OCLC cataloging application comparison 

Create new WorldCat® records one at a time for print and electronic items to make your library’s rare and distinctive items discoverable. Save time by enriching and sharing existing records, setting and deleting your library’s holdings, and exporting WorldCat records for local use. Choose the service that best meets the needs of your unique library.

info We’re discontinuing Connexion® browser and the CatExpress user interface on 30 April 2024. Learn more about how to make the switch to WorldShare Record Manager from Connexion browser and CatExpress.

Record editing and creation

  Connexion browser Express tab Connexion browser Connexion client WorldShare Record Manager Z39.50 Cataloging WorldCat Metadata API
Edit records in MARC tag view (such as "245") Yes Limited to adding local fields. Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Edit records in MARC text view (such as "Title") Yes Limited to adding local fields. No No Yes Limited to books, audiobooks, images, sound recordings, and videos. No No
Edit bibliographic records in Dublin Core view No Yes No No No No
Edit bibliographic records using non-Latin scripts No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Transliterate Latin text to non-Latin text No No Yes (Arabic, Persian) Yes (Arabic, Persian, and eight languages written in Cyrillic script) No No
Create new authority and bibliographic records for original cataloging No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Bibliographic records only.
Create, edit, and delete local holdings records (LHRs) No Yes No Yes No Yes
Move local holdings records (LHRs) to a different bibliographic record No No No Yes No No
Manage local bibliographic data (LBD) No No No Yes No Yes
Import MARC records No Yes MARC-8 character set. Yes MARC-8 or Unicode (UTF-8) character set. No No No
Use constant data for bibliographic records to store and apply frequently used text No Yes Yes Yes No No
Use constant data for local holdings records (LHRs) to store and apply frequently used text No Yes No Yes No No
Use constant data for authority records to store and apply frequently used text No Yes Yes No No No
Check spelling No No Yes Yes Relies on user's browser spellcheck features. No No
Work offline, not connected to OCLC No No Yes No No No
Search WorldCat Entities and add identifiers to MARC records No No No Yes No No

Actions

  Connexion browser Express tab Connexion browser Connexion client WorldShare Record Manager Z39.50 Cataloging WorldCat Metadata API
Validate records Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Add holdings to bibliographic records Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Upgrade authority and WorldCat bibliographic records No Yes Yes Yes No Yes
View total number of library holdings on bibliographic records Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Display list of libraries that hold bibliographic records No Yes Yes Yes No No
Delete holdings on bibliographic records Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Delete own bibliographic record No No No Yes No No
Control authorized headings in bibliographic records and link the headings to the Authority File record No Yes LC only. Yes LC only. Yes Access to additional authority files, including:

  • AAT (Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus)
  • BNE (Biblioteca Nacional de España)
  • Canadiana (French Names and Canadian Subjects)
  • FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Terminology)
  • GND Authorities (German Integrated Authority file)
  • LC (Library of Congress)
  • Māori Subject Headings
  • MeSH Authorities (Medical Subject Headings)
  • NTA Names (Dutch Names)
  • RVM (Répertoire de vedettes-matière)
No Yes Functions are performed automatically when record is added to the database.
Autosuggest LC and Canadiana Names No No No Yes No No
Autosuggest FAST subject headings No No No Yes No No
Submit bibliographic records to other institutions for review prior to finalizing No Yes Yes No No No
Submit Library of Congress authority records to other institutions for review prior to finalizing No Yes Yes Yes No No
Submit Canadiana authority records to other institutions for review prior to finalizing No No No Yes No No
Process multiple actions at one time No No. You can mark records for export and label print, retrieve the marked records, and process the group at once. Yes Yes Using bulk actions for local bibliographic data and local holdings records. No No
Print labels Yes Label formats: SP1, SL4, SL6, SLB. Yes Label formats: SP1, SL4, SL6, SLB. Yes Label formats: SP1, SL4, SL6, SLB. Yes Label formats: Custom, A12360, L7651, SP1, SL4, SL6, SLB. No No
Create label file Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
View other libraries’ local holdings records (LHRs) No Yes No Yes No No
Create a customizable condensed bibliographic record search results list No No No Yes No No

