OCLC Data Sync at Princeton

Princeton’s Cataloging and Metadata Services recently completed a two-phase project to reconcile our holdings with OCLC. The first phase was completed in August 2022 when PUL began sending records to OCLC via Data Sync. The second phase concluded in January 2024 with the activation of automatic updates from OCLC to Alma. Both phases were the successful outcomes of intensive deliberation and iterative data reviews. Borrowing heavily from our generous colleagues at Harvard, Princeton’s workflows, decision-making processes, and lessons learned may in turn provide further guidance and inspiration to other institutions undertaking this significant step toward optimized discovery. A concise overview of our configurations within WorldShare and Alma will be shared, along with detailed documentation for further study and reference.