is meaningful for many. But we also know not everyone wants to be recognized this way. At a recent webinar I attended, the speaker noted, “Not all gratitude given is gratitude heard.” This resonates with our approach to recognition. When building relationships within your community, learn the ways members want to be recognized and develop multiple ways of thanking them.</p> <p>So, as we head into 2024, I’d like to especially thank the following people for their commitment. These are our community top contributors, the folks who ask and answer the tough questions, volunteer and give their time on leadership teams and present their projects, and who give us the feedback that makes the Community Center, our products, and OCLC better.</p> <ul> <li>Janelle Bitter, Raritan Valley Community College</li> <li>Richard Broekman, Tilburg University</li> <li>Alli Carroll, University of East Anglia</li> <li>Sherri Langton, Northwestern College</li> <li>Candace Lebel, The Claremont Colleges</li> <li>Alli Martel, Springfield College</li> <li>Brandon Martin, Northeastern State University</li> <li>Emily Mineart, Luther College</li> <li>Tamsin Rothery, Oxford Brookes University</li> <li>Laura Vogler, Wabash College</li> <li>Thomas Waters, Brenau University</li> <li>Grace Ye, Pepperdine Unviersity</li> </ul> <p>There are, of course, hundreds of people at our member libraries and OCLC staff who work to make the Community Center a success. And we thank them, too. This major update was so much more than a fresh coat of paint. It was a transformative experience. It reminded us of what it takes to build and grow a thriving community. If you’re part of an institution that’s an OCLC member and you haven’t joined the Community Center areas for the products and services you use, I hope you’ll do so. We want to support your success and we need your voice and experience to help other libraries.</p> <hr /> <p><em>If you have questions about the OCLC Community Center, <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/community-center.html">take a look at this overview</a>. To sign in, <a href="https://community.oclc.org/">please start here</a>.</em></p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/community-center-lessons/">Lessons on building community while building the new OCLC Community Center</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Expand horizons with diversity and inclusion</title> <link>https://blog.oclc.org/next/expand-horizons-with-diversity-and-inclusion/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Skip Prichard]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 01:00:10 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Diversity]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Organizational culture]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.oclc.org/next/?p=5248</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>I shared earlier this month that we were once again ranked first in Computerworld’s “Best Places to Work in IT.” Among midsize companies globally, we’re in the top ten for IT growth and in the top position for benefits and diversity strategy programs. By focusing on technology, staff, and diversity, we can deliver better results […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/expand-horizons-with-diversity-and-inclusion/">Expand horizons with diversity and inclusion</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5047" src="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/DEI_Journey_banner.png" alt="" width="1160" height="370" srcset="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/DEI_Journey_banner.png 1160w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/DEI_Journey_banner-300x96.png 300w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/DEI_Journey_banner-1024x327.png 1024w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/DEI_Journey_banner-768x245.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px" /></p> <p>I shared earlier this month that we were once again ranked first in Computerworld’s “<a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2023/20231127-computerworld-best-places-to-work-it.html">Best Places to Work in IT</a>.” Among midsize companies globally, we’re in the top ten for IT growth and in the top position for benefits and diversity strategy programs. By focusing on technology, staff, and diversity, we can deliver better results for OCLC member libraries.</p> <p>In <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/celebrating-excellence/">my last post</a>, I shared how our focus on technology and staff enables us to continuously innovate and more than occasionally transform how libraries work and serve their users. Now I’d like to talk a bit more about how nurturing an inclusive and diverse culture takes us even further.</p> <p><span id="more-5248"></span></p> <h2>Diversity positively impacts OCLC products</h2> <p>As we commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I want to share some of the ways we apply a diversity lens to the products and services that we develop for libraries. For example, as the steward of <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/worldcat.html">WorldCat</a>, the largest collection of library information in the world, we take its diversity role very seriously. And we know that the right technology can support libraries to be more inclusive when this vital work is done collaboratively. Some recent examples include:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Automatic updating</strong> of tens of thousands of bibliographic records to remove harmful subject matter language as changes are introduced to LCSH classifications.