OCLC partners with King Abdulaziz Public Library in Saudi Arabi to make Arabic-language resources available through WorldCat.org

DUBLIN, Ohio, November 21, 2010 — OCLChas added more than 1.2 million brief bibliographic records to WorldCat.org for materials held by Arab libraries, records that represent the complete catalog of theArabic Union Catalog (AUC) maintained in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Each record from the AUC in WorldCat.org contains brief bibliographic information for items held by AUC members with a link to the full record and holdings information in the Arabic Union Catalog.

WorldCat, the world’s most comprehensive database of resources in libraries, currently includes 1.4 million records coded for Arabic language (ara) and more than 710,000 records containing true Arabic script. OCLC member libraries contribute to WorldCat to further access to the world’s information through library cooperation. Anyone can searchWorldCat.org through the Web.

The Arabic Union Catalog, launched in November 2006, is an initiative of theKing Abdulaziz Public Library. The AUC is a non-profit, library services organization dedicated to providing a cooperative space particularly for those libraries worldwide that collect, manage and disseminate materials written in the Arabic language. The union catalog itself is the first realization by an Arab organization to produce and make available a reliable source of high-quality, standardized bibliographic material in the Arabic language.

“This cooperation is the result of the perseverance and commitment of the King Abdulaziz Public Library and OCLC to work together,” said Arthur Smith, OCLC’s Director for the Middle East. “We are fortunate to benefit from the experience, the dedication and the knowledge of our partners in the Arab world. Making available the links to the Arab Union Catalog in WorldCat.org assists in exposing the resources of hundreds of Middle Eastern libraries to the worldwide community.”
The General Secretary of the King Abdulaziz Public library, Faisal bin Abdulrahman bin Muammar, has reaffirmed the importance of making information about Arab and Islamic culture more accessible. The General Secretary emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation with international institutions, information providers and libraries throughout the world, and noted the vital role played by OCLC in serving Arab culture and Arab libraries.
“This is an exciting advance for researchers and scholars around the world,” said Jay Jordan, President and Chief Executive Officer, OCLC. “We at OCLC are honored to work with the King Abdulaziz Public Library on this project of far-reaching importance.”

The technical development and operational support of the AUC is the responsibility ofArabian Advanced Systems (AAS). Headquartered in Riyadh with branches in several Middle Eastern countries, AAS is the regional leader in computerized services for libraries. AAS has been OCLC’s partner for technical assistance, marketing and sales since 1996. “We are privileged and honored to contribute to the realization of AUC, this valuable and truly cooperative service, serving the Arabic culture,” commented A. Al-Abduljabbar, AAS Executive President.

About King Abdulaziz Public Library
Established in 1985, King Abdulaziz Public Library is a philanthropic institution, founded and supported by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of its Board of Directors. The main goal of KAPL is to meet the different educational and information needs of its patrons, scholars, researchers, students, women and children. As one of KAPL main projects, the Arabic Union Catalog (AUC) is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service dedicated to create a cooperative space for all libraries with Arabic collections. It allows libraries to share their experience and download high quality bibliographic and authorities Arabic records.

About OCLC
Founded in 1967, OCLC is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing library costs. More than 72,000 libraries in 170 countries have used OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend, preserve and manage library materials. Researchers, students, faculty, scholars, professional librarians and other information seekers use OCLC services to obtain bibliographic, abstract and full-text information when and where they need it. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the world’s largest online database for discovery of library resources. SearchWorldCat.org on the Web. For more information, visit theOCLC website.