In the continuing OCLC WorldCat Records Policy Saga, this just in:

OCLC Members Council and the OCLC Board of Trustees will jointly convene a Review Board of Shared Data Creation and Stewardship to represent the membership and inform OCLC on the principles and best practices for sharing library data. The group will discuss the Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records with the OCLC membership and library community.

Read the entire press release at: http://www.oclc.org/us/en/news/releases/20092.htm

Nominations are being sought for the Rethinking Resource Sharing (RRS) Innovation Awards. This award, now in its second year, recognizes and honors an individual or institution for changes they made to improve users’ access to information through resource sharing in their library, consortium, state or country.

The Rethinking Resource Sharing Innovation Awards consists of a $1,000 cash award and a citation. In 2009 Rethinking Resource Sharing expects to make up to three awards.

Additional information about this award is available at:

http://www.rethinkingresourcesharing.org/innovation.html

New OCLC ILLiad class! OCLC and ILLiad: Maximize the Connection

Atlas and Nylink are teaming up to offer OCLC and ILLiad: Maximize the Connection. This brand new 3 session online class focuses on how ILLiad and OCLC WorldCat Resource Sharing (WRS) interact. Attend this workshop and learn how to take advantage of the best WRS features from within your OCLC ILLiad system. This class will be offered online March 3rd through March 5th from 1 PM – 3 PM Eastern time each day. Instructors are Jonathan Penn from Nylink and Stephanie Spires from Atlas Systems. Included in the Atlas Subscription Training program or available for the individual class fee of $250.

Day 1
· Overview of the OCLC Resource Sharing system and review of the basic OCLC ILL cycle
· ILLiad Connection Manager and OCLC WRS
· OCLC Constant Data for ILLiad Sites
· Policies Directory and ILLiad
· IFM and ILLiad

Day 2
· Creating Effective Custom Holdings

Day 3
· Unmediated ILL through OCLC Direct Request and ILLiad

Please see https://www.atlas-sys.com/training/ for registration information. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Stephanie Spires at training@atlas-sys.com or Jonathan Penn at pennj@nylink.org.

Happy New Year! Is one of your resolutions or goals for 2009 to grow professionally? If so, Nylink can help. Check out the Spring conference lineup:

CONSER’s Basic Serials Cataloging Workshop
Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 13 at the Nylink Offices, Albany
This course provides the basic principals of serials cataloging for original and copy cataloging for print and electronic serials. The course focuses on the elements contained in the CONSER core record, including appropriate MARC 21 tagging, as well as problem-solving and decision making relative to serials cataloging.
For more information and to register please click here:
http://nylink.org/event/conser_mar09.cfm

CONSER’s Advanced Serials Cataloging Workshop
Tuesday, May 12 and Wednesday, May 13 at the Nylink Offices, Albany
An in-depth course on the rules and practices applied to original cataloging of serials. While the course focuses on printed serials, the instructions are applicable to serials in any format.
For more information and to register please click here:
http://nylink.org/events/conser_may09.cfm

Metadata Standards and Applications
Co-sponsored with ALCTS
Tuesday, February 17 and Wednesday, February 18 at Mid-Manhattan Library
The workshop presents 21st century bibliographic control concepts, including metadatastandards and applications. the goal of the course is to relate what attendees already know about library catalog to digital library metadata, thereby preparing them to apply their current knowledge to new areas. This workshop is designed for practicing catalogers from all types of libraries, with a working knowledge or MARC and concepts of bibliographic control.
For more information and to register please click here:
http://nylink.org/events/alcts_feb09.cfm

Basic Collection Development and Management
Co-sponsored with ALCTS
Thursday, April 2 and Friday, April 3 at WNYLRC, Buffalo
Presented by Peggy Johnson from the University of Minnesota, this ‘basics’ workshop introduces attendees to concepts and best practices for collection development and management.
For more information and to register please click here: http://nylink.org/events/alcts_09.cfm

