NEWS

Dublin-based nonprofit lays off 80 central Ohio workers,
cites AI and federal cuts

DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) — A Dublin-based organization that manages the Dewey Decimal System and partners with libraries worldwide has laid off dozens of central Ohio employees, citing the rise of artificial intelligence and federal funding cuts.

OCLC, a global nonprofit with thousands of library members in more than 100 countries, confirmed to NBC4 it recently reduced its central Ohio workforce by about 80 positions. Headquartered at 6565 Kilgour Place in Dublin, OCLC said in a statement that the layoffs come as the organization “is operating in a rapidly changing environment.”

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“Artificial Intelligence and other technology changes require different skills and provide opportunity for efficiencies,” spokesperson Bob Murphy said. “Reasons for this adjustment include shifts in technical skill requirements, growing influence of artificial intelligence, and ongoing changes in higher education and libraries.”.

Still, OCLC has several open positions and will hire for more new roles in the future as the organization continues “to expand to serve libraries all over the world,” Murphy said. It’s unclear whether the nonprofit’s new roles will be based in central Ohio, but six of OCLC’s seven active job postings state they are for hybrid roles in Dublin.

OCLC employs a global staff of 1,300, including about 800 in central Ohio. The organization serves public institutions and libraries around the world by providing shared technology, software, research and data services like WorldCat, the world’s largest library database that publishes the Dewey Decimal System.

The library nonprofit’s layoffs follow the Trump administration’s decision earlier this year to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, an agency that funds and promotes libraries and cultural institutions nationwide. The move means Ohio libraries could lose millions of dollars in funding, used to support programs accessible to communities across the state.

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While OCLC partly points to AI for the workforce cuts, the organization announced in June it using AI “to deliver faster, smarter resource sharing solutions for libraries.” First launched in 2020 as automation tools, the nonprofit’s latest “smart fulfillment features” now incorporate AI that optimizes interlibrary loan processes and enabling libraries to deliver items faster.

The organization was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, but later changed its name to OCLC.

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/dublin/dublin-based-nonprofit-lays-off-80-central-ohio-workers-cites-ai-and-federal-cuts/