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How the expanded program affects coursework, access to tools, and metadata careers
Library school has long split between reading about cataloging rules and working in a live shared bibliographic system. OCLC's October 22, 2026 expansion of its LIS Education Program, reported by Information Today, narrows that gap. The 45-year-old program now adds Meridian alongside its existing Connexion, WebDewey, and WorldShare Record Manager.
For students, the practical questions are who qualifies, how access works, and how to confirm a school participates. Access runs through the program, not individual signup.
Employers increasingly expect new graduates to arrive with hands-on familiarity with these workflows, especially in technical services and metadata roles.
For more than 45 years, OCLC's Library and Information Science (LIS) Education Program has connected MLIS classrooms with the tools working librarians use every day. The announced expansion adds next-generation library workflows, so students gain hands-on experience with real-world library systems rather than only reading about them.
The practical shift matters because cataloging and metadata assignments can now stretch from traditional records to linked data. Faculty can design exercises in Connexion, WebDewey, and WorldShare Record Manager alongside Meridian, an OCLC linked data service. That combination mirrors the direction many library workflows are moving, where records connect to broader web data.
For programs outside the OCLC LIS Education Program, the effect may be a practical-skills gap. Students can study linked data concepts in lectures, yet without live access to these services, they may be less familiar with the specific workflows employers expect on day one. Prospective students should treat hands-on OCLC access as a meaningful piece of an MLIS program.
These four OCLC services give MLIS students practice with the cataloging, classification, authority, linked data, and record management tasks they are likely to encounter in modern technical services work. WorldCat connects the tools as the shared bibliographic environment, so work in these services reinforces a common record ecosystem.
| Service | What It Does | Skill Students Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Connexion | Enables students to create and edit bibliographic and authority records. | Creating and editing high-quality bibliographic and authority records. |
| Meridian | Supports creating and connecting linked data entities and enriching metadata by linking to existing values in MARC records. | Building linked data connections and connecting metadata to existing MARC record values. |
| WebDewey | Provides access to the Dewey Decimal Classification system and current DDC numbers. | Using current DDC numbers to practice classifying library materials. |
| WorldShare Record Manager | Searches WorldCat for matching records to speed copy cataloging and creates or enriches WorldCat items. | Searching WorldCat bibliographic and authority records while creating and editing records. |
Eligibility for the OCLC LIS Education Program is a school-level arrangement, not something individual students can sign up for on their own. Access runs through a participating LIS program, and deans, directors, or faculty request it for classroom instructional purposes.
OCLC lists three recognized U.S. paths: ALA-accredited master's LIS programs; bachelor's or higher LIS programs recognized by ALA or ACRL; and library technician certificate or associate degree programs recognized by ALA, ACRL, or AASL. OCLC also lists an "Other U.S. LIS Programs" category but does not publish additional criteria for it. For non-U.S. programs, eligibility is determined regionally by OCLC staff; no universal international checklist is stated.
A school registers through the OCLC LIS Education Program Registration and Service Request Form, using one form per OCLC service. If approved, the school receives a service agreement signed at the program or institution level, and only one agreement is required per program or institution. Credentials run from June 1 to May 31 and require an annual application; renewal communications begin around March 1.
OCLC's LIS Education Program page is the authoritative source for current terms and the registration form. Program contact is Nancy Lensenmayer, Program Lead, Education and Engagement.
Access to Connexion, Meridian, WebDewey, and WorldShare Record Manager generally starts with a conversation, not an individual signup. Because OCLC issues one service agreement per program or institution, students should ask the program director or the cataloging and technical services instructor whether the school participates and which courses build assignments around these tools.
Deans, directors, or faculty submit the request, with one form per service, so students do not apply directly. Approved programs receive reduced-cost or no-cost access for classroom instruction. Student access is intended for instructional workflows: Connexion and WorldShare Record Manager provide cataloging-level access for creating and editing bibliographic and authority records, Meridian supports creating and connecting linked data entities, and WebDewey supports DDC classification practice.
Credentials run on an annual cycle from June 1 through May 31, and renewals begin around March 1. Students should confirm the current term's login details with their instructor, because OCLC materials do not specify whether every student receives an individual login or whether credentials are shared at the class level. For distance or online students, OCLC describes eligibility through a participating program but does not publish a separate remote-access policy, so it is worth confirming how remote access works with the program.
The program aims to help LIS schools give students practical skills and experience with real-world library systems and workflows.
OCLC’s LIS Education Program page explains eligibility and how faculty apply, but as of 2026 OCLC does not publish a named list of participating schools, and individual course pages may not make tool access visible. Ask these questions before you commit.
Learning why a record is structured a certain way matters more than learning one vendor's buttons, because the next interface will ask the same questions.
