We are pleased to announce that Jisc and OCLC have signed an agreement that means academic and specialist libraries across the UK will have better access to fit-for-purpose catalogue records, and an enhanced ability to share and reuse bibliographic metadata.
Building on the aims of Plan M and the recommendations coming out of the ‘Remodelling the Library Data Marketplace‘ consultancy work, this agreement will allow subscribing libraries to access OCLC WorldCat cataloguing services, and will enable all users of the Jisc Library Hub Cataloguing service to download full OCLC records. It also increases the global visibility of subscribing libraries by enabling catalogue data to be shared with WorldCat.
The detail of the agreement, including the eligibility criteria, are set out in this document:
Jisc OCLC NMA Detailed Information – Feb 2022 FINAL v2
The current agreement is ‘transitional’ to allow Jisc and OCLC to work towards a fully sustainable future model. It affords the flexibility to move forwards from previous agreements (many of which were bi-lateral and with inconsistencies in pricing and function) towards a more consistent suite of cataloguing and metadata services for all.
Working together as a community and towards the goal of more openly shareable data, this agreement provides a foundation for Jisc, OCLC and participating libraries to work closely together on shared challenges. We will use the partnership to accelerate the shift towards using linked data approaches to empower new research; and to undertake collaborative explorations of bias and misrepresentation in the discovery of resources to ensure diversity and inclusion.
To subscribe to the agreement for the period August 1st 2021 – July 31st 2022, please go to the Jisc Licence Subscriptions Manager.
