May 09, 2008
WorldCat.org Redux
Since WorldCat.org hit the scene in 2006, it has undergone a variety of changes and enhancements. From negotiating the differences between FirstSearch and WorldCat.org, to social-networking features, to adding article-level citation records, just keeping up can wear you down. So, to recap the highlights:
- Although WorldCat.org and the Open WorldCat program are available via the open web, libraries must have holdings in WorldCat and an active WorldCat subscription on the FirstSearch interface in order for their holdings to display in WorldCat.org services. In other words, if your library has only per-search access to FirstSearch, your item's ownership will not display in WorldCat.org.
- WorldCat.org is more than just WorldCat. OCLC has added article-level citation records from four popular databases: GPO, ArticleFirst, Medline and Eric. So a search in WorldCat.org returns article citations as well as relevant WorldCat records for books, audio and video recordings, and other content formats. By contrast, WorldCat alone has very little article-level bibliographic information. WorldCat.org also utilizes different search algorithms than FirstSearch, so search results can vary between the two interfaces.
- New features have been added to OCLC's WorldCat.org, providing library patrons the opportunity to improve their citation skills, add information to their social bookmark lists and more. Library patrons now can view and save citations using the five common bibliographic styles, add library-owned items to their social bookmarks or use the Advanced Search option to locate words with Library of Congress subject headings.
- Individual item records reached from WorldCat.org search results now include links to supplemental web content on the top-level page. Previously displayed beneath the Details tab, these links can include publisher-provided item descriptions, author biographies and websites, tables of contents and content excerpts.
Additional links may be provided with the heading Web Resources. These may give a user access to content related to the displayed item, such as a print serial's website. When the displayed item is a digital object - such as an electronic book or a digitally preserved photo, document or artifact - the link may provide direct viewing or retrieval of the object (if authentication is not required).
Sample records with Web Resources links:
Wall Street Journal: worldcat.org/oclc/4299067
"General Joseph Warren Park" (Photo, Warren PA Library Assoc.): worldcat.org/oclc/67983465
For further information on these features, and much more, visit the WorldCat.org website.

