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Breeding, Marshall. OCLC advances library discoverability through Google Search. May 2022. Library Technology Newsletter. OCLC has recently expanded its efforts to enable discovery of library collection items through Google search. The organization has joined those partnering with Google, providing feeds and other data needed to enable individuals to borrow items from their local library through the knowledge panels displayed in search results for books. By expanding its partnership program with Google, OCLC now provides a new and more powerful way to facilitate the exposure for library collections on the web. This mechanism enables links directly to the item in the library's catalog from the initial page of a Google search. This capability is facilitated by structured data from WorldCat delivered to Google and the linking data in the WorldCat Registry.

Breeding, Marshall. OCLC Acquires Capira Technologies, Strengthening its Mobile Offerings. October 2020. Smart Libraries Newsletter. OCLC has acquired Capira Technologies, a small firm specializing in mobile apps for libraries. In a deal concluded on July 1, 2020, OCLC assumes responsibility for the company, including the development and support of its existing mobile apps. The four employees of Capira Technology also joined OCLC, including company founder Michael Berse.

Breeding, Marshall. Smarter Libraries Through Technology: 50 Years of Technology at OCLC. August 2017. Smart Libraries Newsletter. July 2017 marks fifty years since OCLC was founded as a pioneering organization to provide a new model of collaborative cataloging. OCLC has been a mainstay in the realm of cooperative services and in library technology. The history of OCLC has played out in terms of creating new services, expanding its reach through partnerships and acquisitions of other organizations, and evolving its products through new generations of technology. A detailed history of OCLC would consume volumes. In this issue of Smart Libraries Newsletter, we review some of the high points of the organization's evolution, focusing mostly on the technology trends behind its products and services.

Breeding, Marshall. OCLC Acquires the Dutch ILS Provider HKA. November 2013. Smart Libraries Newsletter. OCLC has acquired Huijsmans en Kuijpers Automatisering BV (HKA), a vendor of library automation systems in the Netherlands. This acquisition further expands OCLC's already extensive involvement with cataloging and discovery services in the Netherlands. It also brings another for-profit ILS company into its organizational structure and brings a new set of products into its portfolio of technologies.

Huijsmans en Kuijpers Automatisering Background.

Breeding, Marshall. Innovative Interfaces Absorbs SkyRiver and Withdraws Lawsuit Against OCLC. April 2013. Smart Libraries Newsletter. In a major shift in strategy reflecting a more collaborative style of its new ownership and management, Innovative interfaces has withdrawn the lawsuit it filed against OCLC in July 2010. SkyRiver Technologies, the sister company and lead plaintiff of the suit, has been absorbed into Innovative Interfaces, which will integrate the SkyRiver cataloging service into its product offerings.

OCLC. OCLC Launches WorldShare Metadata Collection Management. November 1, 2012. . OCLC continues the expansion of new applications available on its new strategic WorldShare Platform with the release of WorldShare Metadata. WorldShare Metadata collection management joins other major applications that OCLC has developed on its new WorldShare Platform, including WorldShare Management Services, which offers functionality to displace a locally-installed integrated library system, and WorldShare License Manager, which provides tools for managing a library's subscriptions to electronic resources.

Breeding, Marshall. BIBSYS and OCLC Withdraw from Partnership. October 2012. Smart Libraries Newsletter. In previous issues of Smart Libraries Newsletter, we reported on the partnership for the BIBSYS consortium, comprising more than 100 research and special libraries in Norway to implement OCLC's WorldShare Management Services (WMS). The BIBSYS project has been presented by OCLC as an example of a large-scale project based on WMS that uses it as a foundation to support applications and services created by libraries and other third parties, as is the vision for the WorldShare Platform. OCLC and BIBSYS have recently announced that the project has been discontinued.

Breeding, Marshall. OCLC Expands Opportunities for Sharing WorldCat Metadata. October 2012. Smart Libraries Newsletter. OCLC and Europeana have recently reached an agreement that would allow member libraries to contribute data to the Europeana.eu portal and remain within the WorldCat Rights and Responsibilities guidelines. Under this agreement, OCLC member libraries can contribute metadata derived from WorldCat using the Creative Commons Zero public domain license. Europeana and OCLC would then request that subsequent users of that contributed metadata give attribution to OCLC and the contributing institution.

