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Being Part of OCLC

What does it mean?

When your library joins OCLC, you agree to several "Principles of Cooperation, which include your promise to:

  • Contribute to OCLC all current bibliographic and holdings information which represents cataloged items in your collections;
  • Create bibliographic records and related data at the fullest possible level, consistent with the standards and guidelines adopted by OCLC;
  • Support prompt contribution of bibliographic records and related data to promote shared use of records and library resources;
  • Cooperate with OCLC, regional networks and other partners, and participating libraries to identify and correct errors in contributed information and to avoid introducing duplicate records; and to
  • Limit use of OCLC records, systems and services to OCLC authorized users.

OCLC is a nonprofit membership organization serving more than 53,000 libraries in 96 countries and territories around the world. Its mission is to further access to the world's information and reduce library costs by offering services for libraries and their users. Membership in OCLC is a unique cooperative venture, giving libraries global access to OCLC's services and databases, including WorldCat. OCLC membership comprises the world's largest library consortium.