From Oral Histories to Podcasts: How to Conserve, Digitize and Deliver Your Audio Assets
Friday, March 27 Nyink Offices, Albany
With audio formats becoming increasingly obsolescent and playback equipment rapidly disappearing, our libraries, archives and cultural heritage organizations face the very real danger of permanently losing a large percentage of our recorded audio heritage. This workshop will cover a multitude of issues related to oral histories. Presented by Dave Nolan.
For more information and to register please click here: http://nylink.org/events/ohpod.cfm
nylink.org

We recently learned that librarianship and the world of information have lost a long-time proponent, Teresa Strozik on January 2nd.

Ms. Strozik was one of the forces behind Nylink and New York State libraries, as our own Mary Edgerton remembers:

I knew Teresa for many years first in my role as catalog librarian in New York State libraries where I came to rely on the SUNY/OCLC (now Nylink) Network for training in MARC Format and cataloging rules and OCLC systems. Later I worked for Teresa when she was Associate Director of the SUNY/OCLC Network. Along with Glyn Evans, Teresa built SUNY/OCLC (now Nylink) and did much to further New York State libraries. I enjoyed working for Teresa and she will be missed by librarians everywhere.

Ms. Strozik’s obituary can be found in the Syracuse Post Standard (first appearing January 5th) http://obits.syracuse.com/Syracuse/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=122233950

OCLC invites interested libraries to a special webinar entitled, “QuestionPoint: Take a Second Look.” This webinar will be held on January 21 from noon to 1 pm, Eastern Standard Time.

QuestionPoint is a unique virtual reference management service that provides tools for libraries to
interact with their users via chat and/or e-mail, in cooperation with a global network of QuestionPoint libraries worldwide. Participation in the 24/7 Reference Cooperative is an additional option, and provides libraries with the ability to provide live chat reference services to their users, around the clock.

OCLC staff will also demonstrate some of the major QuestionPoint improvements, including the chat interface’s new look and feel. They’ll also discuss some special, limited-time offers for new and current QuestionPoint libraries.

This is a free, live web presentation during which attendees can ask questions of the presenter. Register online at: https://www3.oclc.org/app/request/bin/request.asp?specialCode=QP090121

Are you planning to attend ALA Midwinter? If so, there are many resource sharing meetings, programs, and activities planned. Here is list of some of the sessions that you may wish to attend:

RUSA Stars (Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources Section) has scheduled a variety of events at ALA Midwinter. These include an all day pre-conference, an ILL discussion group, a hot topics discussion group, a membership social, and meetings on the Rethinking Resource Sharing Initiative. For a schedule of RUSA Stars activities, go to:

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/sections/stars/index.cfm#midwinter

While visiting the exhibits, you may also want to stop by the Atlas Systems booth. Atlas will be in Booth #2514. The Atlas staff would be happy to talk with you about ILLiad, Aeon and Ares. A representative from Nylink will be at the Atlas booth on Saturday, January 24 from 10:00-11:00AM, so stop by and say hello.

In addition, Atlas is hosting the first Atlas Systems Users Meeting on Saturday, January 24 in Room #703 at the Convention Center.

• The Ares Users Meeting will run from 4:00-4:45 PM
• The Aeon Users Meeting will run from 4:45-5:30 PM

Attend these meetings and learn in-depth details about current releases, future release plans, and general product information.

In addition, ILLiad users can learn all about ILLiad 8.0 on Saturday, January 24 from 8:00-10:00AM in Room #108 at the Convention Center

OCLC is scheduling a variety of meetings and information sessions at ALA Midwinter. Topics include:

• ILLiad 8.0: Maximizing the New Interface
• The New Policies Directory and WorldCat Registry Update
• OCLC ILLiad for Prospective Users
• OCLC Resource Sharing Users Group Meeting

For more information, or to register any of these OCLC meetings, please go to: www.oclc.org/info/ala.