BIBLIOGRAPHIC UTILITIES
BIBLIOGRAPHIC UTILITIES ARE INFORMATION
VENDORS WHO PROVIDE A CENTRALIZED DATABASE
FOR LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION CENTERS TO
CATALOG, SHARE, AND RETRIEVE BIBLIOGRAPHIC
RECORDS ACCORDING TO NATIONAL AND/OR
INTERNATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHIC STANDARDS.
A DEFINITION OF BIBLIOGRAPHIC UTILITIES AS
GIVEN BY W. SAFFADY : “BIBLIOGRAPHIC
UTILITIES” IS THE COLLECTIVE NAME FOR A
GROUP OF COMPUTER SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS
THAT MAINTAIN LARGE DATA BASES OF
CATALOGING RECORDS, AND OFFER VARIOUS
CATALOGING SUPPORT SERVICES AND RELATED
PRODUCTS TO LIBRARIES AND OTHER CUSTOMERS
WHO ACCESS THOSE RECORDS ON AN ONLINE,
TIMESHARING BASIS.
 The data bases maintained by most bibliographic
utilities are essentially online union catalogs.
Bibliographic utility networks in most cases initially
obtained machine-readable cataloguing records from
either a national library (e.g. Library of Congress) or
any other subscription based sources or vendors.
Their union databases also comprise of
bibliographic records contributed by participating
libraries.
Their bibliographic records include two kinds of
information:
 (1) descriptive cataloguing and classification data in the
MARC (Machine-Readable Cataloguing) format
appropriate to the form of item being catalogued , and
 (2) holdings information for libraries that have
added specific items to their
collections.
Bibliography services and utilities are just that services
and utilities that:
 create a reference list of books,
 articles and non-published items that you have cited in
a written work.
For most written works in which you have cited another
author, as you know, you are required to give credit to
that other author by indicating within the paper where
you have cited from (work and page number or
weblink).
Bibliography services and utilities assemble:
 all of your citations, and
 create a works cited list that shows all the other
texts/sources that are referred to in your paper.
HOW A BIBLIOGRAPHIC UTILITY NETWORK IS
OPERATED
 A bibliographic utility has a number of member libraries.
Each institution contributes the bibliographic records of
its documents collection to the centralized database,
hosted and maintained by the bibliographic utility.
Only one record for a particular document is stored in
the union database, and duplication is checked before
entering into the database.
 If the bibliographic record of a document is already
available in the union database, only holding information
may be added. After creation of the union database, the
bibliographic utility generates a number of value
added information products or services, using the
same union database. These are again offered to the
member libraries for their clienteles, who are the end
users.
functions of bibliographic utility networks
• To serve member libraries in the region it operates with
high-quality cataloguing information and related
products or services for resource sharing and ooperation.
• To provide concurrent access to the bibliographic
databases on time-sharing basis, and to allow member
libraries contribute records of their own collection to
the union catalogues.
• To maintain the standard of bibliographic record format,
adopted by the national or international standardization
bodies.
• To provide an interface to each member library that
enables data communication between two systems.
• To rationally utilize information resources available
within a region or throughout the member communities,
so that constraints in collections of individual libraries
may be overcome.
 Advantages
 i) Bibliographic utility network gives access to the world of
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knowledge through large bibliographic databases contributed by a
number of member libraries.
ii) Bibliographic utility network provides tools to the member
libraries for addition and modification of bibliographic records.
iii) Bibliographic utility network supports standard machinereadable cataloguing (MARC) formats in order to maintain quality
of bibliographic records. Metadata used in these databases are well
accepted by the standardization authorities, e.g. MARC 21 format.
iv) Duplication of bibliographic record of a particular document
can be reduced, which saves the cost of cataloguing and technical
processing.
v) As the quantum of documents is generated worldwide in a
small period of time, a single library is unable to keep abreast of
all recent developments. Bibliographic utility may record most
recently published documents if any of such documents is available
to any of its member libraries.
 vi) The union catalogue of a bibliographic utility provides location
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information of a particular document, which helps in document delivery
service or interlibrary lending service from one member library (which
holds the document) to another member library Bibliographic Utility
Networks(which requires the document for its clientele).
vii) Bibliographic utility network helps in reducing costs of cataloguing
and technical processing in the face of increasingly tightened library
budgets.
viii) Online, real-time, location-independent applications become a reality
using modern information and communication technologies by a
bibliographic utility and its member libraries.
ix) A bibliographic utility network can support a diverse languages and
different forms of documents to be incorporated in the union database.
