July 28, 2008
WorldCat Autosuggest Directs Web Users to Content
WorldCat libraries and other institutions that maintain an institutional profile in the WorldCat Registry now have an easier way to input a key piece of information. The Registry now automatically suggests URLs for "deep" links to online catalog records. The feature simplifies the task of manually constructing these complex links, which often include numerous parameters that vary based on local system configuration.
Suggestions are based on a URL copied from any individual record in a library's web OPAC. The Registry interprets the structure or syntax of the supplied URL and prefills important fields within the profile. These fields record the library system (ILS) in use at your library, as well as several URLs used to query the system for a record via a standard number such as ISBN.
Deep-link syntaxes maintained in the WorldCat Registry are used on WorldCat.org to connect web users to local catalog records for physical and electronic content at thousands of participating institutions. It is part of a unique platform that distributes WorldCat information across major search engines and other popular Internet environments, pointing web users to the collections of nearby libraries.
If your library's holdings are discoverable via WorldCat.org, keeping your catalog links current in the Registry allows people to reach your item records directly without having to repeat their search. If your library isn't yet eligible for WorldCat.org visibility of its holdings, there is still value in maintaining catalog links in the Registry since OCLC syndicates this information across the web through other WorldCat-based web services, including xISBN and LibX.
Also note that keeping your WorldCat Registry profile up-to-date can significantly shorten the amount of time needed to implement WorldCat Local — the localized version of WorldCat.org — at your institution.
Try it out. Visit the OCLC WorldCat Registry web pages, and follow these instructions:
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1. If you already have an institutional profile in the Registry, sign in and access the Profile Summary page.
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2. Click the Online Catalog link (available from the Services section of the profile navigation).
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3. Click the Edit this page button.
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4. Copy the URL from any item record in your web OPAC into the suggestion field and click Suggest Links.
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5. Test any suggested URL syntaxes using the Test link.
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6. If all suggested links are working, click Save Changes.
Haven't been to the WorldCat Registry?
Learn how to start managing your online catalog links for WorldCat.org and other information about your institutional identity. Visit the WorldCat.org documentation web pages.
Learn more about the Registry at the WorldCat website. For additional information, or if you need assistance accessing your institution's registry profile, contact BCR support.