</li> <li><strong>The ability for individual libraries to display alternative subject headings</strong> based on local norms and community needs.</li> <li><strong>Ongoing updates to the Dewey Decimal Classification</strong> (DDC), including changes like a new organization for autism spectrum disorder (as the umbrella term), gender dysphoria, and style changes for the terms Black people and White people. The DDC benefits from a ten-member editorial committee led jointly by OCLC and the American Library Association.</li> <li><strong>Our linked data ontology</strong> has been designed to avoid harmful or discriminatory characterizations and to guide people in its appropriate use based on extensive collaboration with library community leaders.</li> <li><strong>Choreo Insights</strong>, launched in 2023, uses WorldCat data to enable libraries to identify collection issues as a starting point for remediation programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.</li> <li><strong>WorldCat.org</strong> where we continue to elevate diverse collections and increase open visibility to the world’s libraries. <em>Be sure to peruse the <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/topics/martin-luther-king-jr">curated collections honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr</a>. and his legacy.</em></li> </ul> <h2>Diversity is everyone’s job, all the time</h2> <p>Products that support library diversity efforts do not just happen. At OCLC, we have introduced a variety of tools, training, education, and other learning opportunities designed to expand the diversity of our workforce as well as support our current staff on our DEI journey. Some of these include:</p> <ul> <li><strong>A diversity referral bonus</strong> that doubles the referral bonus when someone is hired from an underrepresented group.</li> <li><strong>Training courses</strong>, including guidance for how to manage an inclusive team.</li> <li><strong>DEI topics through Workday Learning</strong> with nearly 100 related courses.</li> <li><strong>Support for membership and leadership within programs</strong> such as Dublin Leadership Academy, Leadership in Dublin, United Way Project Diversity, PRIDE Leadership programs, and the Junior League Leadership & Lattes programs.</li> </ul> <p>We also focus attention on diversity in how we hire and recruit. This includes:</p> <ul> <li><strong>A global talent acquisitions toolkit</strong> with guidance to recognize and address bias during the interview process and to identify diversity gaps within teams.</li> <li><strong>Tech bootcamp partnerships</strong> with organizations like <a href="https://www.techelevator.com/locations/coding-bootcamp-columbus-ohio/">Tech Elevator</a>, <a href="https://wecancodeit.org/">We Can Code IT</a>, <a href="https://www.colorcodedlabs.com/">Color Coded Labs</a>, and <a href="https://perscholas.org/">Per Scholas</a> that focus on nontraditional IT graduates and underrepresented groups.</li> <li><strong>A brand ambassador program</strong> that increases awareness of careers at OCLC within professional organizations such as <a href="https://www.blacktechcolumbus.com/">Black Tech Columbus</a> and <a href="https://bdpa.org/">Black Data Processing Associates</a> that serve communities currently underrepresented at OCLC.</li> <li><strong>HBCU and HSI partnerships</strong> that create awareness and exposure for openings at OCLC through, among other activities, diversity internship programs, professional roles, and alumni networks.</li> <li><strong>Technical conferences and outreach</strong> where we sponsor events to connect with top technical talent. <a href="https://stirtrek.com/">Stir Trek</a>, <a href="https://codemash.org/">CodeMash</a>, <a href="https://swe.org/">Society of Women Engineers</a>, Ohio Celebration of Women in Computing (<a href="https://ocwic.org/">OCWiC</a>), <a href="https://getwitit.org/">GetWITit</a>, and <a href="https://thewitnetwork.com/">Women in Technology</a> are some of the events OCLC sponsors to help recruit, promote, and develop female and BIPOC leaders within the technology space.</li> <li><strong>Membership in organizations</strong> such as the Columbus Women’s Commission initiative (<a href="https://www.columbus.gov/payequity/">The Columbus Commitment</a>) and <a href="https://ohiobusinesscompetes.org/">Ohio Business Competes</a>, a nonpartisan coalition of businesses committed to achieving LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination policies at the state level.</li> </ul> <p>OCLC also sponsors internships with the goal of hiring from diverse and underrepresented groups. And retention and placement for full-time roles after graduation remains very high.</p> <h2>Long-term commitment to success through diversity</h2> <p>I firmly believe that learning about, respecting, and developing diversity in the workplace isn’t just the right thing to do. It also leads to better results. Our commitment is, and should always be, to design and deliver library services that are welcoming to and worthy of the diverse communities we represent. And I believe that when we include more diverse voices, we expand not only today’s success, but the edges of even greater and more inspiring horizons.