Library information provider OCLC, US, has announced that Bookmark Your Library is now open to all librarians in the UK for review. The website is a collaborative effort between OCLC and several library organisations in the UK, and provides a gateway to all the content and services that libraries have to offer new and existing users. By giving librarians exclusive early access to the site, OCLC intends to elicit their feedback to refine Bookmark Your Library, ahead of a full national public launch in early 2013.
The call is for librarians to log onto www.bookmarkyourlibrary.org.uk, review the website and then provide feedback to OCLC about functionality, content and features. The website offers several social media and communications channels for libraries to give comment, pledge support and help shape the service by making suggestions about how the site should evolve.
The website is reportedly about boosting visibility and usage of public library resources and services by moving them collectively online, and making them accessible via a single digital presence. It will be home to FABLibraries, the UK’s only public library national catalogue, which is based on the holdings of UnityUK subscribers. Users will also be able to use the site to access the Enquire digital reference service and chat online with a librarian to answer questions or support learning, at any time of the day or night. The website will also help people to find out about local library events, become a member, and provide them with the information they need to develop skills and pursue interests through their library service. They will be able to do all of this for free.
OCLC has worked with a number of key stakeholders in the formation of Bookmark Your Library to meet the diverse needs of the UK public. They include the Society of Chief Librarians, Arts Council England, The Reading Agency, The Combined Regions, The Collections Trust and the RNIB.
