[Asis-l] OCLC and Google to exchange data, link digitized books to WorldCat

[Gerry Mckiernan]

Colleagues/

An Important/Major Development

/Gerry

OCLC and Google to exchange data, link digitized books to WorldCat 
DUBLIN, Ohio, USA, 19 May 2008-OCLC and Google Inc. have signed an
agreement to exchange data that will facilitate the discovery of library
collections through Google search services.

Under terms of the agreement, OCLC member libraries participating in
the Google Book Search* program, which makes the full text of more than
one million books searchable, may share their WorldCat-derived MARC
records with Google to better facilitate discovery of library
collections through Google.

Google will link from Google Book Search to WorldCat.org, which will
drive traffic to library OPACs and other library services. Google will
share data and links to digitized books with OCLC, which will make it
possible for OCLC to represent the digitized collections of OCLC member
libraries in WorldCat.

[snip]

WorldCat metadata will be made available to Google directly from OCLC
or through member libraries participating in the Google Book Search
program.

Google recently released an API that provides links to books in Google
Book Search using ISBNs, LCCNs and OCLC numbers. This API allows
WorldCat.org users to link to some books that Google has scanned through
a *Get It* link. The link works both ways. If a user finds a book in
Google Book Search, a link can often be tracked back to local libraries
through WorldCat.org.

The new agreement enables OCLC to create MARC records describing the
Google digitized books from OCLC member libraries and to link to them.
These linking arrangements should help drive more traffic to libraries,
both online and in person.

[snip] 

The new agreement between OCLC and Google is the latest in several
partnerships between the two designed to increase the visibility of
libraries on the Web and deliver information to users at the point of
need. OCLC will be working with other organizations to include digitized
content in WorldCat in the months to come.

[snip]

[ http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/200811.htm ]

Thanks to Bernie Sloan for the HeadsUp!

/Gerry 

Gerry McKiernan
Associate Professor
Science and Technology Librarian
Iowa State University Library
Ames IA 50011

gerrymck at iastate.edu 

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