</p> <p> </p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/expand-horizons-with-diversity-and-inclusion/">Expand horizons with diversity and inclusion</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Celebrating excellence: How being the “Best Place to Work in IT” elevates library services</title> <link>https://blog.oclc.org/next/celebrating-excellence/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Skip Prichard]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 09 Jan 2024 09:00:31 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Organizational culture]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Organizational Culture]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.oclc.org/next/?p=5242</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>I’m delighted to share that OCLC has once more earned the top spot on Computerworld’s “Best Place to Work in IT” among midsize global organizations. Such distinction matters. This isn’t just an accolade for our team—it’s an affirmation of the vibrant culture, innovative spirit, and unwavering dedication we share with the library community. You may […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/celebrating-excellence/">Celebrating excellence: How being the “Best Place to Work in IT” elevates library services</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5243" src="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/217276_Next-Blog_Best-IT-Award-2024.png" alt="" width="1160" height="370" srcset="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/217276_Next-Blog_Best-IT-Award-2024.png 1160w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/217276_Next-Blog_Best-IT-Award-2024-300x96.png 300w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/217276_Next-Blog_Best-IT-Award-2024-1024x327.png 1024w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/217276_Next-Blog_Best-IT-Award-2024-768x245.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px" /></p> <p>I’m delighted to share that OCLC has once more earned the top spot on <a href="https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2023/20231127-computerworld-best-places-to-work-it.html">Computerworld’s “Best Place to Work in IT”</a> among midsize global organizations. Such distinction matters. This isn’t just an accolade for our team—it’s an affirmation of the vibrant culture, innovative spirit, and unwavering dedication we share with the library community.</p> <p>You may be pondering, “What does this mean for me?” Let’s unpack the myriad ways this workplace recognition directly enriches your library’s experience.</p> <p><span id="more-5242"></span></p> <h2>Our success drives yours</h2> <p>For a member-focused organization like OCLC, we very much understand the connection between our workplace and yours. It’s important that our top-rate technologists understand how their work impacts the work you do. Let’s take inventory of why our culture matters to libraries:</p> <ol> <li><strong>A hotbed for talent.</strong> We’ve become a magnet for the brightest in IT, attracting diverse individuals who are not just tech-savvy, but who are passionate about driving change in library services through advanced technology. Our talent fuels the many services we provide that power your library.</li> <li><strong>Institutional wisdom.</strong> Our stability means we’ve held onto our experts, those who understand the nuanced, very complex workflows and library data needs of libraries and can weave this knowledge seamlessly into technological innovation.</li> <li><strong>Deep connections.</strong> Our years of collaboration with libraries have resulted in invaluable breakthroughs that have transformed how libraries work. We grow and evolve through shared trials, feedback, and research, cementing trust and understanding. This includes not just the libraries and library groups we work with, but technology partners, content providers and publishers, and partners within governing bodies and standards organizations.</li> <li><strong>A commitment to cutting-edge skills.</strong> We’re devoted to continuous learning, keeping our team at the leading edge of IT developments, ensuring that your library benefits from the latest advancements in technology. This includes a variety of on-the-job training, upskilling, and educational opportunities.</li> <li><strong>Pioneering library tech innovation.</strong> Our talented professionals aren’t just keeping up—they’re looking forward, anticipating the future of library technology. From IT to research to our product teams, there’s a relentless pursuit to not just respond to trends but create them across areas ranging from data visualization to AI. We’re crafting future-ready library technology that addresses the needs of tomorrow’s library users today.</li> <li><strong>Stability.</strong> This is crucial in a tech partner. This stability gives you the assurance that we’re here for the long haul, providing reliable and consistent service you can count on not only this year but for many years to come. It means we can see long-term changes coming down the pike and pivot to meet them while minimizing risk and interference for libraries.</li> <li><strong>Values.