Multilingual and multimedia content in the bibliographic databases also
become possible.
x) Bibliographic information on unpublished or out-of-print documents
held by the member libraries of a bibliographic utility enhances the
scholarly communication.
xi) Bibliographic utility network helps in effective collection
management by various ways, for example, evaluation of a document’s
content, assessment of its popularity by availability.
xii) Bibliographic utility network serves as a most useful reference as well as
referral tool to member libraries for answering reference enquiries from the
clienteles.
Bibliographic Utilities:
Online Computer Library Center (OCLC)
 The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a "nonprofit,
membership, computer library service and research organization
dedicated to the public purpose of furthering access to the world's
information and reducing information costs.“
 [1] OCLC was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, a
library computer network among 54 college libraries in Ohio. In 1977,
OCLC opened its membership to libraries beyond the original Ohio
consortia, and changed its governance and its name from the Ohio
College Library Center to OCLC, Inc. and OCLC Online Computer
Library Center in 1981. Today, more than 60,000 libraries in 112
countries and territories around the world use OCLC services to locate,
acquire, catalog, lend and preserve library materials.
 [2] The organization was founded by Fred Kilgour, and its offices are
located in Dublin, Ohio.
 OCLC acquired NetLibrary, the largest eContent provider, in 2002 and
owns 100% of the shares of OCLC PICA, a library automation systems
and services company. The company has its headquarters in Leiden in
the Netherlands and was renamed into "OCLC" at the end of 2007.[3] In
June 2006, the Research Libraries Group (RLG) merged into OCLC.
OCLC Products
 Worldcat,
 NetLibrary,
 FirstSearch,
 Dewey Decimal Classification,
 VDX,
 WebJunction,
 Questionpoint
 WorldCat—the OCLC Online Union Catalog, the largest Online Public
Access Catalog (OPAC) in the world. WorldCat contains holding records
from most public and private libraries worldwide. WorldCat is available
through many libraries and university computer networks.
 The following are different services / division of OCLC
TITLE: OCLC Website
CREATOR: OCLC.
DESCRIPTION:
"Furthering access to the world's information and reducing information
costs are the goals of OCLC Online Computer Library Center,
Incorporated. OCLC is a nonprofit computer service and research
organization whose network and services link more than 30,000
libraries in 65 countries and territories. OCLC services help libraries
locate, acquire, catalog, access, and lend library materials."--About
OCLC. The site contains news announcements, products and services
description, support and user documentation, request forms, as well as
contact information.
KEYWORDS: oclc
TITLE: OCLC Access Services
CREATOR: OCLC.
DESCRIPTION:
Provides information on OCLC
telecommunication options, such
as dedicated TCP/IP access
method, and software to access
OCLC services.
KEYWORDS: oclc,
telecommunications, software,
services
TITLE: OCLC Collections &
Technical Services
CREATOR: OCLC.
DESCRIPTION:
Offers collection management,
cataloging, and authorities services
to member libraries. Provides
OCLC MARC documentation,
standards, codes, and forms.
Bibliographic Formats and
Standards
OCLC-MARC Code Lists
Country of Publication Codes
- Geographic Area Codes
- Language Codes
- Relator Codes
- Source Codes
- Description Conventions
OCLC Forms: Include Electronic
Bibliographic Change Report,
Electronic Duplicate Report,
Documentation/Software Request,
etc.
- Electronic Bibliographic Change
Report
- Electronic Duplicate Report
Technical Bulletins
News Releases
OCLC InterCat Catalog Records
LOCATION: OCLC Online Computer
Library Center, Inc., Dublin, Ohio
KEYWORDS: oclc, bibliographic,
technical, collection services
TITLE: OCLC Reference Services
CREATOR: OCLC.
DESCRIPTION:
 Provides information on the FirstSearch
service, Electronic Collections Online service,
SiteSearch software, and ContentsAlert service.
FirstSearch service: a collection of various
databases that includes full-text articles,
catalogs and citations of books, microforms,
software, and other material types, etc. Sample
databases, including the union catalog-WorldCat, are available for free access.
