OCLC has acquired the shares of Huijsmans en Kuijpers Automatisering (HKA), a Dutch organization that develops, implements and manages systems for libraries, educational and cultural organizations.
The addition of HKA, which offers the Wise line of library systems and services, enhances and extends OCLC services for libraries in the Netherlands. OCLC currently manages the infrastructure for interlibrary loan for many Dutch libraries and offers cataloging services through the GGC, the Dutch shared cataloging system, and the WorldCat global shared cataloging system. OCLC and HKA staff will now work together to accelerate the development and delivery of innovative services for libraries.
“The talented HKA team, and the quality services they provide are an important resource for libraries in the Netherlands,” said Skip Prichard, OCLC President and CEO. “HKA’s innovative spirit and their commitment to libraries are an excellent fit for the OCLC cooperative. They will help us grow our services and further our mission of creating efficiencies and value for our library members in the Netherlands and beyond.”
The HKA staff of 29 will continue activities from current locations in Paterswolde and Oss in the Netherlands. The Wise line of library systems, including bicatWise, will continue to be developed and maintained. Moving forward, the staff will also deliver new cloud solutions for the combined user base.
“We are extremely proud to become part of OCLC,” said Henk Kuijpers, director at HKA. “By combining HKA’s knowledge of Dutch public libraries with OCLC’s expertise in cloud solutions, we can deliver a new generation of library systems for our users. This is not only a very important step for HKA but also for our libraries, who will benefit from this move with expanded and new services from OCLC.”
Mr. Kuijpers, Jos Huijsmans and Paul Lucassen will continue as directors of HKA.