</strong> We share your values—which also helped OCLC earn the #1 ranking in diversity strategies. From our diversity to our commitment to collaboration, we know that many of our staff want to work somewhere that has a mission beyond profit—and the success of libraries provides us all with that sense of purpose.</li> </ol> <p>Our ability to drive library success ensures the sustainability and continued evolution of vital infrastructure, including WorldCat and the services it supports.</p> <h2>The proof is in the performance</h2> <p>In FY23, we celebrated a wide range of accomplishments, all of which owe their success to being an extraordinary place to work. For example:</p> <ul> <li>We grew WorldCat and continued to improve its record quality. OCLC staff and processes merged and enriched 63.2 million bibliographic records, and our member libraries improved 16.4 million more. We also worked with 300+ library staff to enhance the machine-learning models that allow us to improve metadata quality management at a scale that humans alone can’t match. This is a key factor in our success, as the scope and quality of WorldCat data are what drive so much of the utility of our connected library technologies.</li> <li>We introduced Choreo Insights, a service that enables libraries to better analyze and address collection diversity issues. Dr. Liladhar R. Pendse, Librarian for East European and Latin American Studies, and a DEI collection thought leader, participated in its testing and development and strongly recommends it as an essential tool for building complementary and interdependent DEI collections.</li> <li>We continue to add linked data entities and entity types to continue our move toward the future of library metadata. In addition, we developed the capability to ingest BIBFRAME 2.x-formatted data and convert it to MARC for inclusion in WorldCat. This ecosystem will facilitate data creation, editing, and curation; management of authoritative data; and integration of data across disparate workflows.</li> </ul> <p>Our recognition from Computerworld is more than an honor—it’s a sign of our commitment to you, our member libraries. It signifies our resolve to provide you with innovative solutions, nurtured by the best talent and driven by foresight and a deep understanding of the library sector.</p> <p>Here’s to the future we’re building together—filled with promise, innovation, and the unwavering dedication to excel in serving libraries around the globe.</p> <p> </p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/celebrating-excellence/">Celebrating excellence: How being the “Best Place to Work in IT” elevates library services</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Benefits of prioritizing proactivity</title> <link>https://blog.oclc.org/next/prioritize-proactivity/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kendra Morgan]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 13 Nov 2023 14:45:18 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Change management]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Learning]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Librarianship]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Change Management]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Organizational Culture]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Professional Development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Strategy]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blog.oclc.org/next/?p=5229</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The difference between being proactive and reactive has been swirling for me recently. It can feel empowering to be able to get ahead of something instead of having to respond in the moment. By prioritizing proactive measures—including training—we can create a more stable and sustainable future for our organizations and the communities we serve. And […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/prioritize-proactivity/">Benefits of prioritizing proactivity</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5230" src="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/wj_proactive_planning_banner.jpg" alt="banner for OCLC Next blog post on prioritizing proactivity, duotone images of check-lists" width="1160" height="370" srcset="https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/wj_proactive_planning_banner.jpg 1160w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/wj_proactive_planning_banner-300x96.jpg 300w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/wj_proactive_planning_banner-1024x327.jpg 1024w, https://blog.oclc.org/next/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/wj_proactive_planning_banner-768x245.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px" /></p> <p>The difference between being proactive and reactive has been swirling for me recently. It can feel empowering to be able to get ahead of something instead of having to respond in the moment. By prioritizing proactive measures—including training—we can create a more stable and sustainable future for our organizations and the communities we serve. And hopefully, minimize stress for ourselves, our staff, and our stakeholders.</p> <p>Helping library workers do just that was part of the motivation for our recent update to the <a href="https://www.oclc.org/realm/home.html">REALM project</a>, an effort funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and led by OCLC.