Next Generation Library Catalogs: Jennifer Ward / WorldCat Local

November 7, 2007
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The University of Washington Libraries is participating in a pilot project with OCLC to test a new kind of library catalog, WorldCat Local. The goal is to provide a single search interface for local holdings, consortial holdings (in our case, the Orbis Cascade Alliance), and all other WorldCat libraries’ holdings. WorldCat Local also provides almost 30 million article citations. On the delivery side, WorldCat Local integrates local and consortial delivery options with interlibrary loan, and of course, online access. By breaking down a number of discovery and delivery silos, we hope to offer users easier and more convenient access to the quality resources we and other libraries hold. This presentation will focus on the University of Washington Libraries’ experience with the WorldCat Local system, which has been available to our users since April 30, 2007.

Jennifer Ward received an MS in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is the Head of Web Services for the University of Washington Libraries and manages the Libraries’ usability program. Her presentations and publications cover a range of topics, most notably institutional repositories and assessment/user experience.

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