Global library cooperative Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC), US, has announced that the OCLC Members Council recently met in Dublin, Ohio, to discuss similarities and differences in libraries around the world, continue planning a transition to a Global Council and Regional Councils to extend OCLC participation, and elect a council delegate to the OCLC Board of Trustees. Under the direction of Members Council President Loretta Parham, Library Director and CEO, The Atlanta University Center, delegates also heard reports from OCLC senior management and staff, and discussed the worldwide library cooperative's plans and activities.
Kathleen Imhoff, Executive Director and CEO, Lexington (Kentucky) Public Library, was elected by Members Council to serve on the OCLC Board of Trustees. Imhoff, a public librarian, will serve a term of five years. She has advocated for the formation of global library networks, and has considerable budgeting, contracting, project management, collaboration and strategic planning experience.
In the opening council session, three speakers discussed similarities and differences in libraries around the world. Graham Jefcoate, Director Universiteitsbiblioteek, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, in the Netherlands, focused on the culture of the new global OCLC cooperative. He noted that differences in location and language influence communication and participation within OCLC. While Chew Leng Beh, Senior Director, Library and Professional Services and Director of SILAS, National Library Board (NLB), explained how libraries work in Singapore, Gwenda Thomas, Library Director, Rhoades University, in Grahamstown, South Africa, spoke about "South Africa and the Second Decade of Democracy: What Makes Our Libraries Special." She set the context for changes in South Africa and how libraries operate in the country. OCLC President and CEO, Jay Jordan, brought delegates up to date on OCLC's plans and activities.
Delegates also discussed the Members Council transition to a Global Council and Regional Councils. In May 2008, the OCLC Members Council approved changes to the Articles of Incorporation and Code of Regulations that had been recommended by the Board of Trustees. The changes will transform the current Members Council into a Global Council that connects with Regional Councils around the world. The new Global Council will replace the Members Council in a transition that is expected to take at least one year and will be coordinated between representatives of the 2008-2009 Members Council and the Board of Trustees.
In addition, the Council discussed and passed two resolutions proposed by the Members Council Executive Committee. The first provided for the establishment of implementation committees that will organise three Regional Councils. These regional committees are chaired respectively by Chew Leng Beh, from the Asia Pacific region; Berndt Dugall, Direktor and Librarian, Universitat Frankfurt, from the Europe, the Middle East and Africa region; and Patrick Wilkinson, Director, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, from The Americas region. Members Council unanimously passed the second resolution that defined the process for transitioning to a Global Council Executive Committee including the three chairs who also will serve as members of the group. Jan Ison, Executive director, Lincoln Trail Libraries system (ILLINET), current Members Council vice president/president-elect, will serve as the first president of the new OCLC Global Council in 2009-2010.
