Friends
OCLC has recently announced a major initiative,
what it calls, "the first Web-scale,
cooperative library management service". This will ultimately bring into
WorldCat Local the full complement of functions traditionally performed by a
locally installed integrated library system (ILS).
The initiative, when it becomes full-fledged wll no
doubt challenge the ILS market place. 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. Libraries that subscribe to FirstSearch WorldCat will get,
for no additional charge, the WorldCat Local “quick start” service: a
locally branded catalog interface.
People may like to see the article in the link
below by Marshall Breeding, a well respected expert in library technologies.
Haravu