OCLC was established in Ohio in 1967 by a small group of libraries whose leaders believed that working together they could find practical solutions to some of the day’s most challenging issues. What began as a way to automate the traditional library card catalog rapidly became a collaborative revolution that involved thousands of libraries around the world. Working together, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, which now contains over 85 million bibliographic records and more than 1.1 billion library holdings.

Collaboration among librarians and OCLC solved the practical problem of automated cataloging. Ongoing collaboration led to additional OCLC services, including services that help libraries build e-content collections and provide online access to special library collections like maps, newspapers, photographs and local histories.

The OCLC membership jointly created the largest interlibrary loan system in the world. Recent expansions and new partnerships in Europe now enable the OCLC collaborative to exchange more than 9.7 million items annually to information consumers and scholars around the world.

WorldCat.org continues OCLC’s efforts—begun with the Open WorldCat program— to make library resources more visible to Web users and to increase awareness of libraries as a primary source of reliable information and helpful personal assistance. Where Open WorldCat inserts “Find in a Library” results within regular search engine results, WorldCat.org provides a permanent destination page and search box that lets a broader range of people discover the riches of library-held materials cataloged in the WorldCat database. Both services open up the assets of the OCLC cooperative to the searchers of the world.

In addition to the many services offered, OCLC funds library research programs, library advocacy efforts, scholarships, market research and professional development opportunities.

OCLC Programs and Research incubates new technologies, sponsors the work of library scientists and represents libraries on a range of international standards bodies. OCLC Programs and Research is also actively engaged with the world’s information community to further the science of librarianship.

OCLC library advocacy programs are part of a long-term initiative to champion libraries to increase their visibility and viability within their communities. Programs include advertising and marketing materials to reinforce the idea of the library as relevant, and market research reports that identify and communicate trends of importance to the library profession.

OCLC provides financial support for those beginning their library careers and for established professionals who excel in their endeavors through a series of annual awards and scholarships. Of note is the IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellowship Program, jointly sponsored by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), OCLC and the American Theological Library Association (ATLA). The program provides early career development and continuing education for library and information science professionals from countries with developing economies.

OCLC participates in WebJunction, which is an online community of libraries and other agencies that share knowledge and experience to provide the broadest public access to information technology. A service created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Library Program, OCLC and other partners, WebJunction features articles, handouts, courses and forum discussions that are practical, down-to-earth and friendly. WebJunction addresses the real issues that librarians and library staff face every day. OCLC’s vision is to be the leading global library cooperative, helping libraries serve people by providing economical access to knowledge through innovation and collaboration. OCLC is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, U.S. and has offices throughout the world.

More than 60,000 libraries in 112 countries have used OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend and preserve print and electronic library materials.