OCLC has established a strategic partnership with Sustainable Collection Services, LLC, an organization founded by the principals of R2 Consulting, that leverages WorldCat Data to help libraries intelligently manage their print monograph collections.

Sustainable Collection Services (SCS) makes use of the WorldCat Search API to provide decision-support for collection assessment, deselection, and shared print projects. The firm's data-driven services enable carefully-managed drawdown of low-use print monographs while supporting resource sharing and print archiving efforts.

The SCS service leverages WorldCat data, the largest aggregation of bibliographic data in the world, as a primary source for deselection metadata. Access to this data is enabled by the OCLC WorldShare Platform, which exposes OCLC's Web services and data for use and reuse by third party partners.

This strategic partnership reflects OCLC's commitment to provide broader access to the Platform environment and WorldCat data. Partners like SCS can take advantage of the same infrastructure that OCLC uses to build and maintain its own services, providing libraries with an extended range of application options that take advantage of the same core data.

The SCS service will complement current OCLC offerings to help libraries analyze their collections, joining WorldCat Collection Analysis and a wide range of reports that are currently available using the OCLC Stats.org tool.

"OCLC's work with Sustainable Collection Services illustrates the value of building partnerships in service to libraries using the OCLC WorldShare Platform," said Chip Nilges, OCLC Vice President, Business Development. "OCLC considers all types of partnerships that add value to the library community. Working with WorldCat, Sustainable Collection Services is better equipped to make the right recommendations for libraries and their lending partners."

"WorldCat holdings data is central to a well-coordinated print management project," notes Rick Lugg, President of SCS. "Responsible deselection relies on knowledge of the collective collection, and WorldCat is the single best source for that information. OCLC has been enormously helpful during our first year of operation, streamlining access to library holdings through its WorldCat API. Our strategic partnership builds on that foundation and broadens the scope of our collaboration, enabling SCS to develop an innovative collection analytics application. My partners and I at SCS look forward to exploring the full potential of the OCLC WorldShare Platform."

Sustainable Collection Services was formed just over a year ago. In the first year of operation, it has worked with more than a dozen academic libraries and consortia across the country to consult on print management strategies, and to generate withdrawal and preservation candidate lists based on library-defined criteria.

About Sustainable Collection Services LLC:
Sustainable Collection Services (SCS) provides tools and advice to support data-driven deselection of monographs. Founded in January 2011 by Rick Lugg and Ruth Fischer of R2 Consulting, along with partners Andy Breeding and Eric Redman, SCS focuses on collection analytics. The company’s services enable libraries to analyze circulation and holdings data, and to generate actionable title lists for withdrawal, storage, preservation, and shared print archiving. (www.sustainablecollections.com)

About OCLC
Founded in 1967, OCLC is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing library costs. More than 72,000 libraries in 170 countries have used OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend, preserve and manage library materials. Researchers, students, faculty, scholars, professional librarians and other information seekers use OCLC services to obtain bibliographic, abstract and full-text information when and where they need it. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the world’s largest online database for discovery of library resources. Search WorldCat.org on the Web at www.worldcat.org. For more information, visit the OCLC website at www.oclc.org.