Get your library on the go!

WorldCat Mobile puts library collections into smartphones and PDAs

By David M. Duke

Continuing its mission to make library resources available to all information seekers—anytime, anywhere—OCLC recently launched a pilot program that brings WorldCat.org to hand-held communication devices such as PDA s and smartphones. Called WorldCat Mobile, the new application was created in collaboration with Boopsie, Inc. (www.boopsie.com), a provider of software for mobile cellular devices, headquartered in Laguna Beach, California, USA.

“We are very excited about the possibilities of the WorldCat Mobile program,” said Jay Jordan, President and CEO of OCLC. “By making WorldCat.org available on mobile devices we can reach a much greater number of library users who rely upon this form of communications technology every day.”

Thanks to the advanced global positioning capabilities of smartphones and PDA s, WorldCat Mobile users will be able to find a local library no matter where they happen to be. But the best news is that mobile users will be able to search 125 million library records in the WorldCat database on any compatible smartphone.

“WorldCat Mobile users can find any catalog item across all OCLC member libraries quickly and easily,” said Greg Carpenter, CEO of Boopsie, Inc. “Additional benefits include location-based, dynamic mapping and directions for found books and libraries; click-to-call or e-mail a library; and links to reference pages and more—all helping libraries appeal to the ever-growing audience of mobile users.”

To speed the search and discovery process, WorldCat Mobile uses “multiprefix incremental search,” meaning users can simply type the first few letters of a book title, library location or category and matching results will immediately appear on the screen.

Presently, WorldCat Mobile can be downloaded to the following PDA s and smartphones:

• Android (Google gPhone)
• Blackberry
• iPhone
• Palm OS
• Symbian S60 (Nokia smartphones)
• Java J2ME
• Windows Mobile

For the initial pilot, WorldCat Mobile will be operational throughout the U.S. and Canada, but OCLC plans to expand its reach globally as the service matures.

We want your feedback

It takes only a minute to download WorldCat Mobile onto your PDA or smartphone. Simply go to www.worldcat.org/mobile where you will see a list of mobile devices to choose from.

Once you have given WorldCat Mobile a test spin, please let us know what you think at worldcatmobilepilot@oclc.org. The WorldCat Mobile pilot can be successful only with feedback from our library user community.

Update your WorldCat Registry profile!

When your library information pops up in a WorldCat Mobile search result make sure it’s accurate by updating your library’s WorldCat Registry profile page.

• Are you still at the same address?
• Has your telephone number changed?
• Do you have a new IP address?
• Is your library’s e-mail address valid?

Updating your WorldCat Registry profile is easy, and joining the service is free!

The WorldCat Registry is a Web-based directory for libraries and library consortia. It is an authoritative, single source for information that defines institutional identity, services, relationships, contacts and other key data often shared with third parties.

Visit the WorldCat Registry to update your library’s profile or to join the WorldCat Registry.

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