Breeding, Marshall. Smarter Libraries through Technology: The OCLC Non-Event. July 2012. Smart Libraries Newsletter. The topic sparking the most buzz in library tech circles at ALA's Annual Conference was the unfortunate turn of events surrounding OCLC leadership. OCLC had named Jack Blount as its new President and Chief Executive Officer on June 8, 2012 and then rescinded the appointment with a subsequent and surprising announcement. A letter from Larry Alford, chair of the OCLC Board of Trustees, to the organization's membership dated June 20, 2012, gave the first public statement of this dramatic change of course. Jay Jordan will continue at the helm. The expected duration of Jordan's extended tenure as President and CEO of OCLC was not immediately announced as the organization defines a new executive selection process.

Breeding, Marshall. OCLC Navigates the Realm of Open Linked Data. June 2012. Smart Libraries Newsletter. OCLC's stance on linked data and open data has become a key topic of interest for libraries. OCLC has been involved with the Semantic Web and linked data as research projects for several years. It has released open data licenses for some of its ancillary products. Where the massive WorldCat database, OCLC's prime strategic asset, fits into plans for open data remains a pressing concern for librarians. Through a series of actions, OCLC has demonstrated a progressively more open approach to the information assets under its stewardship.

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.

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March 6, 2026. Complutense University of Madrid extends partnership with OCLC. 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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February 6, 2026. OCLC introduces Italian Discovery Catalog to expand access to rich history, culture. OCLC is introducing the Italian Discovery Catalog, a comprehensive bibliographic catalog of Italian library collections rich with history and culture. This new catalog offers access to Italian-language resources and materials across participating libraries, all within a unified, user-friendly discovery experience. The Italian Discovery Catalog currently provides more than 16 million records representing 31 million items held by Italian libraries, and it continues to grow. The catalog features filtering options to quickly locate all types of electronic resources, including open access content, as well as print works.

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January 29, 2026. OCLC's award-winning CloudLibrary now offers streaming video in Australia and New Zealand. OCLC announced that its CloudLibrary streaming video service is now available to public libraries in Australia and New Zealand. This new functionality offers unlimited access to an ad-free video streaming service featuring thousands of films and TV episodes with no holds or waits. Viewers can enjoy a high-quality streaming experience across all devices, with a thoughtfully curated collection selected specifically for library audiences.

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January 28, 2026. OCLC and CONUL libraries partner to showcase Ireland's rich cultural heritage. The Consortium of National and University Libraries has selected OCLC to deliver a unified view of the holdings of participating CONUL libraries, following a competitive procurement process. This new shared catalogue, to be built on the WorldShare platform with WorldCat as its foundation, will increase the visibility and discoverability of collections held in CONUL institutions, nationally and internationally.

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December 15, 2025. OCLC launches Colombia Discovery Catalog for single-search access to nation's library resources. OCLC has introduced the Colombia Discovery Catalog, a group catalog that improves libraries' visibility within Colombia by providing a unified view of collections across libraries, and facilitates the sharing of these library resources among Colombian institutions. More than 40 public, academic, and corporate libraries throughout Colombia have contributed millions of records of their collections to WorldCat—the world's most comprehensive global network of data about library collections and services. The Colombia Discovery Catalog is built on the WorldCat Discovery platform developed by OCLC that makes it possible for people to easily find and get resources available in libraries worldwide through a single search.

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December 9, 2025. OCLC introduces new AI tools to make cataloging faster and smarter. OCLC has added powerful new AI features to its WorldShare Record Manager and Connexion cataloging applications. These updates help catalogers by automatically suggesting classification numbers and subject headings, saving time and improving accuracy. Catalogers can now see AI-generated suggestions for Dewey Decimal Classification numbers, Library of Congress Classification numbers, and Library of Congress Subject Headings as they create or edit records. The system draws on WorldCat data—built from hundreds of millions of library records—to make these intelligent recommendations.

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November 4, 2025. Taipei National University of the Arts signs on to WorldShare Management Services to create efficiencies and support future growth. Taipei National University of the Arts has selected WorldShare Management Services as its new library services platform to streamline library operations, enhance cataloging efficiency, and prepare for future growth.

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October 17, 2025. University of Chichester signs on to OCLC's WorldShare Management Services to enhance student and staff library experience. OCLC announced that the University of Chichester has selected OCLC's WorldShare Management Services (WMS) as its library services platform. The comprehensive cloud-based platform will help the university streamline library operations and provide enhanced access to global research resources for students and faculty.

