>> I think the real "competition" needs to come from within...librarians
>> involved with OCLC on various levels need to lobby for change at the
>> corporate level.
>
> That assumes that there is a significant number of OCLC members that is
> unhappy with OCLC's services and policies. We heard from the unhappy members
> during the policy mess -- but we don't know how they stack up against those
> that are happy with the service they are getting.
Even if they are unhappy, one of the key differences between a
membership organization and a traditional vendor is that unhappy
members have options other than just walking away. The policy mess is
an example of the process working as it should. Many members made it
clear that OCLC screwed up, and things will be better as a result.
SkyRiver and other services may be a good thing to prevent complacency
and encourage innovation. However, as a discipline, we already
dedicate disproportionate resources to book like materials and one off
processes associated with things that represent a shrinking percentage
of what patrons actually use. That's not good for patrons, libraries,
or vendors.
kyle
Received on Fri Oct 09 2009 - 12:51:46 EDT