WORLDCAT – THE POWER OF GLOBAL LIBRARY COMMUNITY, EFFICIENCY AND SHARING

Text topic: E-Libraries

Text author: Том Стори и Лоркан Демпси

The global environment in which libraries operate has changed dramatically in recent years. People discover items of interest in a variety of ways and library services need to build their workflows accordingly. Regardless of a library’s presence in its local geography, it will be its ability to make resources available in a global Web environment that will guarantee its relevancy and longevity. Since its inception in 1971, WorldCat has evolved to meet the changing needs of the world’s library community. Begun as a union catalogue of library holdings, WorldCat has become a global hub around which discovery, delivery, automation, sharing and management occur. Every time a librarian, partner or end user makes a connection on the WorldCat network, that activity enables other avenues for cooperation, efficiency and discovery. WorldCat has become the foundation of an array of services that connect libraries, vendors, partners and users in a shared, global platform.