West Virginia University Libraries, which serves more than 31,000 students and comprises five libraries and the WVU Press, has selected OCLC WorldShare Management Services as its library management system.
WorldShare Management Services (WMS) is a complete, cloud-based library management system that offers all the applications needed to manage a library, including Acquisitions, Circulation, Metadata, Resource Sharing, License Management and a single-search Discovery interface to connect library users to the information they need. WMS also includes a range of Reports based on local data that help libraries understand their activities and track key metrics over time.
“My priority has been to move WVU Libraries to a next generation library system,” said Jon E. Cawthorne, Dean of WVU Libraries. “I am impressed with everything I have learned about WorldShare Management Services, and I am excited about the growth potential. I am grateful that the entire University community and the regional institutions will benefit from the Libraries partnering with OCLC.”
“WVU Libraries is committed to bringing together the collections of the libraries around campus and throughout the state into one, unified system to promote effective, more efficient research and resource sharing,” said Andrew K. Pace, OCLC Executive Director, Management Services. “With the implementation of WorldShare Management Services, WVU Libraries will be able to offer equal, integrated access to a wide variety of resources for all affiliated libraries and their users.”
Libraries at Potomac State College, WVU Institute of Technology, West Virginia Northern Community College and West Liberty University will also move to WorldShare Management Services to share resources, applications and infrastructure.
The WVU Libraries currently use multiple systems to manage various types of resources that require moving data from one system to another system. As a result, users sometimes encounter difficulties. WMS provides applications specifically designed to handle all of the Libraries’ collections—electronic, physical and digital—and will bring everything under one integrated system.
The cloud-based management system will also reduce costs of dedicated servers, software upgrades, and maintenance. It will simplify work by library staff, offering an opportunity to redirect staff time to enhancing library resources and adding digital collections.
“We will become much more efficient through the networked service,” Cawthorne said. “We’re excited we’ll be able to concentrate on digitizing special collections.”
Today, 380 libraries worldwide are using WMS to share bibliographic records, publisher and knowledge base data, vendor records, serials patterns and more. With WorldCat at its foundation, WMS enables libraries to draw on the collaborative data and work of libraries worldwide for more efficient workflows. WMS also provides libraries with the unique opportunity to share innovation, applications, infrastructure, vision and success in serving their users.
