Current AskQC office hours
AskQC@oclc.org (Ask Quality Control) is the longstanding email address to which catalogers can send questions to OCLC Metadata Quality staff about cataloging policies, standards, and practices.
OCLC cataloging community meeting
This virtual OCLC community event provides an opportunity to hear about important work by community members and learn about OCLC cataloging and metadata services. Visit the OCLC cataloging community event page for information on upcoming meetings and to access materials from past meetings.
AskQC office hours
Join OCLC Metadata Quality staff to discuss WorldCat quality issues and cataloging questions.
Time and call-in information for AskQC office hours
AskQC office hours. Return here for notification of time and date changes.
| Topic | Day/time (eastern) | Toll-free call-in number | Registration link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get more from your metadata: What’s new in MARC 3XX
Want to get more out of your cataloging data? Join us for the July Virtual AskQC Office Hours session for a practical look at recent updates in 3XX fields, with a focus on describing content, media, and supplementary characteristics. We’ll highlight emerging vocabularies, show how these elements connect to familiar practices, and share real-world examples. Walk away with practical ideas you can use right away to enhance your records and support better discovery. |
Tuesday, 14 July 2026 at 10:00 AM Eastern Thursday, 23 July 2026 at 4:00 PM Eastern |
US/Canada: 1-877-668-4490 |
14 July registration 23 July registration |
| Choosing a good class number: A closer look at ambiguous situations in DDC and LCC How do you chose the right class number in situations where small differences in topics can mean a big differences in classification numbers, e.g., rice as a crop vs. rice in cooking? Picking the correct number can be tricky, but it becomes easier when you understand what to look for and how to navigate the classification systems. Kate James and Alex Kyrios from OCLC will share some examples from two major classification systems, Library of Congress and Dewey, explaining why each number is the appropriate choice for a specific resource. |
Tuesday, 11 August 2026 at 10:00 AM Eastern Thursday, 20 August 2026 at 4:00 PM Eastern |
US/Canada: 1-877-668-4490 |
11 August registration 20 August registration |
| WorldCat knowledge base (KB) and managing e-resource collections A knowledge base (KB) collection in Collection Manager combines data about a library's e-resources with linking features. Join us to learn how using KB collections simplifies managing e-resources with automatic data updates, link resolvers and two-way record synchronization with many systems, including Alma. |
Tuesday, 13 October 2026 at 10:00 AM Eastern Thursday, 22 October 2026 at 4:00 PM Eastern |
US/Canada: 1-877-668-4490 |
13 October registration 22 October registration |
| Official RDA: What you see now and what to expect While the instructions may look very different, often the result in MARC records is familiar. MARC 21 changes, different implementation schedules, and other factors have made official RDA elements more common in WorldCat records than you might realize. Hayley Moreno and Kate James will discuss how current MARC fields correspond to official RDA, some differences you might see in data elements like carrier type, and what to expect in the next year. |
Tuesday, 3 November 2026 at 10:00 AM Eastern Thursday, 12 November 2026 at 4:00 PM Eastern |
US/Canada: 1-877-668-4490 |
3 November registration 12 November registration |