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September 29, 2025. OCLC Leaders Council elects Keith Webster to Board of Trustees. The OCLC Leaders Council has elected Keith Webster, Helen and Henry Posner, Jr. Dean of the University Libraries at Carnegie Mellon University, to the OCLC Board of Trustees. Webster was appointed Dean of University Libraries at Carnegie Mellon in July 2013 and two years later to the additional role of Director of Emerging and Integrative Media Initiatives. In 2021, his deanship was endowed by the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh, making him the inaugural Helen and Henry Posner, Jr. Dean.

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September 15, 2025. El Paso Community College Library is using OCLC's WorldShare Management Services to break down barriers to learning. El Paso Community College is now using OCLC's WorldShare Management Services as its library services platform to improve efficiencies, modernize resource management, and support students and faculty in today's digital world.

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View All OCLC News Announcements

Jul 01, 2020 Capira Technologies becomes part of OCLC
Capira Technologies is now part of OCLC starting July 1, 2020.

May 31, 2019 Springshare acquires QuestionPoint from OCLC
OCLC has divested its QuestionPoint online reference service, selling the product to Springshare, a commercial company offering a variety of products, mostly focusing on public-facing library services delivered through a software-as-a-service platform. This product, officially branded as the Question- Point 24/7 Reference Cooperative, has been offered to libraries as a subscription service since 2002.

Jan 13, 2015 OCLC acquires Sustainable Collection Services
OCLC has acquired Sustainable Collection Services, the industry leader in helping libraries manage their print collections. OCLC maintains WorldCat, the largest aggregation of library data in the world, as well as the world's largest library resource sharing network. SCS is the leader in analyzing print collection data to help libraries manage and share their materials. SCS services leverage WorldCat data and analytics to show individual libraries and library consortia which titles should be kept locally, which can be discarded, and which are the best candidates for shared collections. All four SCS staff members will join OCLC as employees including its former executive director Rick Lugg.

Oct 01, 2013 OCLC acquires Huijsmans en Kuijpers Automatisering for $10,311,000
OCLC has acquired the shares of Huijsmans en Kuijpers Automatisering (HKA), a Dutch organization that develops, implements and manages systems for libraries, educational and cultural organizations. The addition of HKA, which offers the Wise line of library systems and services, enhances and extends OCLC services for libraries in the Netherlands. OCLC currently manages the infrastructure for interlibrary loan for many Dutch libraries and offers cataloging services through the GGC, the Dutch shared cataloging system, and the WorldCat global shared cataloging system. OCLC and HKA staff will now work together to accelerate the development and delivery of innovative services for libraries.

Dec 2012 Capira Technologies founded by Ted Gutmann, Robert Johnson, and Michael Berse
Capira Technologies founded by Michael Berse

Apr 18, 2011 OCLC acquires the assets of German library system provider, BOND GmbH for $5,915,400
OCLC acquires the assets of German library system provider, BOND GmbH and Co. KG. BOND, based in Böhl-Iggelheim, near Mannheim, is a leading integrated system provider for public libraries in German speaking countries. From the 2011 OCLC Annual Report: Effective April 15, 2011, OCLC EMEA B.V. acquired certain assets and related liabilities of B.O.N.D. GmbH & Co.KG (BOND), a German software development organization specializing in library management systems for 4,100,000 Euros ($5,915,400). The agreement allows for additional consideration of up to a maximum of 1,500,000 Euros that may be paid if BOND achieves predefined revenue targets during fiscal year 2012. The fair value of the contingency is deemed to be zero at June 30, 2011. The purchase was accounted for by the acquisition method of accounting. Assets acquired, primarily software of 4,823,600 Euros ($6,959,500) and liabilities assumed, primarily contract performance liabilities of 723,600 Euros ($1,044,100) were based on their fair values at the date of acquisition. BOND’s operations subsequent to the date of the sale are included in the consolidated financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2011, and its revenues for the two and a half months ended June 30, 2011, were $283,000.

