Interoperability

Worldcat Local interoperability-related FAQs

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Interoperability: ILS | Interoperability: Authentication | Interoperability: OpenURL resolver/content management

ILS

• How does WorldCat Local work with a library's ILS?
  

  WorldCat Local integrates a locally configured version of WorldCat.org with the ILS and delivery services already in place at your library.

  WITH THESE TYPES OF ITEMS	USERS CAN PERFORM THESE ACTIONS	ON THESE SYSTEMS
  Returnable items such as books, CDs and DVDs	Place a hold	Innovative: Millennium ExLibris: Voyager* SirisDynix: Horizon, Unicorn*
  	Request a selected item	WorldCat Resource SharingTM OCLC ILLiadTM Innovative: INN-Reach OCLC VDX®* Voyager Universal Borrowing*
  Nonreturnable items, such as articles	Link to full text from FirstSearch® or Electronic Collections OnlineTM Link to article full text through a library's OpenURL resolver via the OpenURL Resolver Gateway	N/A

  ^* Compatibility with these systems is currently under development

• With which ILSs does WorldCat Local work?
  

  OCLC has completed integration of WorldCat Local with several integrated library systems, and is in the final stages of development with other systems. WorldCat Local is currently active at libraries with the following systems:

  • Innovative Interfaces: Millennium.
  • SirsiDynix: Horizon.

  WorldCat Local will be released soon at libraries with these additional systems:

  • Voyager
  • Aleph
  • Unicorn

  OCLC will continue to integrate WorldCat Local with additional ILSs.

• Does WorldCat Local support Past Perfect Software designed for small libraries and museums?
  
  WorldCat Local does not currently interoperate with Past Perfect Software.
• Will WorldCat Local work with open source ILS systems?
  
  WorldCat Local has not yet been configured to work with any open source ILS's and plans to do so have yet to be determined.
• What about integration with PINES?
  
  WorldCat Local is not currently implemented with any libraries using the PINES Online Library Catalog.
• Can you provide examples of libraries interoperating with a specific ILS? Can we see examples from Aleph libraries piloting WorldCat Local?
  
  1. University of Washington
  2. Lincoln Trail Libraries System
  3. The Ohio State University Libraries)
• We do not allow live requests. Will users still be able to see available or checked-out status?
  
  WorldCat Local can display status information for items in your collection regardless of your lending policies. You will determine the options provided for users to obtain the items they identify through their searches.
• How much does the ILS system information influence the facet information viewed on WorldCat? For example, if my catalog incorrectly identifies a DVD as a CD will WorldCat Local ignore the ILS information and pull from your information?
  
  Facets within WorldCat Local search results are built on metadata in the WorldCat database. However, location and availability information comes from your local catalog, so it is in your best interest to make sure that both your WorldCat records and your local catalog accurately reflect the resources in your collection.
• Has WorldCat Local been set up for Voyager?
  
  OCLC is finalizing implementation of WorldCat Local with a Voyager ILS. Contact your OCLC representative for details about the upcoming release of a Voyager implementation.
• In a consortium, must all libraries use the same system in order to implement WorldCat Local?
  
  No, all libraries in a consortium are not required to use the same system in order to implement WorldCat Local. However, in this example, OCLC would only be able to show item availability for the libraries that are on the same system or that share a group level system.

Authentication

• Will WorldCat Local use our library’s authentication system for online services such as NetLibrary or FirstSearch?
  
  Yes, WorldCat Local can work with the authentication system you currently use to provide access to licensed content.
• How are patrons authenticated to get full text from non-OCLC e-resources such as EBSCOhost?
  
  Your library's WorldCat Local implementation will include a link to your existing authentication service. Once authenticated through this familiar service, users will be able to access licensed data your library provides for them.
• Can the OCLC personalized accounts tie to our local authentication, or will users need another log-on/password?
  
  WorldCat user profiles operate separately from a library's authentication service primarily because they access different types of services and content.
• At what point do you integrate patron authorization?
  
  Users may be authenticated in multiple places within a WorldCat Local experience. A link to user accounts is always available within the interface for users who wish to log on at any time. In addition, an authentication log on will display to users at times when they need to complete authentication in order to take an action such as initiating an interlibrary loan request or linking to licensed online content.
• Our patrons already create accounts in our ILS. Will they now have to create another or can we tie in to the patron account?
  
  Yes, users will need to create a WorldCat account in order to take advantage of features such as building lists or contributing content. WorldCat accounts are fast and easy to create. The minimum requirements for a WorldCat account are name, password and e-mail address. This is a separate account and accesses different information than a user’s ILS account. WorldCat Local can include a link to a library’s authentication system so users can easily access their existing account.
• Does the personal account include Open ID?
  
  Open ID is not included in personal accounts at this time, but OCLC is investigating this as a possible future enhancement.

OpenURL resolver/content management

• How will WorldCat Local work with our OpenURL resolver?
  

  If your library uses an OpenURL server to connect its users to content from a variety of services beyond OCLC's and to freely available Web resources, OCLC staff work with you to establish links from WorldCat records to your resolver. If you have already set up the OpenURL resolver link in FirstSearch, you will find the process for establishing this link is similar. WorldCat Local links users to your OpenURL resolver at appropriate times within the search process. The WorldCat Local service does not access information in your resolver and deliver it through the WorldCat Local interface.

  NOTE: It is essential for your library to add holdings information for its serials titles to WorldCat in order for WorldCat Local to appropriately display a link to your OpenURL resolver. You may wish to use the eSerials Holdings service to streamline the work needed to add serials ownership information to WorldCat.

• My library does not have an OpenURL resolver. Can we purchase this service from OCLC?
  
  Yes, OCLC currently offers a resolver service, WorldCat Link Manager, that will integrate into a WorldCat Local implementation.
• Can WorldCat Local search Serials Solutions?
  
  WorldCat Local can link to your Serials Solutions server to help users obtain needed items. WorldCat Local does not search an OpenURL resolver for location information; rather, it links users to the resolver when the format of the needed item is appropriate for resolving access to online content.
• Does it work with Syndetic Solutions?
  
  The bibliographic data and cover art presented in WorldCat Local are derived from multiple resources that are licensed by OCLC. At this time, WorldCat Local does not have the capability to present locally subscribed evaluative content.
• Does WorldCat Local work with SFX as a link resolver?
  
  Yes, WorldCat Local can link users to an SFX link resolver.
• Can WorldCat Local be configured to work with repository systems in addition to CONTENTdm, such as a fedora repository?
  
  OCLC can harvest records from OAI repositories, crosswalk them to MARC format and load them directly into WorldCat where they become part of a user's search and discovery experience. This is how OCLC handles CONTENTdm and other digital collections.
• How will I know when my ILS becomes compatible?
  
  Let your OCLC representative know of your interest in WorldCat Local so he or she can help you plan for the service and keep you informed of the availability of additional ILS interoperability.
• EBSCO's A to Z creates a list of e-journals in alphabetical order. Will WorldCat Local allow users to create an alphabetical list or does it link back to EBSCO's A to Z?
  
  If a library uses an A to Z list instead of an OpenURL resolver, OCLC will configure a link to the list during implementation.

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