Heidelberg University Library has successfully implemented OCLC's WorldShare Management Services
Oberhaching, Germany, 22 June 2026—Heidelberg University Library and OCLC have successfully transitioned WorldShare® Management Services (WMS) into live operation. With a total of 35 institutes and department libraries, Heidelberg University's library system is one of the largest academic library systems in Germany and provides literature and information services to approximately 30,000 students and 6,500 researchers. With the go-live of the cloud-based library services platform, the library has reached an important milestone in the modernization of its library infrastructure.
In particular, the further optimization of electronic resource management and the goal of providing users with centralized and unified access to the library's extensive print and digital collections were key factors in the decision to migrate to OCLC's WMS. With WMS, different media types and data sources are consolidated on a shared cloud-based platform and made searchable through a unified discovery system. This improves the interconnection of information resources and creates modern services for students, researchers, and faculty.
As an academic library, the Heidelberg University Library operates within a complex system landscape that includes central infrastructure components such as the K10plus union catalog, the journal database (ZDB), and WMS. Through the use of modern, standardized interfaces, these systems are seamlessly linked so that data can be efficiently exchanged, synchronized, and kept consistent without media breaks or manual intermediate steps. The result is an integrated system architecture that preserves existing structures while enabling smooth, future-proof operations.
The successful go-live is the result of close collaboration between the teams at Heidelberg University Library and OCLC. As part of the implementation project, processes were analyzed, requirements were implemented, and features were further developed to tailor the platform precisely to the academic and organizational context of academic libraries. The insights gained from this process are contributing to the ongoing development of WMS and benefit user libraries of various sizes and specializations.
"A long-established library with a rich historical collection, a vibrant place of learning, and an operator of innovative research infrastructures—the Heidelberg University Library brings together a wide variety of disciplines under one roof. WMS meets the requirements arising from this diversity and helps us continue to provide our services at a high level in the future," said Dr. Jochen Apel, Director of the Heidelberg University Library.
"The successful launch of WMS at Heidelberg University Library is an important milestone for everyone involved. The library has been a valued partner of OCLC for many years and continuously contributes its professional expertise and practical experience to the optimization of the platform in the German library market. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for this trust and the excellent collaboration, and are looking forward to continuing on this path together," said Andreas Schmidt, General Manager of OCLC GmbH.
About the Heidelberg University Library
The Heidelberg University Library is the oldest university library in Germany. Its roots date back to the late 14th century. Since then, it has developed into one of the country's most important academic libraries and serves as a central information, research, and service facility for Heidelberg University. Today, the Heidelberg University library system consists of 35 libraries, including the University Library and numerous decentralized libraries, thereby combining historical collections, modern infrastructure, and a broad range of specialist resources.
The library system's collection currently comprises approximately 6.2 million items, including 3.3 million volumes in the University Library and 2.9 million books in the branch libraries. In addition, there are approximately 1.2 million e-books, 165,000 electronic journals, and numerous other digital resources and open access offerings. With approximately 46,500 active users in 2025, about 568,000 loans, around 2 million visits, and just under 103 million accesses to the e-library, the Heidelberg University Library provides a significant, internationally utilized academic infrastructure that extends far beyond the borders of Heidelberg and Germany. Of these page views, 98.7 million alone were accounted for by resources made available via open access through the library's internal servers. For all major information providers, these high access figures always include crawler accesses as part of AI applications.
About OCLC
OCLC is a nonprofit global library organization that provides shared technology services, original research and community programs so that libraries can better fuel learning, research and innovation. Through OCLC, member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the most comprehensive global network of data about library collections and services. Libraries gain efficiencies through OCLC's WorldShare, a complete set of library management applications and services built on an open, cloud-based platform. It is through collaboration and sharing of the world's collected knowledge that libraries can help people find answers they need to solve problems. Together as OCLC, member libraries, staff and partners make breakthroughs possible.
OCLC, WorldCat, and WorldShare are trademarks and/or service marks of OCLC, Inc. Third-party product, service and business names are trademarks and/or service marks of their respective owners.
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