ProductWorks
Trials, tests and works in progress
At OCLC, we're always working to transform our industry research and analysis into useable products. Whether it's an enhancement to an existing service or an entirely new way of dealing with library information, check here from time-to-time for an "inside look" at what we're currently working on.
The projects listed below are currently in development. Feel free to take a look, leave us comments and spend some time experimenting—many of the products under construction have one or more hands-on trials or applications. Projects in development are not complete and may not be fully functional or tested. Also, there's never a guarantee that something in "the works" will become a finished product, but we do want you to see what's going on in the kitchen.
Once a product moves out of "the works," you can come here to find information about its past in the "History" section.
Exploring new tools or products
WorldCat® Copyright Evidence Registry (06.2008)
The WorldCat Copyright Evidence Registry (CER) is a community of people, libraries, and other organizations working together to discover and share information about the copyright status of books. The CER is based on WorldCat, which contains more than 100 million bibliographic records describing items held in thousands of libraries worldwide. In addition to WorldCat metadata, the Copyright Evidence Registry uses data contributed by libraries and other organizations. For example, Stanford Copyright Renewal data is searchable within the CER. You can search the Copyright Evidence Registry to find information about a book, learn what others have said about its copyright status, and share what you know.
The CER pilot was launched in July 2008 to explore the feasibility of building a cooperatively created and maintained repository of copyright evidence. Participants in the pilot are using the tool to discover, analyze and share the copyright status of books to build the repository. The goal of the pilot is to define and offer an effective solution for addressing orphan works and other critical copyright issues.
Send us your comments on WorldCat Copyright Evidence Registry.
Cooperative Collection Management Trust (CCMT) (03.2008)
The Cooperative Collection Management Trust (CCMT) is a group of institutions connected by the need to reduce the costs and footprint associated with physical storage and management of print materials while maintaining access to the content. OCLC is leading a pilot program that seeks to address these needs across a variety of institutions in North America.
Send us your comments on the CCMT pilot.
Next Generation Cataloging (11.2007)
Register for the update at ALA Annual. The session is called "New Directions in Cataloging at OCLC" and will be held on Sunday, June 29, 1:30-3:30 PM, Anaheim Convention Center, Room 208B.
Next generation cataloging explores upstream metadata capture and enhancement using publisher and vendor ONIX metadata. The establishment of data flows and practices that allow the interoperability of metadata and the remix and reuse of existing metadata will be crucial for both libraries and publishers going forward.
Send us your comments on next generation cataloging.
Shibboleth (06.2005)
Shibboleth utilizes the existing campus identity and access management infrastructures to authenticate individuals for access to restricted digital content and secure online services.
Send us your comments on Shibboleth.
History
WorldCat Search API (06.2008)
The WorldCat Search API provides machine-to-machine access to WorldCat bibliographic records and holdings organized to group similar editions of the same item together.
WorldCat Local (04.2007)
WorldCat Local allows libraries to combine the cooperative power of OCLC member libraries worldwide with the ability to customize WorldCat.org as a solution for local discovery and delivery services.
Open WorldCat Reference Services Pilot (06.2005)
This successful pilot resulted in the Open WorldCat and WorldCat.org programs which provide users with a more intuitive mechanism for obtaining search assistance.
Open WorldCat Holdings display using Google Maps (06.2005)
While not introduced into production after this pilot project, this functionality may be implemented for future products.
OCLC Terminologies Pilot (07.2006)
The successful pilot culminated in the OCLC Terminologies service. It provides access to multiple thesauri for libraries, museums, and archives to create consistent metadata for their collections providing mappings across thesauri to assist in relating terminology.
eSerials Holdings Pilot (06.2006)
The pilot resulted in the eSerials Holdings service which makes it easy for library staff and patrons to find and use full-text electronic journals in library collections.
Closed Dates in Authority Records RSS feed (03.2006)
OCLC now provides an RSS feed to announce headings to which death dates have been added. The feed was made available on March 31, 2006.
Wiki WorldCat (WikiD) Pilot
Open WorldCat users are able to add their own content to authoritative WorldCat information about library-held titles. Available under the Details and Reviews tabs, this functionality permits those who have located library items through Open WorldCat to return to the interface and add evaluative content.
FireFox Search Extensions
OCLC developed several FireFox search extensions for you to more readily use Webjunction, FirstSearch, and QuestionPoint.
More FireFox Search Extensions
OCLC has developed two Open WorldCat FireFox extensions that return Yahoo! and Google search results limited to “Find in a Library” links.
Buying Links on Open WorldCat (08.2005)
Open WorldCat users can purchase books from the “Find in a Library” interface through links to partner Web retailers.
COinS (03.2006)
OCLC added COinS to its Open WorldCat web pages. Context Objects in Spans represent a standardized way to embed citation metadata into a web page.
OCLC OpenURL Resolver Registry
OCLC's OpenURL Resolver Registry provides a means by which individuals and information partners can maintain OpenURL resolver information in a single location and utilize this information across services in the information industry.
WorldCat Collection Analysis demo
WorldCat Collection Analysis lets you analyze your collection and compare it to other collections without requiring you to expend extensive staff, time, or financial resources.
'Find in a Library' on Google Scholar
Find in a Library lets you locate books, videos and other materials in a library near you. This service is built into Google Scholar. When your Google Scholar search term matches the title of a library-owned item, the search result for that item will include a “Library Search” link.
Yahoo! Toolbar with WorldCat searching
A special edition of the Yahoo! Toolbar for the Internet Explorer Web browser with built-in functionality to search libraries via WorldCat.
Librarians' Toolbox:
