[1296] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Harvard University Chooses OCLC for Retrospective Conversion
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU ((Erik Jul))
Wed Sep 23 13:01:43 1992
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1992 11:15:31 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: "(Erik Jul)" <ekj@oclc.org>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL:
Phil Schieber (614) 764-6144
HARVARD UNIVERSITY LIBRARY TO USE OCLC
FOR MASSIVE RETROSPECTIVE CONVERSION PROJECT
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 17, 1992--Harvard University Library officials
today signed a six-year, multi-million-dollar contract with OCLC Online
Computer Library Center, Inc., Dublin, Ohio, that will involve computer
processing by OCLC of bibliographic records for some 5 million monograph and
serial titles in Harvard's library collections.
OCLC will convert to machine-readable form approximately 5 million records
from card catalogs and book catalogs, some of which date from the Civil War.
Some of these records are handwritten, and many were cataloged according to
rules that are now obsolete. For these older records, OCLC will create a
special database and make it available to all OCLC users and the library
community in general.
OCLC will also upgrade or correct subject headings (including medical
subject headings--MESH), personal and corporate name headings, and series
titles for approximately 3 million machine-readable records from Harvard's
HOLLIS system, which links the 90-plus libraries on Harvard's campus. OCLC
will perform this authorities work using the Library of Congress Authority
Files and software specially designed by the OCLC Office of Research. These
authorities processes will also be applied to both Harvard's retrospective and
current cataloging during the project.
The Harvard University Library will coordinate participation in the project
by 46 Harvard library units, including the libraries of the professional
schools and the research libraries of the arts and sciences. The Harvard
library system comprises the largest academic library in the world.
"This is a critical project for the Harvard library system," said Harvard
University President Neil Rudenstine, "and represents another significant
development for major large-scale research libraries in the United States. The
British Library in England has undertaken a project of this kind, and the
substantial benefits are already clear."
Sidney Verba, Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor and director of the
Harvard University Library, stated: "This is a most important and exciting
project for the Harvard Library. It will make our vast historical collection
more accessible than ever before. We look forward to working closely with OCLC
in this significant endeavor."
"Harvard's RECON Project will have enormous benefits not only for the
Harvard libraries, but it will significantly enrich the national database with
original records and greatly facilitate other conversion initiatives in the
future," said Richard De Gennaro, the Roy E. Larsen Librarian of Harvard
College. "OCLC was clearly the most qualified vendor for a project of this
magnitude and complexity. We look forward to working with them to complete
this important task."
"This is a landmark project for Harvard and for OCLC," said K. Wayne Smith,
president and chief executive officer, OCLC. "It is ambitious in its scope,
innovative in its approach, and far-reaching in its benefits to scholars and
libraries around the world. We at OCLC are both honored and excited at the
prospect of increasing access to one of the world's great library collections."
The project will involve several "firsts." It is one of the largest
retrospective conversion projects in the history of computerized catalogs.
It is the largest authorities processing project OCLC has ever undertaken. It
is the first major project for a new OCLC RETROCON Keying Service, which will
convert to machine-readable form bibliographic records that do not conform to
contemporary cataloging standards; these records from Harvard will be made
available online as an adjunct to the OCLC Online Union Catalog, which contains
only records that conform to LC-MARC II and AACR2 cataloging standards.
OCLC's Retrospective Conversion Services Department was created in 1975.
Guided by a staff of six librarians, the 200 operators convert over 12 million
records per year for OCLC-member and non-member libraries which contract for
conversion services. Services include RETROCON, providing customized online
searching and input or offline keying; MICROCON, a low-cost, offline, batch
conversion service; two tape conversion services, TAPECON and FULLMARC; and a
customized contract cataloging service, TECHPRO.
OCLC is a nonprofit computer library service and research organization
whose computer network and products link more than 15,000 libraries in 46
countries and territories.
