OCLC: The Original Idea

Abstract

Traces the early years of OCLC and shows what it was originally intended to be. Discusses the plan for library cooperation in Ohio, the formation of a project committee, the debate about how to mechanise the union catalog, interlending, and the proposals for a shared cataloguing program based on a centralised computer database. Surmises that the perseverance of a few librarians is responsible for the formation of OCLC, which otherwise would have become an Ohio bibliographical centre with resources on microprint.

Citation

Reed, C. (1991), "OCLC: The Original Idea", OCLC Micro, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 6-8. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000003645