Mar 17, 2010 OCLC sells NetLibrary to EBSCO Publishing for $7,867,200
From the 2009/10 OCLC Annual Report: On March 17, 2010, OCLC sold the assets of the NetLibrary Division (including the NetLibrary platform, operations and infrastructure in Boulder, Colorado) and the rights to license a select number of vendor-owned databases previously sold on the OCLC FirstSearch service to EBSCO Publishing for $7,867,200 and assumption of related liabilities. The transition services agreement between OCLC and EBSCO Publishing ($230,000 annually for an initial term of three years) ensures that all NetLibrary eBooks have been placed in a dark archive at OCLC and OCLC will continue to make OCLC- MARC records available for download by the relevant library for NetLibrary eBooks as well as providing library holdings synchronization. OCLC recognized a gain on the sale of $21,666,500.

Mar 17, 2010 EBSCO Publishing acquires the NetLibrary Division from OCLC
OCLC and EBSCO Publishing signed an agreement whereby EBSCO will purchase the assets of the OCLC NetLibrary Division and the rights to license a select number of vendor-owned databases currently available through the OCLC FirstSearch service. The purchase includes the NetLibrary eBook and eAudiobook platform as well as operations and infrastructure in Boulder, Colorado.

Aug 01, 2009 OCLC sells Preservation Service Center to Backstage Library Works
From the OCLC 2009/10 Annual Report: Effective August 1, 2009, OCLC sold the assets of its Preservation Service Center operation to Backstage Library Works, Inc. for $100,000 cash, $313,500 promissory note (paid in full on October 1, 2009), and a royalty of up to $1,750,000. The royalty agreement has a seven-year term and requires 4% of revenues above $300,000 per year, payable quarterly. The first $1,000,000 of royalty is secured by personal guarantee and a life insurance policy. The royalties above $1,000,000 will be recognized as payments are received. The building in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was purchased by Backstage Library Works, Inc. on November 2, 2009, for $1,400,000. OCLC recognized a total gain on the sale of $822,400 including the discounted guaranteed royalty receivable of $717,100.

Sep 12, 2008 OCLC acquires Amlib for $2,477,800 (US)

From the 2009 OCLC Annual report: Effective July 1, 2008, OCLC EMEA B.V. acquired certain assets and related liabilities of Amlib Pty. Ltd., (“Amlib”) the Australian software development organization specializing in library management solutions for 2,600,000 Australian dollars ($2,477,800). The purchase was accounted for by the purchase method of accounting. Assets acquired of 2,796,200 Australian dollars ($2,644,700) and liabilities assumed of 427,500 Australian dollars ($407,300) were based on their fair market values at the date of acquisition. Goodwill, representing the excess of cost over fair value of assets acquired of 231,300 Australian dollars ($220,400) was recorded and is included in fixed assets. Amlib’s operations subsequent to the date of the sale are included in the consolidated financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2009.

OCLC has acquired Amlib, the Australian software development organisation specialising in library management solutions. Amlib, based in Rowville and Perth, Australia, serves libraries in Australia, Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Amlib library management solution is particularly popular amongst school, public and special libraries, because of the combination of comprehensive functionality, high reliability and attractive pricing. It further complements the existing OCLC portfolio of integrated library management systems, a market where OCLC has established a strong presence in recent years. As a result of the acquisition, 11 Amlib staff members will become part of the OCLC Australia office, under the direction of Chris Thewlis.

Jan 11, 2008 OCLC acquires EZproxy from Useful Utilities for $600,000
From the 2009 OCLC Annual Report: Effective January 11, 2008, OCLC acquired certain assets and related liabilities of Useful Utilities, LLC, (“EZproxy”) the owner of the EZproxy software for $600,000. EZproxy provides libraries a solution for authenticating remote user access to licensed databases. The purchase was accounted for by the purchase method of accounting. Assets acquired of $600,000 and liabilities assumed of $395,400 were based on their fair market values at the date of acquisition. Goodwill, representing the excess of cost over fair value of assets acquired, of $395,400 was recorded and is included in fixed assets. EZproxy’s operations subsequent to the date of the sale are included in the consolidated financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2008.

Jan 01, 2008 OCLC EMEA B.V. sells its shares of Strata Preservation N.V. $331,000 to KMM Group
OCLC EMEA B.V. sold its shares of Strata Preservation N.V. for 225,000 Euros ($331,000) to KMM Group.

Jul 03, 2007 OCLC acquires remaining shares of OCLC PICA
Effective July 1, 2007 OCLC EMEA B.V. repurchased the outstanding shares from its minority shareholder Stitchting Pica effectively becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of OCLC for 10,272000 Euros or $13,903,200

Jan 19, 2007 Eric van Lubeek appointed Director of Operations and Services of OCLC PICA
van Lubeek was previously Managing Director of Infor Library Solutions.

