Agenda item: 9
Share the Vision
OCLC and FAB Librariesupdate
Jon Hardisty, Senior Librarian: Digital Services, RNIB National Library Service
03 February 2011
1. Previous activity
1.1. OCLC is currently working on a new catalogue for UK public library books and materials, FAB Libraries (Find A Book in Libraries). This will be based on OCLC's existing WorldCat service, which contains records from libraries worldwide. FAB Libraries will be branded differently and will display records from UK Public Libraries only.
1.2. RNIB has met with OCLC to discuss including the former Revealweb data held by RNIB into the FAB Libraries catalogue. This would mean that accessible formats available for loan in the UK could be found in the same catalogue as all other UK library loan materials for the first time
2. Progress
2.1. FAB Libraries has launched at
2.2. RNIB has worked with OCLC to ensure a data load into FAB Libraries can be made on a monthly basis from the current RNIB catalogue, and this is now in process. This includes data from Calibre, Clearvision and National Blind Children’s Society that was formerly available as part of the Revealweb database.
2.3 RNIB, Clearvision and Calibre have met to discuss future upload of data when RNIB implements its new reading business system and have begun to make plans to ensure that the data will remain available in FAB Libraries. More recently, RNIB has visited Calibre, including a meeting to progress work on the processes that will need to be put in place.
2.4. RNIB National Library Service has submitted basic feedback to OCLC on accessibility of the FAB Libraries interface. Although the interface is not inaccessible, we felt there were potential improvements that could be made, particularly to clarity of search results. OCLC have indicated that work to make the Worldcat interface accessible to Section 508 standards has taken place at OCLC USA, but they are not certain how this translates to the FAB Libraries interface. RNIB have offered to facilitate a full audit of the site but OCLC did not think that there was a budget available for this. RNIB is awaiting further feedback from OCLC about these two elements, which I will pursue further this month.
Jon Hardisty
Senior Librarian, Digital Services
2 February 2012