Below are notes from the session "OCLC Reaching Consumers through Nontraditional Methods: What Can WorldCat Do for You?" which I attended at ALA Midwinter in January.
Mashable: the Social Media Guide = Mash-up integrates two sources of data
OCLC Offers:
1) A find your library feature and the ability to make lists and bibliographies
University librarian Jennifer Friedman uses these features in collection development. She can see what items are available at nearby institutions and discover topical books and publishers of niche books to fill collection gaps. She noted that the lists can be imported into Excel. Graeme Williams added that one can make notes, tag, and review list items as well as add items from others’ lists.
2) Interfaces/information that can be accessed by software or API (application program interfaces). An XML layer allows one to present that information in different ways.
3) Metadata “crosswalk” = e.g. send MARC record get back Dublin Core
4) A Developer Network
OCLC is also a partner with many groups such as Google Books, Bibliofile, and QOOP
Andrew Yu of MIT talked about popular platforms in use today, noting that mobile web access through smart phones (iPhone, Blackberry, Android) is surpassing that of laptop computer access. He mentioned that the MIT web is an open source project that is platform neutral. He also noted that the younger generation wants to share with the rest of the world. Instead of being afraid to reveal their location, they state, “Here I am! And where are my friends?”
