Reflections on the OCLC/RLG merger

The big news this week is that OCLC and RLG have agreed to combine. Combine? Yeah right, it is more like an acquisition of RLG by OCLC. Think about it in terms of size. OCLC has over 1,200 employees, RLG has 80. This isn't a combination of equals: RLG is becoming a unit within OCLC Research. The thing that is most ironic about this is that RLG is based in Mountain View, California, the home of Google. (See this map for driving directions from RLG to Google.) To me, RLG represents the failure of the library profession to capitalize on the development of the internet, the most incredible information tool ever created. RLG was founded in 1974, and according to its website, "RLG designs and delivers innovative information discovery services." The real innovative services are being developed across town by a company founded in 1998.