OCLC and FamilySearch partnership
will combine resources for richer
genealogy research experience
will combine resources for richer
genealogy research experience
DUBLIN, Ohio, January 31, 2013 — OCLC and FamilySearch
International, the largest genealogy organization in the world, have signed an
agreement that will enrich WorldCat and FamilySearch services with data from
both organizations to provide users with more resources for improved genealogy
research.
Under this new partnership, OCLC will incorporate data from
FamilySearch’s catalog of genealogical materials into WorldCat, and FamilySearch
will use OCLC cataloging services to continue to catalog its collections in
WorldCat. FamilySearch will also use the WorldCat Search API to incorporate
WorldCat results into search results returned by FamilySearch genealogy
services.
“We’re excited to see information about FamilySearch holdings
more broadly circulated, and to inform our own patrons about genealogical
holdings available outside our network,” said Jake Gehring, FamilySearch’s
Director of Data Operations.
“This combination of genealogical and bibliographic resources
will be of enormous benefit to librarians and library users as well as
genealogists,” said Jay Jordan, OCLC President and CEO. “OCLC and FamilySearch
are organizations with similar goals—to connect people to knowledge and
information through cooperation. We look forward to working with FamilySearch.”
FamilySearch, historically known as the Genealogical Society
of Utah, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and
preservation of family histories and stories, introducing individuals to their
ancestors through the widespread access to records, and collaborating with
others who share this vision.
The collections of FamilySearch include historic documents of
genealogical value such as civil registration records; church records; and probate,
census, land, tax and military records. The collection also contains compiled
sources such as family histories, clan and lineage genealogies, oral pedigrees
and local histories. FamilySearch has also been a pioneer in the use of
technology and processes for image capture, digital conversion, preservation,
online indexing and online access. FamilySearch has operated on OCLC’s OLIB
library management system since 1996 to manage the vast metadata in its
catalog.
FamilySearch offers a unique service to users around the world
through its network of more than 4,600 family history centers. In each center,
trained FamilySearch volunteers provide individualized help for family history patrons
seeking access to records and the information they contain.
WorldCat is the
world’s most comprehensive database of library materials. Updated at a rate of
nearly one new record every second, WorldCat is a cooperatively-created catalog
of items held in thousands of libraries worldwide, including public, academic,
state and national libraries; archives; and historical societies. These
libraries have cataloged their regular collections as well as many special
collections—including digitized materials—devoted to local history. This makes
WorldCat an indispensible tool for genealogy research.
Find more about FamilySearch or search its resources online at
FamilySearch.org. More about
WorldCat is on the OCLC website.
Search WorldCat.org on the Web at www.worldcat.org.
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