OCLC (identifier)

Quick Facts: Who was OCLC (identifier)?

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OCLC (identifier)

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A US-based nonprofit cooperative providing shared technology services to the global library community.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

OCLC, Inc. is a US-based nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, then became the Online Computer Library Center as it expanded. In 2017, the name was formally changed to OCLC, Inc. OCLC and thousands of its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the largest online public access catalog in the world. OCLC is funded mainly by the fees that libraries pay (around $217.8 million annually in total as of 2021) for the many different services it offers. OCLC also maintains the Dewey Decimal Classification system.

Career & Major Achievements

OCLC began in 1967, as the Ohio College Library Center, through a collaboration of university presidents, vice presidents, and library directors who wanted to create a cooperative, computerized network for libraries in the state of Ohio. The group first met on July 5, 1967, on the campus of Ohio State University to sign the articles of incorporation for the nonprofit organization and hired Frederick G. Kilgour, a former Yale University medical school librarian, as first executive director. Kilgour and Ralph H. Parker, who was the head of libraries at the University of Missouri, had proposed the shared cataloging system in a 1965 report as consultants to the Committee of Librarians of the Ohio College Association. Kilgour and Parker wished to merge the latest information storage and retrieval system of the time, the computer, with the oldest, the library. They were inspired in part by the earlier Columbia–Harvard–Yale Medical Libraries Computerization Project, an attempt at shared automated printing of catalog cards.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The plan was to merge the catalogs of Ohio libraries electronically through a computer network and database to streamline operations, control costs, and increase efficiency in library management, bringing libraries together cooperatively to best serve researchers and scholars. The first library to do online cataloging through OCLC was the Alden Library at Ohio University on August 26, 1971. This was the first online cataloging by any library worldwide. Between 1967 and 1977, OCLC membership was limited to institutions in Ohio, but in 1978, a new governance structure was established that allowed institutions from other states to join. With this expansion, the name changed to the Online Computer Library Center in 1977.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1965: 1965 Milestone — Parker, who was the head of libraries at the University of Missouri, had proposed the shared cataloging system in a 1965 report as consultants to the Committee of Librarians of the Ohio College Association.
2. 1967: 1967 Milestone — It was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, then became the Online Computer Library Center as it expanded.
3. 1971: 1971 Milestone — The first library to do online cataloging through OCLC was the Alden Library at Ohio University on August 26, 1971.
4. 1977: 1977 Milestone — With this expansion, the name changed to the Online Computer Library Center in 1977.
5. 2017: 2017 Milestone — In 2017, the name was formally changed to OCLC, Inc.
6. 2021: 2021 Milestone — 8 million annually in total as of 2021) for the many different services it offers.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: OCLC (identifier)

True or False: “OCLC was founded primarily to manage and distribute physical, printed books across multiple university campuses.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While it started with cataloging efforts, OCLC's core mission rapidly evolved to incorporate computerized networks and digital resource sharing.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Akshay Kumar — Historical peer (Born in 1967) (1967): Veteran Indian actor and producer, celebrated for action roles and prolific career.
• Albert Luthuli — Historical peer (Died in 1967) (1967): Pioneering anti-apartheid activist and leader of the ANC in South Africa.
• Abdul Halim of Kedah — Historical peer (Died in 2017) (2017): Sultan of Kedah and Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a pivotal Malaysian royal figure.
• Adam West — Historical peer (Died in 2017) (2017): American actor best known for portraying Batman in the 1960s and extensive voice work.
• Aaron Beck — Historical peer (Died in 2021) (2021): Father of Cognitive Therapy and CBT, revolutionizing psychiatric treatment.
• Abdelaziz Bouteflika — Historical peer (Died in 2021) (2021): Algerian politician who served as the seventh President of Algeria from 1999 to 2019.
• Aamir Khan — Historical peer (Born in 1965) (1965): Iconic Indian actor and filmmaker, known as "Mr. Perfectionist" in Hindi cinema.
• Aaron Kwok — Historical peer (Born in 1965) (1965): Iconic Hong Kong performer, celebrated singer, dancer, and actor.
• Abd El-Razzak El-Sanhuri — Historical peer (Died in 1971) (1971): Pioneering Egyptian jurist, celebrated for authoring the revised Civil Code of 1948.
• Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — Historical peer (Born in 1971) (1971): Iraqi militant leader and founder of the Islamic State (IS)

Frequently Asked Questions about OCLC (identifier)