RLUK and OCLC pilot solution for electronic resource metadata management

OCLC is working with several members of Research Libraries UK (RLUK) to pilot a service that brings improvements to the way libraries manage electronic resources and to users' access of these collections.

Powered by the WorldCat knowledge base, OCLC WorldShare Metadata Collection Manager delivers records for electronic materials automatically to libraries and ensures the metadata and access URLs for these collections are continually updated, significantly streamlining the processes of managing eResources.   

Libraries in North America have already worked with OCLC to test WorldShare Metadata Collection Manager. The UK pilot will last six months, and will help hone the new service, ensuring it accommodates any regional nuances before general release.

'I anticipate that WorldShare Metadata Collection Manager will enable us to achieve better control over our eBook collection,' said Stuart Hunt, data services and digital production manager at the University of Warwick. 'We acquire eBooks from many different suppliers. Being able to consolidate the metadata from WorldCat, via Collection Manager, will help us work more effectively.'

James Clark, metadata coordinator at King’s College London, added: 'We were keen to participate because Collection Manager looked like a very efficient way to manage our eBook collections. The ability to get all of our eBook records into our catalogue via automated daily updates could make a significant saving in staff time.'

The full list of RLUK OCLC WorldShare Metadata Collection Manager pilot institutions are:

• King’s College London;
• The University of Manchester;
• The University of Warwick;
• University of Cambridge;
• University of Leeds;
• University of Oxford; and
• Wellcome Trust.