Electronic Collections Online service: "offers
Web access to a growing collection of more than
1,100 titles, an archiving solution, cross-journal
searching."--Title screen.
KEYWORDS: oclc, reference, firstsearch, eco,
services
TITLE: OCLC Resources Sharing Services
CREATOR: OCLC.
DESCRIPTION:
Provides information on OCLC interlibrary
loan, union lists, and document delivery
services.
KEYWORDS: oclc, interlibrary loan, union lists,
document delivery, services
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TITLE:
TITLE:CORC-Cooperative Online
Resources catalog
CREATOR: OCLC.
DESCRIPTION:
"CORC is a research project exploring
the cooperative creation and sharing of
metadata by libraries ... and CORC is
designed to help both libraries and
OCLC to move more quickly in coping
with the huge amount of material
becoming available on the World Wide
Web."--Titls screen.
KEYWORDS: internet resources catalog
TITLE: InterCat: Catalog of Internet
Resources
CREATOR: OCLC.
DESCRIPTION:
Records created by the OCLC project
"Building a catalog of Internet
resources", which initiates a
nationwide, coordinated effort among
libraries and institutions of higher
education to create, implement, test,
and evaluate a searchable database of
USMARC format bibliographic records,
complete with electronic location and
access information (USMARC field
856), for Internet-accessible materials.
 KEYWORDS: internet resources
TITLE: OCLC Internet Lists Web
Page
CREATOR: OCLC.
DESCRIPTION:
 Includes a form for subscribing to and
unsubscribing from OCLC e-mail lists
and for changing mailing addresses.
Lists such as DOC-L, INTERCAT,
OCLC-NEWS, TAPECHANGE-L, and
TECHBUL-L are availables.
KEYWORDS: oclc e-mail lists
TITLE: OCLC PURL
CREATOR: OCLC.
DESCRIPTION:
"A PURL is a Persistent Uniform
Resource Locator. Functionally, a PURL
is a URL. However, instead of pointing
directly to the location of an Internet
resource, a PURL points to an
intermediate resolution service.The
PURL resolution service associates the
PURL with the actual URL and returns
that URL to the client. The client can
then complete the URL transaction in the
TITLE: OCLC Participating
normal fashion. In Web parlance, this is
Institutions List
a standard HTTP redirect."--Title screen.
CREATOR: OCLC.
OCLC provides free download of the
DESCRIPTION:
PURL software.
Searchable by OCLC symbol, institution KEYWORDS: url, purl
name, network, city, state, country, and
postal code.
KEYWORDS: oclc participating
institutions
TITLE:OCLC USER & NETWORK SUPPORT
CREATOR: OCLC.
DESCRIPTION: USER SUPPORT CONTACT INFORMATION.
KEYWORDS: OCLC E-MAIL LISTS
TITLE: PASSPORT MACROS
CREATOR: OCLC.
DESCRIPTION:
INCLUDES OCLC-SUPPORTED AND USER-SUPPLIED MACROS FOR
PASSPORT FOR WINDOWS.
KEYWORDS: PASSPORT FOR WINDOWS, MACROS
BIBLIOGRAPHIC UTILITIES:
RESEARCH LIBRARIES GROUP (RLG)
TITLE: RLG WWW
DESCRIPTION:
OFFERS INFORMATION ON RLG PRODUCTS AND
SERVICES. EUREKA, ARIEL, CITADEL, ZEPHYR, RLIN EVENTS
AND WORKSHOPS, RLG JOB OPPORTUNITIES, AND OTHER RLG
SERVICES CAN BE SEARCHED BY KEYWORDS.
KEYWORDS: BIBLIOGRAPHIC SERVICE, RLIN, WEB SITE
TITLE: EUREKA ON THE WEB
DESCRIPTION:
EUREKA PROVIDES INTERNET USERS EASY ACCESS VIA
TELNET TO RLG'S WIDE ARRAY OF RLIN BIBLIOGRAPHIC AND
CITADEL ARTICLE-CITATION DATABASES.
