A c t i o n f o r L i b r a r i e s — N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 2

BCR Helps Libraries Reduce OCLC Costs

After discussing the funding crisis facing librarians across the region, the BCR Board of Trustees has decided to reduce OCLC search charges effective January 1.

Announcing the decision, BCR Board of Trustees President, Lesley Boughton said,

"We know that most BCR member libraries have already seen budget cutbacks this year and are likely to see more funding reductions in the coming months. Reducing BCR's prices for OCLC products will help hundreds of libraries across the region. This price reduction was recommended by the management team and unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees because it furthers BCR's mission of helping the library community by offering cost-effective services that promote resource sharing for all types of libraries."

Earlier this fiscal year, the BCR management team reviewed BCR's current OCLC pricing structure. BCR's recent reorganization and ongoing cost-cutting measures have allowed BCR to take steps aimed at helping libraries do more with less.

OCLC cataloging, ILL or union list users can expect to see these lower prices reflected on February's invoice (which will be for January activity). Keyword searches for the interlibrary loan and union list services will go down to $.61/search, and numeric/ derived searches will be $.45/search, a reduction of $.05/search.

The BCR Board of Trustees realizes that just reducing the OCLC searching charges will not solve all your budget problems. It is hoped that this mid-year price reduction will help, and BCR staff look forward to assisting our member libraries survive these fiscally uncertain times.

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