OCLC Delays WorldCat Policy Pending Review Board

Some two months after a number of librarians raised concerns about OCLC’s controversial “Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records,” OCLC has announced that it will delay implementation of the policy until the third quarter of 2009. It will also convene a Review Board of Shared Data Creation and Stewardship, a joint board of the OCLC Members Council and the OCLC Board of Trustees, to discuss and review the policy.

Librarians had commented unfavorably about clauses they viewed as imposing licenses, restricting their rights to use records, and a perceived lack of openness in the policy’s development process.

The review board will consult with librarians and member representatives, review reports and comments about the policy, and recommend principles of shared data creation and changes to the policy. Bob Murphy, OCLC senior public relations specialist, told American Libraries that review board members will be appointed by the chair of the Board of Trustees and the president of the Members Council, with advice from the Members Council Executive Committee. “The plan is for interested parties to have opportunity for input through the information sharing and feedback sessions that the Review Board has been charged to convene,” he said.

Murphy added that in addition to reviewing the revised policy, the Review Board will be asked “not only to suggest possible changes to record use policy, but also to advise OCLC on the community norms that will best support and sustain a vibrant community” around WorldCat.

The review board is scheduled to submit its final report to the OCLC Board of Trustees in May.

Posted on January 16, 2009. Discuss.

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