June 23, 2008
OCLC Adopts New Governance Structure
OCLC has adopted a new governance structure reflecting the expanded participation in the cooperative of libraries and cultural heritage institutions from around the world. The changes will transform the current Members Council into a Global Council that will transition over a period of 12-18 months and will be coordinated between representatives of the 2008-2009 Members Council and the OCLC Board of Trustees.
On May 20, OCLC Members Council approved changes to the Articles of Incorporation and Code of Regulations that had been recommended by the Board of Trustees. Members Council also passed a resolution recommending that the new Regional Council should be set up based on agreed upon principles, that they be funded properly and that a methodology be designed for broad representation of all types and sizes of institutions represented on Regional Councils.
The change in OCLC's governance structure comes as the number of OCLC participating libraries has doubled from 30,000 to 60,000 worldwide over the past 10 years, and the number of participants outside the U.S. has grown from 3,200 in 1998 to nearly 12,000. WorldCat contributions have increased to more than 100 million bibliographical records and 1 billion holdings, with slightly more than half of the records being contributed for materials in languages other than English.
For more information, see the OCLC press release.