Record output

  Connexion browser Express tab Connexion browser Connexion client WorldShare Record Manager Z39.50 Cataloging WorldCat Metadata API
Export records to a file Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Export records via a TCP/IP connection No Yes Yes Yes No No
Export records via an OCLC Gateway Export session to display messages from your local system No No Yes Yes No No
Export records via a printer/comm port No No Yes Yes No No
Export records in MARC 21 format Yes Bibliographic records with MARC-8 character set in Latin script. Yes Authority and bibliographic records with MARC-8 character set in Latin script. Yes Authority and bibliographic records with MARC-8 or UTF-8 Unicode character set in Latin or non-Latin scripts. Yes Authority and bibliographic records with MARC-8 or UTF-8 Unicode character set in Latin or non-Latin scripts. No Yes Bib only.
Export records in Dublin Core format No Yes Bibliographic records, Dublin Core Simple or Qualified in HTML and RDF. Yes Bibliographic records, Dublin Core Qualified in XML with the UTF-8 Unicode character set. Yes No No
Export records in MARCXML format No No No Yes No Yes
Export records in MODS (Metadata Object Description Schema) format No No No Yes No No

Databases and files

  Connexion browser Express tab Connexion browser Connexion client WorldShare Record Manager Z39.50 Cataloging WorldCat Metadata API
Access WorldCat® Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes 
Access LC Name and Subject Authority Files, including distributed and superseded versions of records No Yes Yes Yes Access to additional authority files, including:

  • AAT (Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus)
  • BNE (Biblioteca Nacional de España)
  • Canadiana (French Names and Canadian Subjects)
  • FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Terminology)
  • GND Authorities (German Integrated Authority file)
  • LC (Library of Congress)
  • Māori Subject Headings
  • MeSH Authorities (Medical Subject Headings)
  • NTA Names (Dutch Names)
  • RVM (Répertoire de vedettes-matière)
Yes No
Use online save file stored locally for temporary record storage No Yes Shared between Connexion and Record Manager. Yes Shared between Connexion and Record Manager. Yes Shared between Connexion and Record Manager. No No
Use offline save file stored locally for temporary record storage No No Yes No No No

System access

  CatExpress Connexion browser Connexion client WorldShare Record Manager Z39.50 Cataloging WorldCat Metadata API
Set and delete WorldCat holdings for other libraries using agent or group functionality No Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Maintain local holdings records (LHRs) for other libraries using agent or group  functionality No Yes No Yes No Yes
Store user-specific customization Yes Set preferences for each authorization number. Yes Set preferences for each authorization number. Yes Set preferences for each user of the workstation. Yes Set preferences for each user. No No

Miscellaneous

  Connexion browser Express tab Connexion browser Connexion client WorldShare Record Manager Z39.50 Cataloging WorldCat Metadata API
Macros No No Yes No. However, some functions commonly performed using Connexion macros are replicated using native features. No No
Dewey Cutter tools Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
Interface language English
French
English English
Chinese - Simplified
Chinese - Traditional
German
Japanese
Korean
Spanish
English
French
Chinese - Simplified
Chinese - Traditional
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Spanish
Dutch
Language independent N/A
Cataloging statistics Institution summary and cataloger specific statistics available at the OCLC Usage Statistics site. Institution summary and cataloger specific statistics available at the OCLC Usage Statistics site. Institution summary and cataloger specific statistics available at the OCLC Usage Statistics site. Institution summary statistics available within the Analytics tab of your library’s WorldShare interface. Institution summary and cataloger specific statistics available at the OCLC Usage Statistics site. Institution summary statistics available within the Analytics tab of your library’s WorldShare interface.