Aug 14, 2006 OCLC acquires DiMeMa, Inc. for $3,912,200
From the 2006 OCLC Annual Report: On August 14, 2006, OCLC through OCLC Information Distribution, Inc., acquired DiMeMa, Inc., the organization that developed and supports CONTENTdm, for $3,912,200, which approximates the value of the software intangible.

Jul 01, 2006 OCLC acquires Research Libraries group
From the 2006 OCLC Annual Report: Effective July 1, 2006, OCLC combined operations with The Research Libraries Group, Inc. (“RLG”). The fair values of assets acquired with the transaction were approximately $2.8 million and liabilities assumed were approximately $7.1 million with goodwill expected to be approximately $4.3 million. that will be evaluated for impairment.

May 03, 2006 OCLC announces agreement to acquire Research Libraries Group

Jan 03, 2006 OCLC acquires Openly Informatics for $1,950,000
From the 2006 OCLC Annual Report: On January 1, 2006, OCLC acquired certain assets and related liabilities of Openly Informatics, Inc., a global knowledge base provider for $1,950,000.

Nov 03, 2005 OCLC PICA acquires Fretwell-Downing Informatics for $8,913,100
According to the 2006 OCLC Annual Report: FDI—On November 2, 2005, OCLC PICA B.V. purchased Fretwell-Downing Group, Ltd. and subsidiaries (“FDI”), a provider of digital library solutions, for 7,383,600 Euros ($8,913,100 at November 2, 2005).

Jun 27, 2005 OCLC PICA acquires Sisis Informationssysteme for $4,504,700
According to the OCLC 2006 Annual Report: SISIS—Effective July 1, 2005, OCLC PICA B.V. purchased library management systems provider Sisis Informationssysteme GmbH and subsidiary (“Sisis”) for 3,769,500 Euros ($4,504,700 at July 1, 2005).

May 27, 2005 OCLC PICA acquires a majority share in Strata Preservation in The Hague.
Strata Preservation specializes in high-end preservation services, for fragile and unique materials that cultural heritage institutions want to preserve and make more easily accessible to the public. Strata Preservation N.V. was established in 2002 as a joint venture of American-based OCLC Inc (60 %) and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (40 %). OCLC PICA B.V., also a Dutch company and itself owned by OCLC Inc (60 %) and Stichting Pica (40 %), has now taken over the share that OCLC Inc had in Strata Preservation. On top of the synergy advantages mentioned earlier, this means that Strata Preservation can now be managed more directly in a time that national and international microfilming and digitization are expected to take off. Strata Preservation currently employs a staff of almost 20.

Aug 2004 OCLC absorbs 24/7 Reference Service from Metropolitan Cooperative Library System

Nov 12, 2003 OCLC acquires CAPCON
On June 17, 2003, the membership of CAPCON approved an agreement that enabled the nonprofit OCLC regional service provider to become the OCLC CAPCON Service Center. OCLC purchased CAPCON and created OCLC CAPCON, an OCLC-owned service center to offer education and support for all OCLC products and services. On November 12, the CAPCON Library Network officially became the OCLC CAPCON Service Center.

Apr 16, 2002 Rein van Charldorp appointed Managing Director of OCLC PICA

Apr 20, 2001 InfoVision Technology assumes support for Altarama Systems library management products
InfoVision Technology and Altarama Systems have concluded an agreement for InfoVision Technology to provide support for the Altarama library software products and a migration path for all Altarama customers (using Data*Library, VTLS or Virtua) to InfoVision's Windows based Amlib Library Management System.

Apr 1999 OCLC acquires 60 percent ownership of PICA BV for $8.7 million
OCLC acquires sixty-percent ownership of PICA, with forty percent retained by the Stichting Pica. From the 1999 OCLC Annual Report: "Effective December 23, 1999, OCLC acquired 35 percent equity interest in Pica B.V. for $5.4 million from the Pica Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Leiden, the Netherlands. Pica B.V. provides cataloging, interlibrary loan, local and end-user (reference) services to libraries in the Netherlands, France and Germany. Subsequently, on September 29, 2000, OCLC acquired an additional 25 percent of Pica B.V. shares for $3.3 million, bringing OCLC’s total share to 60 percent as prescribed in the agreement with Pica Foundation. For the six months ended June 30, 2000, Pica B.V. recorded revenues of $3.9 million and a positive result after taxes of $397,200. OCLC’s equity share is reflected in the condensed consolidated financial statements in “Other Income.” Pica B.V. complements the activities of OCLC Europe, the Middle East & Africa, based in Birmingham, England. Both organizations are self-supporting from revenues generated by system use in their regions."

