NEWS FROM OCLC
Compiled by Jay Weitz
RLG TO COMBINE WITH OCLC
Two of the world’s largest membership-based information organizations have agreed to come together. The combined organization will offer an integrated product and service line, and will give libraries, archives and museums new leverage in developing services, standards and software that will help them support research and disseminate knowledge online. The RLG Board of Directors and OCLC Board of Trustees have recommended that the two service and research organizations be combined, effective July 1, 2006. If approved by RLG member institutions, RLG’s online products and services will be integrated with OCLC products and services, and RLG’s program initiatives will be brought forward as a new division of OCLC Programs and Research. A combined organization would provide an opportunity to leverage program strengths, services and innovative research initiatives, and to deliver more value to a greater number of libraries, museums, archives and other research organizations around the globe.
RLG is a nonprofit organization of over 150 research libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural memory institutions; it designs and delivers innovative information discovery services, organizes collaborative programs and takes an active role in creating and promoting relevant standards and practices. OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit, membership, library service, and research organization whose public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing library costs dominate its plans and activities. OCLC provides computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, eContent, preservation services and research to 54,000 libraries in 109 countries.
RLG’s program initiatives would be continued as RLG-Programs, a new division of OCLC Programs and Research that would provide programs to support architecture, standards development and best practices, to name a few. James Michalko, who currently leads RLG, would serve as Vice President of RLG-Programs Development, working under the leadership of Lorcan Dempsey, Vice President of Research and OCLC Chief Strategist. RLG-Programs would remain a membership-based organization. Its agenda would be shaped by the needs of its members and guided by a dedicated Program Council. RLG’s online products and services would be integrated with OCLC service offerings as appropriate.
The potential for increased services and consolidation of costs would result in overall savings. For example, RLIN, the RLG Union Catalog, would be integrated into WorldCat, delivering economies of scale and reach that would benefit members of both RLG and OCLC. Both organizations are committed to providing seamless, high-quality services and service levels. Any change in RLG service offerings will be announced well in advance. Approval of the agreement requires the assent of two-thirds of voting RLG member institutions. Voting will conclude in early June. RLG-Programs would maintain an office in Mountain View, California. Staffing decisions will be made in the weeks leading up to the proposed transition. For additional information, please see the FAQ "RLG Proposal to Combine with OCLC at <http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/oclcrlgfaq.htm>.
CONNEXION CHANGES IN FEBRUARY
OCLC installed the following changes to Connexion in February 2006:
- End of Connexion Browser Support for Internet Explorer Versions 5.0 and 5.01: OCLC ended Connexion Browser support for Internet Explorer versions 5.0 and 5.01 on February 19, 2006. Connexion Browser users, including CatExpress and WebDewey users, can no longer log on using IE 5.0 and IE 5.01. In preparation for the change, beginning after the November 13 Connexion Browser enhancement installation, users who accessed OCLC Connexion Browser with IE 5.0 or IE 5.01 received a message reminding them to upgrade their Browser.
- Changes in Controlling Functionality: There are changes in the controlling functionality in the handling of unqualified personal names tagged as 100 or 700. The changes facilitate less manipulation of headings tagged as 100 or 700 and followed by subfields $e, $u, and $4. The changes in the controlling functionality treat all X00 fields in the same manner and use the multi-control page. The most significant impact of this change is the inability to "match all from the multi-control page. Users will need to search or browse the authority file as an independent step. One way to avoid this extra step is to mis-tag the personal name heading (e.g., 710 vs. 700). No changes are made to the handling of X10 or X11 headings.
- Problem Fixes:
- CatExpress export files now delivers records in the same order in which the cataloging or exporting was done.
- Database enrichment corrections. Previously, if a user tried to add certain fields to a record, they were prevented from doing so if those fields were already present. Connexion now allows a user to add multiple occurrences of the following fields to existing records: 006, 007, 022, 027, 028, 030, 041, 043, 052, 088, 538.
- Records derived from a bibliographic Save File record in Connexion Browser pass validation. If users choose to transfer the Fixed Field values when deriving a new record from a Save File record, the Fixed Field values are now retained. Previously, most of the Fixed Field values were dropped and the record failed validation.
- Connexion Statistics Enhancements: Enhancements to the Connexion Statistics on the OCLC Usage Statistics Website include:
- Names now appear beside the authorization report titles, making it easier for users to know which authorization number to choose.
- The Consolidated Report is a new report that combines the institution level report and all the authorization level reports on one page.
- Chinese Name Authority File statistics will be added to the reports.
CONNEXION CHANGES IN APRIL
As part of the April 2006 installation, OCLC removed access to the separate PICA GGC database in the OCLC Connexion browser. The bibliographic records of the PICA Dutch Catalog are being loaded directly into WorldCat, thus removing the necessity of having a separate function to provide this access. Only a few users access the PICA GGC database via Connexion and very minimal searching is done. Users can now search directly for the records in WorldCat.
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Last updated: June 16, 2006
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