DUBLIN, Ohio, 9 May 2019—Orange County Library System, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, has signed on to implement OCLC Wise, the first community engagement system for U.S. public libraries.
Orange County Library System (OCLS) joins a growing list of leading public libraries that have partnered as early adopters for Wise. This holistic system takes community engagement and collection management to a new level by combining the power of customer relationship management, marketing, and analytics with integrated library system (ILS) functionality, such as circulation and acquisitions. Wise is different; it's designed around people, not the collection. It supports libraries' continued shift into dynamic centers of activity and expands the impact libraries have on their communities.
"OCLS continues to expand the role of the library in the community," said Skip Prichard, OCLC President and CEO. "Whether it's through the Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center for Technology, or through brilliant programs for life-long learning, OCLS is a leader in the community and a leader in the library profession. We are fortunate to be working with OCLS staff who bring passion, vision and significant experience to our Wise early adopter group."
"The Orange County Library System is proud to partner with OCLC to bring an exciting new user experience to our customers," said OCLS Library Director/CEO Mary Anne Hodel. "It's part of our mission to make the customer our hero, and we believe that Wise helps us fulfill that mandate by providing us with tools to help us better determine what our customers want, develop a collection that meets our community's needs, and to more effectively communicate with the people who use our services."
OCLS is a source of pride and inspiration in its community, providing a variety of diverse experiences and innovative services for customers. An example is the library's Materials Access from Your Library (MAYL) program, which provides free home delivery of book requests.
"What's happening at OCLS is incredibly important—they are pushing the boundaries to find new and interesting ways to support their community. We look forward to working with OCLS to help us expand that support through OCLC Wise," said Mary Sauer-Games, OCLC Vice President, Global Product management.
OCLC is actively recruiting early adopter partnerships for Wise. This special group of libraries will work closely and collaborate with OCLC's product team to evaluate ongoing development opportunities and to shape future library innovation.
Wise is the first community engagement system for U.S. public libraries. The system is currently used by more than 75 percent of public libraries in the Netherlands and has been tailored to address the specific needs of U.S. public libraries. OCLC will work with early adopters, other public libraries, and the library community at large to help inform Wise development efforts.
Learn more about Wise at oc.lc/wise.
About the Orange County Library System
The Orange County Library System is an innovative public library system that operates 16 locations in Orange County, Florida. Its mission is to provide customers with opportunities to learn, explore and become the best that they can be by creating a learning environment that fosters personal growth and development. In addition to giving the public access to collections, educational events and technology, OCLS offers state-of-the-art resources such as the Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center, which provides training in audio and video production, photography, graphic design, game design and more. For more information about the Orange County Library system, visit ocls.info. Follow OCLS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About OCLC
OCLC is a nonprofit global library cooperative providing shared technology services, original research and community programs so that libraries can better fuel learning, research and innovation. Through OCLC, member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the most comprehensive global network of data about library collections and services. Libraries gain efficiencies through OCLC's WorldShare, a complete set of library management applications and services built on an open, cloud-based platform. It is through collaboration and sharing of the world's collected knowledge that libraries can help people find answers they need to solve problems. Together as OCLC, member libraries, staff and partners make breakthroughs possible.