OCLC, the organization that sits at the center of the structured data that is the foundation of most of the libraries in existence, at least in North America, has revised the terms for licensing the data it has collected from libraries. Librarians everywhere are not amused. Stefano Mazzocchi has posted a good summary of the situation (via jessamyn).

OCLC has decided to try to maintain its relevance not by innovating or providing good/better service to librarians, but by asserting ownership over data. Any organization that relies on legal means to maintain its existence is not likely to be around for long. As Mazzocchi suggests, the opportunity for innovation is there: OCLC has arguably the most detailed and accurate collection of structured metadata on published materials. They have already done a good job (I think) of making that information available to the public. But I'm sure they could do more.