OCLC acquires the assets of Openly Informatics

OCLC acquires the assets of Openly Informatics: "DUBLIN, Ohio, January 3, 2006-OCLC Online Computer Library Center, the world's largest library cooperative, has purchased the assets of Openly Informatics, a leading provider of linking software and services for the library market, so that both organizations can strengthen their products and services to benefit OCLC libraries and clients of Openly Informatics.

Openly Informatics' 1.2 million-record database of linking metadata for electronic resources will be used to enrich OCLC WorldCat, the world's largest database of bibliographic information. The enhanced records will improve WorldCat applications such as FirstSearch WorldCat, WorldCat Resource Sharing, WorldCat Collection Analysis and Open WorldCat.

OCLC WorldCat, in turn, will extend the Openly Informatics database by contributing metadata covering materials in other electronic formats,including electronic books, digital audio books, digital theses and dissertations.

'One of our key objectives is to help libraries manage their digital collections as effectively as we have helped them manage their print collections,' said Mike Teets, Vice President, OCLC Global Product Architecture. 'This agreement with Openly Informatics is a fundamental component in our effort to build a union catalog of electronic content
in WorldCat.'"