KEYWORDS: BIBLIOGRAPHIC SERVICE, EUREKA
TITLE: Readable Libraries Information
Network (RLIN)
DESCRIPTION:
An information management and retrieval
system used by hundreds of
comprehensive research libraries, archival
repositories, museums, academic, public,
law, technical, and corporate libraries for
cataloging, interlibrary loan, and archives
and manuscripts control, and to build an
international database of bibliographic
information which includes: Bibliographic
database - an online union catalog of more
than 63 million items, reflecting combined
holdings of members of The Research
Libraries Group, Inc. (RLG) and other
RLIN users; ESTC -- The English Short
Title Catalogue; Authority files - the
Library of Congress's Name Authority and
Subject Authority files and the Art and
Architecture Thesaurus; and Special
databases such as SCIPIO (Art Sales
Catalog Database) and the RLG
Conspectus Online. All of them can be
searched via Eureka (easy-to-use
interface), via Zephyr (Z39.50 client), and
via RLIN (library technical processing
functions).
KEYWORDS: bibliographic service, rlin,
catalog
TITLE: Zephyr
DESCRIPTION:
"Zephyr provides a Z39.50 server for
RLG's databases that can be accessed
by any Z39.50 client. Zephyr lets users
of other online systems search RLIN
bibliographic, the ESTC English Short
Title Catalogue, and CitaDel files using
the same commands they use to search
their own local catalogs or
bibliographic utilities, and to display
information from these files in familiar,
local formats." Configuration
information for Zephyr can be found on
the Web.
Bibliographic Utilities:
Western Library Network (WLN)
TITLE: WLN Home Page
DESCRIPTION:
"WLN provides a broad range of innovative, high
quality technical and database services to public
libraries, K- 12, college, university, corporate, legal,
and medical libraries as well as other institutions
throughout North America and abroad.... WLN's
union catalog contains over 11 million bibliographic
records and over 22 million local library holdings."-About WLN.
KEYWORDS: bibliographic service, wln, web site
Bibliographic Utilities:
Non-US Bibliographic Services
TITLE: British Library national Bibliographic
Services (NBS)
DESCRIPTION:
NBS distributes the records of the national imprint
through the British National Bibliography, which is
published in print, as an online database and on CDROM. NBS also provides online access to over 17
million bibliographic records in 22 databases, covering
printed material from all ages and all cultures. The
BLAISE-LINE databases include catalogues of British
Library collections, the Library of Congress catalogue
and other major bibliographic files.
KEYWORDS: bibliographic service, great britain
Bibliographic Utility
SKY RIVER
ALTERNATIVE TO OCLC CATALOGING ALREADY IN SOME
LIBRARIES
FEWER RECORDS, EMPHASIS ON QUALITYCOPY CATALOGING
RECORD SEARCH AND NOTIFICATION INCLUDED
UNLIKE WORLDCAT, SKYRIVER IS A FOCUSED RESOURCE
POPULATED WITH THE BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORDS LIBRARIES
NEED FOR THEIR CURRENT CATALOGING OPERATIONS.
SKYRIVER FOLLOWS A MULTI-LEVEL APPROACH TO ITS
BIBLIOGRAPHIC SERVICE, AND INCLUDES RECORD DELIVERY
AND NOTIFICATION CAPABILITIES—FEATURES IT IS LIKELY TO
RELY ON HEAVILY, AT LEAST INITIALLY, GIVEN THE MODEST
SIZE OF ITS INITIAL RECORDS DATABASE.
Philippine Patent Online Search
System (PhilPAT)
 Philippine Patent Online Search System (PhilPAT) enables you to
conduct a simple and user-friendly search on its Database
containing the Bibliographic Data with searchable fields of
information such as Titles, Application/Patent Numbers, Abstracts
and Representative Drawings, if any, of IP Philippines granted and
published pending patent documents.
 While the Database is still in the process of completion, its present
contents are already very useful for patent search purposes. The
search results may not show completely the information contained
in the patent document(s), but they can already suggest or indicate
whether or not to proceed with the actual inspection of the full
document at the IP Philippines Library.
 The PhilPAT is part of the e-Government Program of the
Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines or IP Philippines
under its Industrial Property Digital Library for Patents (IPDLPatents) Project.
Mission: LibraryLink is a one-stop resource center for Filipiniana resources. It aims
to provide one search engine or point of entry for researchers and students who are
doing research on Filipiniana. LibraryLink provides a venue for interaction among
researchers, library professionals, people from the publishing industry and the
academe.
 Members (as of March 19, 2011): 110 institutions.
No. of records (as of March 17, 2011): 255,028 records
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