The National Institute of Informatics (NII) in Japan has selected OCLC to replace NII's current library metadata infrastructure. OCLC will provide a cataloging environment for more than 1,300 libraries in Japan with a union catalog that replaces the existing system, NACSIS-CAT/ILL.
The NACSIS-CAT/ILL, launched in 1985, has been widely used among Japanese university libraries and other institutions, bringing together 13 million bibliographic records and 147 million holdings records. A versatile metadata platform developed by OCLC will serve as the foundation for the new NACSIS-CAT/ILL system.
The project has begun with the start of a two-year implementation period and the system is scheduled to go live in the first quarter of 2023. OCLC will enable the new system to accommodate multiple metadata types, including MARC21 and CAT-P, a unique format used in Japan, which will pave the way to exchange metadata with international communities. The new system will also facilitate the import and export of data for a new interlibrary loan service in Japan.
Kinokuniya Company, OCLC's distributing partner in Japan, is working closely with OCLC and NII to move this project forward.
The cataloging project comes at a critical time in the evolution of metadata systems. Last year, OCLC Research published Transitioning to the Next Generation of Metadata, which traced how metadata services are transitioning into the "next generation of metadata." Opening Japanese library collections through this new cataloging infrastructure will present more opportunities for cooperation on a global scale.
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