OCLC Launches Shared Print Infrastructure Enhancements

In 2018 OCLC and the Center for Research Libraries were awarded a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support a joint Shared Print Data Infrastructure project. Two major development projects that OCLC and CRL have undertaken are a service for registering shared print commitments to enhance the visibility of shared print in OCLC WorldCat, and an API that facilitates discovery of these critical collections. OCLC has recently launched the first version of their new serial registration service which allows institutions or shared print programs to register holdings by submitting a CSV file through WorldShare Collection Manager. An enhanced version that allows institutions to register and update shared print commitments via LHR submission will be released later this summer. OCLC has also released an update to their Metadata API that includes shared print in search results. OCLC will be hosting a webinar on June 17, 2020 at 1pm ET / 10am PT to introduce the new registration service and the updated API to the wider shared print community, which you may register for in advance: http://click.e.oclc.org/?qs=4469a1b8b83fe956592581c676bbf8d2542e712bc0dabb198c5812a0f326e103f65f3ee2c6629fd38c42facd3154d180e7350e1a0c5e8fae

WEST is optimistic about the new shared print registration service and API and the enhanced visibility of shared print collections they promise, but at this time recommends against registering WEST archives via the new registration service as part of the current disclosure process while we continue testing. The new registration service offers the possibility of shifting away from the shared print second symbol in favor of the shared print flag that is applied during registration. Two WEST working groups, the Disclosure & Validation Standards Working Group and the Resource Sharing Working Group, are currently investigating the potential impacts of changing the disclosure policy and are working toward a recommendation about the second symbol, which will impact how shared print collections are managed within OCLC. Once their recommendation has been vetted through and endorsed by the WEST Operations and Collections Council it will be distributed to the wider membership. WEST and Rosemont will be working with OCLC to schedule additional training on the registration service as needed, and are in communication with OCLC about applying the new shared print flag to existing shared print holdings. In the meantime, please see their FAQ (https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/shared-print/FAQs-Mellon-Grant-Shared-Print-Enhancements.pdf?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Enhanced+Shared+Print+Registration+and+Discovery+-+28+May+2020&utm_campaign=&utm_term=Shared%20Print) for more information about both of these enhancements. For detailed information on the new registration service, you can find OCLC’s documentation about it at their Shared Print Help page (https://help.oclc.org/Metadata_Services/Shared_Print).

If your institution is a retention library for the HathiTrust Shared Print Program, you will have received communication from Heather Weltin, Shared Print Program Officer, regarding registration of monograph retentions. Please follow her guidance for your HathiTrust-retained monograph collections while holding off on registering your WEST-retained serials.

Stay tuned for more information, and please don’t hesitate to get in touch with either Alison Wohlers (alison.wohlers@ucop.edu) or Anna Striker (anna.striker@ucop.edu) if you have any questions.