1999 OCLC acquires Library Technical Services (LTS)
OCLC acquires the Winnipeg, Canada-based Library Technical Services (LTS). OCLC LTS provides original and copy cataloging as well as physical processing of materials for libraries.

Jan 1999 OCLC acquires WLN
OCLC Pacific merged with the Western Library Network (WLN) to form OCLC/WLN Pacific Northwest Service Center. This organization is now named OCLC Western.

May 11, 1998 Robert L. (Jay) Jordan becomes President and CEO of OCLC
The Board of Trustees of OCLC Online Computer Library Center has named Robert L. "Jay" Jordan as president and chief executive officer. Mr. Jordan, 55, a business executive, will become the fourth president in OCLC’s 31-year history in May 1998, succeeding K. Wayne Smith, who is stepping down after nearly 10 years. Mr. Jordan is currently president, new business development, Information Handling Services Group, Englewood, Colorado.

Oct 1997 OCLC acquires Blackwell North America's authority control service business

Jul 1997 OCLC sells Information Dimensions to Gores Technology Group.
IDI became part of OpenText in June 1998.

1997 Pica takes a majority share in new-founded company ALS International Limited
Pica has been able to consolidate its position on the market of local library systems by taking a majority share in the new-founded company ALS International Limited, established in Stevenage, England. A close co-operation between ALSI and Pica in the area of software development for local library systems will bear its fruit in the years to come. (Pica 1997 Annual Report http://develop.pica.nl:2002/content/1098/pdf/annualreport97.pdf)

Jun 1993 OCLC Acquires Information Dimensions, Inc., from Battelle Memorial Institute

Apr 1990 Ameritech acquires LS/2000 from OCLC
Ameritech acquires the rights to the library automation products of the OCLC Local Systems Division, including LS/2, LS/2000, ACQ-350, and SC350.

1985 OCLC acquires MetaMicro
OCLC acquired Metamicro, a microcomputer-based software product which later evolved into OCLCs SC350 serials control system

Aug 1983 OCLC acquires Avatar
OCLC acquires Avatar to assist in the development of LS/2000

Apr 1982 OCLC purchased Total Library System from The Claremont Colleges
Purchased Total Library System from The Claremont Colleges in California. HP/3000 based system.

Jul 06, 1967 Ohio College Library Center founded
The colleges and universities in the state of Ohio founded the Ohio College Library Center to create a computerized system for the libraries of Ohio academic institutions.

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2025 OCLC Accomplishments Narrative

OCLC 2025

OCLC provides a wide variety of products and services to libraries of all types and sizes around the world. Through OCLC, member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the most comprehensive global network of data about library collections and services. OCLC also provides research and programs to support libraries, librarians, and the communities they serve.

2025 was a year of uncertainty and transformations. Despite challenges, libraries and OCLC moved aggressively forward with a determined spirit and a steadfast commitment to build a shared future together.

Some highlights from 2025:

AI

Guided by insights from library professionals, OCLC worked with libraries to put AI to practical use, speeding up article delivery, simplifying cataloging, and improving discovery for users everywhere.

Express digital delivery: Library users expect fast delivery of resources. To help them meet this demand, the Express digital delivery program is leveraging AI and data-driven insights to connect libraries that deliver articles and digital resources within 10 hours. In 2025, libraries in the program reached a significant milestone—filling more than 2 million copy requests through OCLC’s resource sharing network.

Finding lenders using intelligent timing: AI and machine learning are identifying lenders based on real-time activity, ensuring ILL requests are routed to libraries most likely to fulfill them. Intelligent timing reduces the time ILL staff spend reviewing requests and speeds delivery for users.

Checking knowledge base coverage: This AI feature lets libraries automatically respond ‘no’ to copy requests outside of their WorldCat knowledge base subscription. This allows ILL staff to focus only on those whose library has the coverage range and license terms to fill.

