OCLC PICA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

OCLC PICA is a library automation systems and services company which originated from a co-operation of the Dutch Pica foundation (Stichting Pica) and the U.S. non-profit library company OCLC Online Computer Library Center.

The Pica Foundation was created in 1969 as an initiative of the National Library of the Netherlands (Koninklijke Bibliotheek) and several university libraries, in order to advance common cataloguing and automation. The acronym PICA stands for Project for Integrated Catalogue Automation.

In December 1997 Pica became part-owned by OCLC, and this was further consolidated in January 2002, at which time OCLC PICA also became responsible for all of OCLC's activities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Currently, OCLC holds 60% of the shares in OCLC PICA, while the Pica foundation holds 40%.

In 2005 OCLC PICA acquired Sisis Information Systems (Germany) and the Fretwell Downing Informatics Group (UK). OCLC PICA employs over 200 people.

OCLC PICA software is used by the Netherlands union catalog, several German library consortia (including GBV, Hebis and SWB), the Australian national library, the French union catalog SUDOC and many other libraries. Sisis and Fretwell Downing also have many notable customers in Germany, the UK and worldwide.

(This information is based on a rough translation of the German Wikipedia page 'PICA'.) [1]

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