About Andrew K. Pace
Putting the World in WorldCat
Posted On Jul 3 2007Seems like a guy can barely put a print column to bed before there’s another change in the library automation landscape. Back (and exhausted) from ALA, I gleefully submitted my column copy for the August issue of the magazine (during the day even, and not the few minutes before midnight on the day of my deadline as usual) when what should appear but another press release from OCLC. With this much e-mail, Bob Murphy should be on my buddy list! OCLC has just purchased the remaining shares of OCLC PICA, the European arm of the library cooperative. OCLC PICA was …
Annual, Day Two & Three: News from the Field
Posted On Jun 24 2007The names are changin’, deals are a-happenin’, and the grant money is flowing. More Names I sometimes wonder if there is still a niche market left in the library automation industry. If I had been smart, I would have started selling business cards. From an environmental angle, I wonder how many landfills we are filling up with all the old ones. Get ready to start seeing some new cards soon. Some name changes make sense. Others, I am never so sure about. Here are the bigs ones this season. ProQuest has a new name. It’s ProQuest. Nope, you read that …
Annual, Day One: Homecoming
Posted On Jun 22 2007My first day in Washington for the ALA Annual Conference. I was born in this city and have so far not been reminded why I wanted so badly to leave. It’s nice when the nostalgia lingers. D.C. is a great city, but it can also be hard to live in a place where the barometer changes substantially every 4–8 years. I grew up in the burbs, but I still miss things about this place—the culture, serious politics, and some of the people. I miss the Washington Post. As I write this, I am actually squatting on the exhibit hall floor—it’s amazing …