Merging duplicate records: Libraries save time and improve discovery when WorldCat is free of duplicates. In 2025, OCLC extended its AI model to merge records across all formats, languages, and scripts. The project began in 2023, when 300+ cataloging professionals helped validate a model that removed 5.4 million duplicate print records. Since then, OCLC refined the algorithm, tested it extensively, and worked with WorldCat Member Merge libraries to confirm results. By combining AI with community expertise, OCLC is keeping WorldCat accurate, efficient, and valuable for libraries and their users worldwide.

Recommending subject classification: Cataloging often means spending a lot of time on subject analysis and assignment, which slows processing down. OCLC’s new AI feature speeds things up by suggesting DDC, LCCN, and LCSH access points right in the cataloging workflow. Catalogers can simply review and select from the recommendations, making the process faster and more efficient. The result is streamlined workflows, higher throughput, and more resources quickly available for discovery.

CloudLibrary

Public libraries can give their communities unlimited access to a growing collection of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, newspapers, comics, and videos through the CloudLibrary platform—making it easier to keep up with demand for digital collections. In 2025, OCLC integrated CloudLibrary content with WorldCat, so libraries with OCLC cataloging subscriptions can make this content more visible and discoverable both in their catalogs and across the web. CloudLibrary won Platinum honors in the 2025 Modern Library Awards, based on voting by those who have experience with digital content services.

Wise

Public libraries across the Netherlands will come together under a new Unified Library System powered by Wise, making it easier for millions of people to access services and resources. OCLC signed an agreement with the Cooperative for Digital Innovation Together for the implementation of the new system. With 102 libraries participating—serving 14.4 million residents—this shared system will strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure and create a more connected, robust public library network. The result will be better access, smoother experiences, and stronger support for communities nationwide.

WorldCat

WorldCat makes library collections findable and accessible. It allows libraries to dramatically reduce time spent on cataloging and collection development by uniquely enabling libraries to share metadata contributions from libraries, publishers, and OCLC. It is a global leader in electronic as well as print metadata, capable of supporting 6,500 languages in 135 scripts.

WorldCat activity in 2025: 25.2 billion searches performed; 25.3 million new records created; 45 million records exported.

Growing e-resource content: Many library patrons expect a just-in-time, digital experience. Over the past year, WorldCat continued to strengthen its position in electronic and digital resources. These efforts improve discovery of and provide one-click access to these valuable resources for library users. In 2025, WorldCat services included 134 million OA items and had 4 billion records that contain article metadata with links to full text. E-resources in WorldCat services included 78 million ebooks, and 1.4 billion digital content items (e-journals, e-maps, e-scores, e-videos, streaming music, and audiobooks).

The WorldCat knowledge base got stronger in 2025, giving libraries faster, easier access to e-resources and more options for managing collections. With all e-resource providers now using a new ingest workflow, OCLC can process bigger loads more quickly—meaning libraries get the latest content faster. By the end of the fiscal year, the knowledge base included nearly 32,000 collections from almost 700 providers—covering more than 94 million records, a solid 10 percent growth in collections and 15 percent growth in records since last year.

Improving record quality: Quality metadata is essential to the discovery experience. High-quality records mean that catalogers can spend more time creating records for special and unique items in their collections, expanding the discovery experience even further. Together, OCLC staff and the library community improved the quality of 62 percent of all WorldCat bibliographic records in 2025. OCLC staff worked on 376 million records while the library community improved an additional 2.5 million records. And WorldCat’s unique community good participatory model allows this to happen at a scale that no individual institution can achieve alone.

Linked Data

Libraries are making their collections more discoverable and better connected to the wider knowledge ecosystem with linked data. In 2025, OCLC enriched more than 300 million WorldCat records with more than 189 million WorldCat Entities URIs—covering People, Places, Events, Works, Concepts, and Organizations. These URIs bridge MARC data with linked data, ensuring libraries can maintain existing workflows today while preparing for the linked data future. By embedding them in fields like 110, 610, and 710, OCLC is helping libraries boost interoperability across systems and open new pathways for discovery.

Meridian

OCLC expanded OCLC Meridian with new ways for catalogers and other library metadata workers to add new entity and authority information to WorldCat Entities. That means libraries of all sizes can create and curate linked data for their distinctive materials—making linked data not just accessible, but practical and useful in everyday work.

WorldShare Management Services

Libraries choose WorldShare Management Services (WMS), the world’s most efficient cloud-based library services platform, because it helps them do more with less—streamlining daily operations while expanding access to knowledge. Academic libraries rated WMS highest among all leading platforms for satisfaction, functionality, customer support, and loyalty in Marshall Breeding’s Library Perceptions 2025 report.

