2014 Charleston Library Conference

Library consortia or networks are the driver of shared cataloging in Germany. The federated system of six regional consortia which has been in operation for many years is highly sophisticated and professional. As members of these networks, libraries are allowed to align or to adjust the bibliographic records in their regional databases. Good library skills and big technical efforts are needed in order to maintain a high level of data quality. Combining Ex Libris' ALMA and OCLC's WMS will require the German library networks to change completely. The databases of the six library networks will move or may even vanish in the next generation systems. World-Cat will be primary for cataloging which is new for German libraries. Obviously, our librarians are wondering whether World-Cat will meet their demands and needs. For ALMA users Ex Libris is offering a “network zone”, which will hopefully transmit the German network philosophy into the ALMA cloud. But the opportunities of shared cataloguing between the both platforms will be reduced. Is this cooperation with World-Cat the best approach for us all, especially for the ALMA-Libraries? Are the cataloguing procedures of World-Cat really suitable for the German libraries? Which cataloging requirements and which quality levels are acceptable and necessary from the librarians' perspective? These and many other questions are have to be dealt with in the interest of further transatlantic cooperation.