n.a database for interinstitutional exchange of descriptions of library and archival resources, especially one supported financially by subscription and/or usage feesMorton 1986, 27The availability of MARC bibliographic records has spurred the growth of regional library networks and bibliographic utilities such as OCLC (originally the Ohio College Library Center, now the Online Computer Library Center), RLG (the Research Libraries Group), and WLN (Washington Library Network).Bearman 1989a, 27Although no one suggested that archival materials would be copy cataloged, the bibliographic utilities were willing to consider archival information exchange in the hopes of realizing a secondary, if marginal, benefit. By including archival and manuscript holdings of their member institutions within their databases, they could support an integrated catalog for member libraries.Stielow, Hankins, and Jones 1995, 467Many archives are linked to bibliographic utilities with costly annual fees and incur additional charges whenever they update records for growing collections.Breeding 2009A new company called SkyRiver has launched a bibliographic utility, directly challenging long-dominant OCLC. Over the last 18 years, strategic acquisitions by OCLC have narrowed competition, but SkyRiver—founded by Jerry Kline, the owner and co-founder of Innovative Interfaces—aims to expand the market and offer an alternative bibliographic utility for cataloging that could save libraries up to 40 percent off their expenditures for bibliographic services.
Notes
The emergence and growth of bibliographic utilities was tied inextricably to the widespread adoption of MARC.
