From your 1999-2000 OCLC Users' Council Delegates:
Arlene Luster Marcia Talley
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ph: 808-449-2209 ph: 410-293-6905
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Linda Gabel +1-614-764-6374
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Nita Dean +1-614-761-5002
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OCLC CatExpress SERVICE OFFERS EASY-TO-USE WEB-BASED COPY CATALOGING
DUBLIN, Ohio, July 14, 1999--The OCLC Cataloging Express service
(CatExpress), an easy-to-use, Web-based copy cataloging service, is now
available in the United States and Canada.
"For more than 30 years, OCLC has been providing customized services to meet
the specific needs of libraries," said Maureen Finn, director, Library
Resources Division. "We've heard from smaller libraries in the United
States and Canada that want a basic, easy, affordable OCLC cataloging
service. The OCLC CatExpress service is designed to meet the needs of small
libraries--particularly small public libraries and school libraries."
Libraries can purchase CatExpress individually or as members of a group.
Annual subscriptions are available based on the anticipated level of
cataloging activity so libraries will know up front what their cataloging
costs will be.
During CatExpress pilot projects in Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio, many
libraries reported cataloging hit rates that approached 99 percent.
Materials cataloged included videos, computer software and foreign language
books. Hit rates will vary from library to library.
"My staff loves CatExpress," said Glenda Davis, director, Adair County
Public Library, Kirksville, Missouri. "It is easy to learn and use, and the
99 percent hit rate of records leaves very few items for original
cataloging. We highly recommend CatExpress to small- and medium-sized
libraries."
"I think CatExpress is wonderful," said Vicki Hardesty, librarian, Findlay
(Ohio) High School. "I would never have gotten my foreign language books
online had it not been for CatExpress. If it can't be found in CatExpress,
it can't be found anywhere."
The CatExpress service allows a library to find records in WorldCat (the
OCLC Online Union Catalog), attach its holding symbol and add local
information, and download the records to its local system--all by way of the
World Wide Web. Original cataloging is not supported.
CatExpress users need only a current generation Web browser running on any
type of workstation with Internet access. There are no direct OCLC
telecommunications charges, and there is no hardware or software to set up
and support. All OCLC charges are included in the annual subscription rate.
Prior knowledge of MARC format is not required for CatExpress users. With
CatExpress, a high-quality OCLC-MARC record is available the next day for
loading into the library's local system. Libraries can also use CatExpress
to delete holdings.
"This service meets the needs of small libraries," said Linda Gabel, OCLC
consulting database specialist and CatExpress product manager. "CatExpress
provides high-quality cataloging information to the libraries while allowing
them to share holdings information, increasing the potential for resource
sharing."
OCLC member libraries may also find that CatExpress meets some of their
basic copy cataloging needs. The new Web interface is available to current
OCLC cataloging members at the same prices they now pay for OCLC's Online
Cataloging service.
WorldCat, available to libraries online since 1971, is a merged, electronic
catalog of the bibliographic and holdings information of OCLC member
libraries worldwide.
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a
nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization
whose computer network and services link more than 34,000 libraries in 67
countries and territories. OCLC is dedicated to the public purposes of
furthering access to the world's information and reducing information costs.
In the United States, more information is available (via telephone:
+1-614-764-6000 or 1-800-848-5878; fax: +1-614-764-6096; or e-mail:
[log in to unmask]). In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, contact the OCLC
Europe office, located in Birmingham, United Kingdom (phone: +44 121 456
4656; fax: +44 121 456 4680; or e-mail: [log in to unmask]). In Asia and the
Pacific region, contact the OCLC Asia Pacific office in Dublin, Ohio (phone:
+1-614-764-6189; fax: +1-614-764-4331; or e-mail:
[log in to unmask]). In Canada, contact the OCLC Canada office
in Montreal, Quebec (phone: +1-450-658-6583 or 1-888-658-6583; fax:
+1-450-658-6231; or e-mail: [log in to unmask]). In Latin America and the
Caribbean, contact the OCLC Latin America and the Caribbean office in
Dublin, Ohio (phone: +1-614-761-5196; fax: +1-614-718-1026; or e-mail:
[log in to unmask]).
More information about OCLC, its affiliated U.S. regional networks,
international divisions and distributors is available on the OCLC Web site
<http://www.oclc.org/>. (RJM/ND)
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