| James P. Michalko Vice President, RLG Programs OCLC, Inc. | |
In July 2006, two major library cooperatives, RLG and OCLC, representing the combined interests of thousands of cultural heritage institutions world-wide, joined forces to create a new organization designed to support research institutions in shaping their collective future. A strategic alliance of RLG’s community-based programs and OCLC’s research expertise emerged as the new OCLC Programs and Research Division. An early version of the RLG Programs prospectus was published immediately following the RLG – OCLC combination. Further refinement of the high-level work agenda has produced a core set of program areas in which measurable achievements are expected in the near term. The CNI briefing will summarize work in three program areas that focus on the collaborative methods libraries, archives and museums are deploying to introduce system-wide efficiencies in the networked environment: (1) managing the collective collection; (2) renovating descriptive practices; and (3) modeling new service infrastructures.
This briefing will provide an inside look at the collaborative work agenda of this new partnership and an opportunity for community input and discussion.
http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/oclcrlgfaq.htm