Hanging Together - the OCLC Research blog

A close-up view of a keyboard illuminated by vibrant, multicolored LED backlighting. The keys display a range of bright hues, including red, green, blue, and purple, creating a striking contrast against the dark background. The focus is on specific keys, such as "Alt" and symbols, with the lighting emphasizing their contours and making them visually prominent. The scene conveys a modern and tech-oriented aesthetic.

Artificial intelligence to support metadata workflows: an OCLC RLP working group

May 14, 2025May 14, 2025 - by Merrilee Proffitt - Leave a Comment

Discover how an OCLC RLP working group is exploring the power of AI to streamline workflows, tackle backlogs, and enhance collection descriptions. This work includes exploring key challenges, best practices, and ethical approaches to integrating AI into metadata management.

Collaboration / Libraries Archives and Museums / Research Library Partnership / Research support

Timeless lessons on collaboration from OCLC Research

May 12, 2025May 12, 2025 - by Rebecca Bryant - Leave a Comment

Revisiting Beyond Silos of the LAMS, a report that remains essential reading on library collaboration

Silver skeleton keys on a brown wooden table

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) / Metadata / Renovating Descriptive Practice / Research Library Partnership

Reimagine Descriptive Workflows in the UK and Ireland: An OCLC RLP community-informed discussion

May 6, 2025May 6, 2025 - by Merrilee Proffitt - Leave a Comment

OCLC RLP convenings illuminate how UK and Irish libraries are reimagining descriptive workflows to create welcoming spaces for all users.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Open Access / Research Library Partnership / Research support

Open research as a strategic priority: Insights from an OCLC RLP leadership roundtable

April 14, 2025April 14, 2025 - by Rebecca Bryant - Leave a Comment

Is open research a strategic priority for research libraries? For their parent institutions? Learn what we heard from library leaders in a recent RLP leadership roundtable.

Identifiers / Linked Data / Metadata / Metadata Managers / Research Library Partnership

Linked data for metadata operations: An RLP Product Insights session summary

April 10, 2025April 11, 2025 - by Annette Dortmund - Leave a Comment

In a OCLC RLP Products Insights session, metadata experts met to explore challenges, options and potential future scenarios for linked data in library workflows with an eye to improving metadata operations.

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Archives and Special Collections / Research Library Partnership

Resource-sensitive collecting and Total Cost of Stewardship: Insights from the RLP Special Collections Leadership Roundtable

April 9, 2025April 8, 2025 - by Chela Scott Weber - Leave a Comment

RLP leaders discuss how institutions are moving to more resource sensitive collecting practices in archives and special collections.

Archives and Special Collections / Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) / Research Library Partnership / Research support

OCLC Research Library Partnership update

April 3, 2025April 3, 2025 - by Constance Malpas - Leave a Comment

An update on the activities of the OCLC RLP: what partners value, current activities, and future directions.

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Archives and Special Collections / Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI)

Advancing IDEAs: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, 1 April 2025

April 1, 2025April 1, 2025 - by Merrilee Proffitt - Leave a Comment

In this edition: building spaces of solidarity and connection; recommendations for gender identity in archival descriptions; inclusivity to support psychologically safe environments.

Photo of a team of rowers on ocean waves

Research Library Partnership / Research support / Social Interoperability

Lessons learned from implementing a research support hub in the library

March 31, 2025April 2, 2025 - by Rebecca Bryant - Leave a Comment

Implementing a cross-unit partnership is hard. This post shares lessons learned from operationalizing a multi-unit research support hub in the Montana State University Library.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Linked Data / Metadata / Metadata Managers / Research Library Partnership

Activating URIs in linky MARC: an OCLC RLP discussion summary

March 20, 2025March 20, 2025 - by Annette Dortmund - Leave a Comment

As libraries work to a linked data future there are challenges in activating URIs within MARC records due to time constraints, tool limitations, and uncertainty about user needs. In a recent OCLC RLP discussion, metadata experts explored the technical, social, and AI-driven aspects of integrating linked data into library workflows.