WorldCat Initiative to UK public libraries
A project has been launched in the UK to update WorldCat with the holdings of 158 public libraries from UnityUK and LinkUK (which in May this year merged to become a single service). Around 90 library authorities will be loaded in WorldCat for the first time.
The holdings will be made visible via the WorldCat.org interface, meaning that end users of WorldCat.org can benefit from seeing what's available in the majority of the UK's public libraries and experience the features they have come to expect from other favoured book sites: including lists, reviews and other types of evaluative content, like cover art.
Public libraries subscribing to UnityUK, whose holdings are being submitted to WorldCat have been invited to a series of webinars to find out more about WorldCat.org. Approximately 100,000 visits a month to WorldCat.org come from UK users who start their quest for materials at Google and other search engines. Nearly 15% of those visits end up at a library's OPAC, after a user has stipulated their post code and found a library in their locale that holds the item. It is anticipated that the addition of holdings from UnityUK will significantly enhance this experience, giving them a far more comprehensive view of what's available in the nation's libraries. The load also brings about an opportunity to promote the service from within the library, with a selection of promotional material being made available to libraries wishing to promote the site.
Further webinars have been scheduled shortly for public libraries participating in UnityUK.