Use case 7: Upload bibliographic records to a union catalogue

Supply

Description

Member libraries upload their catalogues to the union, from where they are available to any members. Some union catalogues (eg COPAC) are publicly available.

Record flow

Member libraries "supply" records to the union, and the union supplies records to its members or makes them available to others.The types of record flow are described in detail here.

Current examples

RLUK, COPAC and Suncat have all achieved a good level of membership in the UK, particularly amongst the research-focused institutions. OCLC is the world’s largest union catalogue, but has less uptake in the UK.

Discussion

Union catalogues are an established part of the landscape, and their use is accepted – explicitly or implicitly. Suppliers have a consistent view that uploading bibliographic records that relate to a library’s holdings to a non-profit union catalogue is permissible. Unions such as OCLC, which make direct charges for the use of bibliographic records cause conceptual difficulties; the role that they play in the wider record ecosystem is still developing.

Please note that the legal implications for your institution of this use case will depend upon your specific contractual relationships - for more information see the discussion of suppliers' and libraries' current viewpoints on what is allowable, and the legal environment. 

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