Mar

30

One Hundred Million (And Counting).

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

March 30, 2007 |

Libraries around the world depend on a shared resource called OCLC, the Online Computer Library Center. Among other things OCLC maintains a giant database of records, accessible through WorldCat, which you can use to search more than 50,000 libraries in one fell swoop, or a swell foop if you’re into that sort of thing.

The records in this database are shared by libraries, so when a library orders a book they don’t necessarily have to create a new record in their own catalog from scratch. They can use one from OCLC, if there’s one already there. And they can contribute records if there aren’t.

Libraries contributing records allowed OCLC to set a major milestone recently: the one hundred millionth record was added. Specifically it was the book It’s A Horse’s Life! by Joanne M. Friedman (iUniverse, Inc., 2003).
horse.jpg

Check it out at a library, um, somewhere. If your local library doesn’t have it there is always Interlibrary Loan–just one more reason to love your library.


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