Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service has recently joined the 'OCLC Research Library Partnership' (ORLP).  Stellenbosch University is OCLC's first Research Library Partner in South Africa.

What exactly is the 'OCLC Research Library Partnership' (ORLP)?  And what is 'OCLC'?

The 'OCLC Research Library Partnership' (ORLP) is a global alliance of like-minded institutions that focuses on making operational processes more efficient and shapes new scholarly services. The ORLP tagline is: 'Connecting you to a shared future; cooperative innovation that makes your library more valuable, operating processes more efficient, and shapes new distinctive services'.  Currently, 170 partner institutions from around the world participate in the ORLP.

'OCLC' is a worldwide library cooperative, which is owned, governed and sustained by members.  It has been in existence since 1967. OCLC's purpose is to work together to improve access to the information held in libraries around the globe, and to find ways to reduce costs for libraries through collaboration.

Some of the exciting benefits and opportunities of the ORLP include:

• The opportunity to work with similarly motivated institutions to collaboratively address changing architectural, workflow and service issues.
• Invitations to working groups that focus on high-priority needs and issues.
• Invitations to programmes, educational events and symposia.
• Working on common interests with colleagues across the world—and across sectors.
• Sharing collections and continuing to build and refine resource-sharing capacities.
• Improving the management of the cultural and scholarly record.
• Contributing to the developing practices and economics of research information description.
• Benefiting from data mining efforts to improve service and inform management of collections.
• Helping to form community views of best practices in a range of key areas.
• Active engagement in the collaborative design of a collective future.

'SHARES', a resource sharing group, gives faculty, students and staff of member institutions on-site access to collections and services at other SHARES institutions. This international sharing partnership will potentially expand and enhance Stellenbosch University's local collections with materials owned by partners throughout the world.

What will Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service contribute to the partnership? Enthusiastic participation and engagement with colleagues at other institutions will ensure mutual benefit for all in the partnership.  For example, serving on working groups is an excellent way to learn and to establish relationships with colleagues at other institutions. Joining the discussion lists is a good way to learn of these opportunities.  Whilst the geographic distances and time zones that separate SU from most partners are significant, Library staff are certain to rise to the challenge and make use of the opportunity.  Mutual effort will be needed to reach out and engage: the reciprocal benefits are potentially enormous!