UNITED STATES DOCUMENTS IN AN ON-LINE UNION CATALOG

This paper describes use of the Ohio College Library Center (OCLC) on-line union calolog and its check-in subsystem in a pilot project centering on the United States documents collection in a large university library. The project extended from the fall of 1974 through July 1976. In August 1976 it became apparent that the process and its product were no longer "experimental" or a "project" but had become part of the library's normal operation, accepted by staff and by users. Activities covered are destined to evolve with expanding capabilities of OCLC, and will certainly be dependent upon the new MARC format, Monthly Catalog. Nevertheless, at this time, a large, viable collection of depository and nondepository items, many timely, are processed and on the shelf, available immediately through the public service terminals by entry and title, and are used by patrons with no access to card files relating to these materials.