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Overview

The most important request you can fulfill: "Make me happy." With the simplicity and power of WorldCat Resource Sharing, any library can do it. From the moment a person asks for an item to the time it's in hand, OCLC's far-reaching network minimizes the amount of time and money you spend—and maximizes your customer's satisfaction.

One interface for users and librarians

With WorldCat Resource Sharing, the same Web-based interface is used to make requests and fulfill them: OCLC's FirstSearch reference service. Customers create their own requests in FirstSearch, while staff use a full-featured interface behind the scenes to fulfill requests. Abundant contextual help and tutorials help staff learn as they go.

Users make their own requests easily

Fulfillment grows dramatically when your customers can place requests electronically without assistance. Total integration of WorldCat Resource Sharing with FirstSearch lets users do just that: In a WorldCat record or a citation of FirstSearch database content, they select Borrow This Item, enter basic information and click, they're done. Registered users of FirstSearch can track the progress of their requests.

Reduced demand on staff time

Your time is a cost, so spending more of it locating materials through the multiple overlapping databases you may use now is a workaround that doesn't put you ahead. Powerful WorldCat searching finds you resource options locally, regionally and beyond, and does it all at once. You'll save even more time with features that better manage or automate fulfillment; soon-to-be-added filters will ensure you receive requests only for items you own and supply.

Simple pricing matched to your situation

The goal of OCLC's global cooperative has always been to lower information costs for libraries and groups, regardless of size or level of sharing activity. WorldCat Resource Sharing continues this tradition with a single, annual subscription fee that is customized to your needs and prevents extra charges due to sudden spikes in usage.

Authoritative and efficient features

Whether you handle low volume or high volume, occasional requests or seasonal bursts of activity, the components of WorldCat Resource Sharing add up to comprehensive resource coverage and faster processing.

WorldCat search: Helpful to newcomers, powerful for everyone

Your staff locates resources with robust WorldCat searching. Basic, advanced and expert level search screens match skill level to search complexity. Browsing of subject headings and ">suggestions let novices find their way. More savvy users can hone their searches with a wide variety of indices and limiters; special search methods such as Boolean combinations and logical strings; plus ranking, sorting and breakdown of results by format.

User registration: The customer's control center

FirstSearch-based account creation lets users (including your staff) create unique logons, through which they can store preferences, save searches, renew borrowed items, and cancel or review the status of pending requests. Pick-up location is displayed if an item is ready.

Request Manager: See everything that's happening

The staff view's control panel for all sharing activities, the Request Manager (above) clearly summarizes current sharing tasks that require action. Request Manager lets you search all task workforms by key criteria, batch-update requests and batch-print requests by category.

Direct Request: Automated fulfillment you control

Direct Request lets a user place a request right from an online citation. That request can then bypass staff review and directly enter the WorldCat Resource Sharing system. Your Direct Request profile sets the criteria that determine if requests are manually processed or automatically sent to an eligible supplier, and whether sharing is available for items you already own. Turnaround time quickens, backlogs shrink and your staff can focus on other priorities.

Policies Directory: Set your rules for requests

You have one-click access to the OCLC Policies Directory, where you can review the lending and copying policies of other libraries participating in WorldCat Resource Sharing, plus their billing, system and contact information. Publish your own policies as well, to reduce the number of unfillable requests you receive.

Item-level policies based on local holdings records

Use custom holdings groups and data in the local holdings records to search and select more accurate lender strings based on information entered by participating libraries (when libraries' detailed local holdings information is up-to-date in WorldCat). Detailed settings in the local holdings record also allow lenders to designate item-level policies for copying and loaning materials, ensuring that lenders do not receive requests for items they are unable to fill.

More: Data re-use, ease of billing, reports

Save and reapply commonly used data, such as workform templates (constant data), frequent lenders (custom holdings) and boilerplate text (conditional notes). Recover administrative costs such as invoices and check writing with optional Fee Management. And see the big picture with reports and raw data that show you fill rates, borrowing/lending ratios and other statistics that can be used to justify expenditures and further improve service.

Sharing tailor-made for library groups

Library groups and consortia united by geography or subject matter can achieve efficient, cost-effective pooling of collections with WorldCat Resource Sharing. And through FirstSearch, users are always directed to local and groupowned materials first. Then they can "display holdings" to find items in the broader WorldCat universe.

WorldCat Resource Sharing can be part of a custom solution provided by OCLC Group Services, featuring a group catalog that provides a single, unified view of the group's collection. Hosted by OCLC and contained within WorldCat, the group catalog is supported by unlimited use of resource sharing and cataloging, plus a customized FirstSearch interface.

ILLiad: Beyond standard sharing

Libraries and groups with special resource sharing needs should consider ILLiad, a Windows-based solution that has WorldCat Resource Sharing at its core and offers complete sharing automation. ILLiad features specialized components, including a Copyright Tracking module, electronic document delivery, realtime statistics and support for OpenURL.

Evaluate borrowing and lending data using WorldCat Collection Analysis

WorldCat Collection Analysis lets you analyze your collection and compare it to other collections without requiring you to expend extensive staff, time, or financial resources. Using it, you are better able to shape your collection development activities and provide solid evidence to justify funding. Enhancements to WorldCat Collection Analysis give individual subscribers the ability to:

  • Compare borrowing requests over time to identify acquisition priorities
  • Compare borrowing requests based on age, subject, serial and nonserial items
  • Analyze what your library borrows—items that supplement your collection
  • Analyze the items your library is lending—revealing how your collection is used