Originating in 1977 as the OCLC-SIS, the Online Bibliographic Services Special Interest Section (OBS-SIS) broadened its scope to include all bibliographic utilities and local online systems. The OBS-SIS membership is diverse, embracing staff from both public and technical services who serve in law libraries of every type and size. The section addresses the professional concerns and interests of its members, extending across all organizational boundaries. The section's interests include all aspects of national and local bibliographic online systems, including public access to bibliographic data, technical services functions, interlibrary loan services, and the integration within local systems of data from remote sources.
The OBS-SIS provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and information on the use and capabilities of various online bibliographic services (including OCLC) and on local automated library systems. In addition, the section explores ways that emerging technologies can be integrated with traditional bibliographic systems and how these changes affect libraries and librarians.
Committee work, Annual Meeting programs and roundtables, and special projects serve as the primary vehicles for carrying out the goals of the SIS. The OCLC Committee communicates members' concerns to the governing body of the bibliographic utility. The Local Systems Committee provides a forum for the exchange of information on the implementation and use of local automated library systems. The Education Committee coordinates educational programming submitted to AALL by the section. The Web Advisory Committee maintains and enhances the OBS-SIS website to meet the evolving needs of the section. The OBS/TS Joint Research Grant Committee participates with the TS-SIS in awarding grants to support research in the technical and online bibliographic functional aspects of service to the clients of law libraries. Membership in OBS-SIS Committees is open to all interested SIS members; appointments are made based on interest expressed on the annual member survey.