</p> <p><span id="more-5229"></span></p> <h2>Proactive measures for crisis management</h2> <p>Although the original research for REALM was designed to help cultural heritage institutions respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lessons and findings extend beyond a public health crisis. In fact, one of the research activity outcomes has been to identify training opportunities that meet common needs across libraries, archives, and museums.</p> <p>These organizations often share common goals and face similar challenges in managing and providing access to collections, adapting programming and services to meet changing user needs, supporting the development of customer service and communication skills among staff, and responding to crises such as disasters or public health emergencies.</p> <p>Conversations from a <a href="https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/realm/documents/REALM-Forum1-Summary.pdf">forum on crisis management</a> held in January 2022 helped inform two new on-demand courses that look at the components of crisis communications.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://learn.webjunction.org/course/view.php?id=688"><strong>Introduction to Crisis Communications for Libraries, Archives, and Museums</strong></a>. This course focuses on the fundamentals of crisis communications, helping participants understand and define the different types of crises. With real-life examples and expert insights, this course helps evaluate your organization’s crisis preparedness.</li> <li><a href="https://learn.webjunction.org/course/view.php?id=689"><strong>Crisis Communications Planning for Libraries, Archives, and Museums</strong></a>. When a crisis strikes, clear communication and strong leadership are key. From identifying stakeholders to building a dedicated crisis communications team, this course provides practical strategies to handle any situation. A customizable template empowers you to craft a crisis communications plan that suits your organization’s unique needs.</li> </ul> <p>The content and exercises in these courses support proactive steps to be prepared for future crises. Each course takes approximately one hour to complete and provides you with practical tools, knowledge, and resources to strengthen your communication processes.</p> <h2>Managing staff burnout and de-escalating conflict</h2> <p>Two other prevalent concerns during the pandemic were staff burnout and the ability to de-escalate conflict. Taking time to explore these themes and develop skills can help staff navigate immediately challenging situations and long-term concerns. And, building the skills before it’s a critical need can help promote both mental health and safety.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://learn.webjunction.org/course/view.php?id=690"><strong>From Burnout to Balance</strong></a>. This course provides insight to identify burnout causes, manage stress, and boost emotional resilience. There’s something for everyone here, but managers at libraries, archives, or museums can develop and enhance skills to promote teamwork, communication, and mutual support in the workplace.</li> <li><a href="https://learn.webjunction.org/course/view.php?id=691"><strong>De-escalation Strategies for Libraries, Archives, and Museum Staff</strong></a>. De-escalation skills can help when conflict occurs between staff and those who are using the facilities, attending programs, or visiting our spaces, as well as between staff members. Learn how to intervene in conflict effectively, enforce policies proactively, and promote an environment where everyone feels secure and valued.</li> </ul> <p>In each of the four new courses, there’s a group activities guide that can be used to lead a cohort of learners through each course together. The guides also include questions designed to help with discussions about the content and extend the learning beyond the course.</p> <h2>A step forward to be more prepared</h2> <p>The topics covered in these new courses are challenging, but it’s also increasingly important for staff to be able to address them. For 20 years, OCLC WebJunction has helped library staff build the skills they need to serve their communities, from offering storytimes, to shelving books, to marketing the library. Our Course Catalog is filled with courses that include pragmatic ideas and examples that can be replicated, modified, and customized.</p> <p>The pace of our professional and personal lives can take a toll. And carving out time for training often feels like a luxury in the face of competing priorities. But what’s clear is that it’s critically important to apply the lessons we’ve learned to help ourselves and our organizations more effectively deal with change, reduce stress, and manage uncertainty. These are proactive steps that help us prepare for the next crisis, support the sustainability of our institutions, and build resilience in the workplace.</p> <hr /> <p>To learn more about this and other WebJunction on-demand courses, visit the <a href="https://learn.webjunction.org/">Course Catalog</a>.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next/prioritize-proactivity/">Benefits of prioritizing proactivity</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blog.oclc.org/next">OCLC Next</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> </channel> </rss>