OCLC Research in Europe
As of this year, there are three OCLC Research positions based in Leiden, the Netherlands, to extend the reach of OCLC Research in Europe. Obvious starting points to create synergies and achieve impact are collaboration initiatives with Europeana for metadata aggregation and discovery and with the Open Planets Foundation for digital preservation. The importance of national libraries in the European landscape will also help shape the OCLC Research Library Partnership in new and interesting ways.
The Partnership, currently totalling 159 Partners, still consists primarily of North American institutions: 122 in North America, 30 in Europe, Middle East and Africa, and 7 in Asia Pacific. It is an OCLC priority to grow the Partnership in Europe and secure a better representation of European interests in the OCLC Research agenda.
Innovation can no longer be an individual, institutional effort. Partnering with OCLC Research enables institutions to unite efforts and create synergies. In doing so, libraries, archives and museums demonstrate their capacity and desire to collaborate. They are taking their future direction in their own hands. OCLC, as a cooperative venture, provides an ideal context-without commercial or political pressures.
Titia van der Werf works for OCLC Research as a Senior Program Officer. She coordinates and initiates OCLC Research work throughout Europe and has special responsibilities for interactions with OCLC Research Library Partners in Europe. She also represent OCLC in European and international library and cultural heritage venues, such as LIBER and IFLA.
Melissa Renspie is a Senior Communications Officer in OCLC Research. She shares information about OCLC Research activities and accomplishments with the library and archives community through a variety of communications channels. She also executes campaigns, webinars and events, maintains portions of the OCLC Research website, and produces and distributes two weekly e-newsletters: OCLC Research Library Partnership Weekly Updates and Above the Fold.
Photo of OCLC Research Library Partnership FutureCast Meeting held in Washington DC 8-10 June 2011 courtesy of OCLC via Flickr.