Important enhancements were implemented in WMS—most based on community feedback. Noteworthy enhancements include new budget functions for acquisitions staff, new email notifications for circulation staff regarding loan status, new COUNTER registry integration in license manager, and a modernized dashboard to view and export reports.

WorldCat Discovery

WorldCat Discovery, OCLC’s cloud-based library search and discovery service, makes it easy for library users to find what they need—whether it’s in their own library or across collections worldwide—with just one simple search. WorldCat.org, a free, publicly accessible website, helps libraries boost web visibility and showcase their collections.

In 2025, OCLC added new content and released several relevance and search enhancements to WorldCat Discovery. A redesigned Advanced Search includes new filtering options for format, content types, audience, and language. A new Primary Title index ensures more accurate results for specific title searches.

OCLC added 30 new content collections from seven content providers to the WorldCat Discovery central index. At the end of 2025, OCLC had agreements with 433 publishers and information providers to include metadata for 3,413 collections of books, ebooks, journals, databases, and other materials from these global publishers to the central index, representing more than 5.1 billion records.

Choreo Insights

Libraries can better shape their collections and services when they have clear insights to guide decisions. Choreo Insights, OCLC’s library analytics solution that uses WorldCat data, helps librarians make evidence-based choices about managing print collections that align with shifting institutional priorities, new curriculum needs, and future trends. This helps libraries stay flexible and ready to support their communities as goals and programs evolve.

In 2025, OCLC enhanced Choreo Insights to give libraries more powerful ways to understand their collections. OCLC introduced a new feature to help spot scarce materials, made it easier to export files with diacritics and non-Latin characters, and added options such as comparing title lists with more libraries. OCLC also expanded analysis to cover every language in WorldCat—jumping from the top 70 to all 483 languages—so libraries can explore their collections in full, no matter what they hold.

OCLC Community Center

Libraries thrive when they can easily share ideas, learn from each other, and shape the tools they use. With that in mind, OCLC continued to improve the OCLC Community Center—a space where more than 27,000 members connect, ask questions, and spark new ideas. With more than 50,000 posts, it’s become a go-to place for libraries to learn, collaborate, and influence innovation.

In 2025, OCLC rolled out new features that make the Community Center even more useful. Members can now better manage subscriptions, earn badges for live training, and track service updates in real time. A new process for e-content requests also gives libraries a direct way to suggest and support ideas, helping OCLC staff continue to deliver in ways that are impactful to libraries and their communities.

OCLC Research

As library staff and leaders navigate unknown, fast-paced change, OCLC Research empowered them to overcome challenges and address real-world needs through innovative research and project efforts. Notable reports in 2025 include:

Making open access publications easier to find: Libraries want their communities to get the most out of open access (OA) research, but discoverability can be a challenge. To help, OCLC Research published Improving Open Access Discovery for Academic Library Users, a report that shares practical, evidence-based ways to make scholarly OA publications easier to find.

Strengthening shared print: Libraries across the US and Canada are working together to preserve print collections, and OCLC’s report Stewarding the Collective Collection helps them do it more effectively.

Boosting impact through campus partnerships: Libraries can increase their visibility and strengthen research support by working across campus, and OCLC’s Library Beyond the Library research explored how. By collecting stories and analyzing cross-campus collaborations, the report highlighted ways libraries are raising their profile and expanding services.

WebJunction

Libraries run better when staff have access to practical, up-to-date training. In the past year, many libraries experienced significant levels of staff retiring and turnover. The lost institutional and professional knowledge can have a material impact on the services that libraries provide to their communities. To meet that demand, OCLC’s WebJunction continued to offer free, flexible learning opportunities for staff at every level. In 2025, more than 27,000 learners improved their professional skills by enrolling in courses in the WebJunction Course Catalog, which now holds 70 on-demand courses and 360 webinar recordings. Engagement grew 6 percent from last year.

WebJunction also launched the first course in the new Library Foundational Training (LiFT) series, Introduction to Library Collections, created with the Idaho Commission for Libraries. LiFT modernizes and expands the long-standing ABLE courses, ensuring core skills like customer service, collection management, and programming reflect today’s best practices.

Best Place to Work

OCLC was once again named a top midsize Best Place to Work in IT by Computerworld.

FY25 Revenue: $262.7 million

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