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Breeding, Marshall. OCLC Attracts Another ARL Member. February 2019. Smart Libraries Newsletter. OCLC has also announced that McGill University Library in Canada has opted to replace its Aleph integrated library system from Ex Libris with WorldShare Management Services. This library implemented WorldCat Local as its discovery interface in 2009. McGill becomes the fourth member of the Association of Research Libraries to select WorldShare Management Services; the University of Delaware, University of New Mexico and the University of Louisville had previously selected the product.

Breeding, Marshall. A Progress Report on Library Services Platforms. August 2016. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Although each of the products offers its distinct approach to functionality and technology infrastructure, there are a set of products that have diverged significantly from the well-established category of ILSs. Many of these characteristics arise out of the current technology paradigm centered on services deployed entirely through the Web, oriented to collaboration and social interactions, and powered by massive data stores.

Breeding, Marshall. Shared Infrastructure Projects Gain Momentum. September 2015. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Recent months have seen a number of announcements of large consortia or library systems that have chosen to implement library services platforms in a shared configuration. Ex Libris Alma has emerged as the leading product in this sector, with Innovative's Sierra, OCLC WorldShare Management Services and ProQuest Intota also represented.

Breeding, Marshall. Beyond the ILS: A New Generation of Library Services Platforms. 2013. Robots in Academic Libraries: Advancements in Library Automation. This chapter focuses on the changes in integrated library systems (ILS) over the past thirty years as the focus shifts from collecting physical items to electronic and digital materials. The relationship between the ILS and new specialized applications, including link resolvers, knowledge bases of e-content, electronic resource management systems, digital asset management systems, discovery services, and institutional repository platforms is discussed and placed in context. In addition to looking at workflows with these new systems, a general discussion of how academic libraries are likely to engage with these new systems, the time frames in which we can expect availability and widespread adoption, and any cautions or concerns to have in mind when selecting or implementing these systems.

Breeding, Marshall. OCLC Launches the WorldShare Brand and Wins an ARL Member. March 2012. Smart Libraries Newsletter. OCLC announced WorldShare License Manager based on the OCLC WorldShare Platform to offer a complete set of services to help libraries manage their subscriptions to electronic resources. This product makes use of the OCLC WorldCat knowledge base, which holds data describing the universe of specific holdings that can be accessed via the electronic resource packages available to libraries. Functionality offered by the WorldShare License Manager includes selection, acquisition, and management of electronic resources as well as link resolution. The application manages related to vendors, subscription details, license terms, and access restrictions.

Breeding, Marshall. OCLC WorldShare Platform: OCLC Brands and Strengthens its Webscale Strategy. December 5, 2011. Information Today. OCLC has been promoting its Web-scale Management Services as an alternative to traditional library management systems and it has created a new technology platform to support both its own automation services as well as those created by library developers. Significant activity has been churning around these activities, with the initial version of the library automation services complete and 32 libraries now using it as their production platform. OCLC has now launched a new brand around these efforts: OCLC WorldShare.

Breeding, Marshall. OCLC Web-scale Management Services enters Adoption Cycle. October 2010. Smart Libraries Newsletter. The emergence of a new library management platform from OCLC represents a potential change of major proportions in the library automation industry. Given the size and reach of OCLC, its new entry into the field marks a major event. In recent weeks, this system has shifted from concept to practice as it begins to find production use. Beginning July 1, the WMS became available to libraries willing to be early adopters. Lupton Library of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is on track to become the first library to implement OCLC’s new Web-scale Management Services as its production automation system.

Breeding, Marshall. OCLC Reveals its Strategy for Library Automation. June 2009. Smart Libraries Newsletter. In a move that has stirred some controversy in the library automation industry, OCLC has announced that it will extend WorldCat Local, initially positioned primarily as a discovery tool, to provide a complete suite of services for the automation of libraries. Work is now underway to create services associated with WorldCat Local that perform circulation, resource fulfillment, acquisitions, and license management. Taken together, these services will obviate the need for a library to operate its own integrated library system.

Breeding, Marshall. OCLC Enters Fray with New Library System. 5/15/2009. Library Journal Online. In a bold move that could reshape the library automation landscape, OCLC has expanded WorldCat Local’s existing cataloging and discovery tools with new circulation, delivery, and acquisitions features. This new project, which OCLC calls “the first web-scale, cooperative library management service,” will ultimately bring into WorldCat Local the full complement of functions traditionally performed by a locally installed integrated library system (ILS) and, OCLC says, at a lower cost.

Breeding, Marshall. In Challenge to ILS Industry, OCLC Extends WorldCat Local To Launch New Library System. April 23, 2009. Library Journal Online. In a bold move that could reshape the library automation landscape, OCLC has expanded WorldCat Local’s existing cataloging and discovery tools with new circulation, delivery, and acquisitions features. This new project, which OCLC calls "the first Web-scale, cooperative library management service," will ultimately bring into WorldCat Local the full complement of functions traditionally performed by a locally installed integrated library system (ILS). OCLC’s vision involves shifting increasing portions of activity managed library-by-library through locally or consortially implemented automation systems to the network level, subsumed under the global WorldCat infrastructure.

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University of Medellín to move to OCLC's WorldShare Management Services
July 17, 2026 - The University of Medellín, a private university in Medellín, Colombia, has selected OCLC's WorldShare Management Services as its new library services platform to take full advantage of efficiencies in cataloging, discovery, and resource sharing.

La Universidad de Medellín pasará a los Servicios de Administración WorldShare de OCLC
July 17, 2026 - La Universidad de Medellín, universidad privada en Medellín, Colombia, ha seleccionado los Servicios de Administración WorldShare de OCLC como su nueva plataforma de servicios bibliotecarios para aprovechar al máximo las eficiencias en catalogación, descubrimiento y compartir recursos.

48 new libraries join OCLC's WorldShare Management Services community
June 25, 2026 - OCLC's WorldShare Management Services, the first cloud-based library services platform and the only one built with WorldCat as its foundation, has added 48 libraries to its expanding community over the last 12 months. WMS makes it possible for libraries to gain significant efficiencies, improve user experience, increase the visibility of their collections, and collaborate with other leading institutions worldwide through OCLC's global network.

Heidelberg University Library has successfully implemented OCLC's WorldShare Management Services
June 23, 2026 - Heidelberg University Library and OCLC have successfully transitioned WorldShare Management Services into live operation. With a total of 35 institutes and department libraries, Heidelberg University's library system is one of the largest academic library systems in Germany and provides literature and information services to approximately 30,000 students and 6,500 researchers. With the go-live of the cloud-based library services platform, the library has reached an important milestone in the modernization of its library infrastructure.

Complutense University of Madrid extends partnership with OCLC
March 6, 2026 - OCLC and the Complutense University of Madrid have extended their collaboration with a new five year agreement for WorldShare Management Services. The renewal extends a partnership of more than ten years and reinforces the university's commitment to OCLC's integrated cloud based library services platform. The renewal also includes continued use of Tipasa, the interlibrary loan management system that automates workflows and reduces processing time while improving delivery speed.

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