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Améliorations apportées à WorldCat dans FirstSearch
FirstSearch : Fourniture du contenu et bases de données : WorldCat : Améliorations apportées à WorldCat dans FirstSearch

WorldCat enhancements in FirstSearch

OCLC has added many user-requested enhancements to the WorldCat database on the OCLC FirstSearch service in recent months.

Search term suggestions help you find what you want

When there are zero or fewer than five records in a results set, WorldCat suggests words from its indexes that are “close” as possible replacements. When the user accepts the suggestion and clicks the Search button, it counts as a new search, but saves additional attempts at getting the right spelling. Using the spelling suggestions increases the likelihood of successful and relevant results, and saves users time and effort.

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Limit search results by audience, content and format

Drop-down limit options for subtypes available within the Material Type index are now available on search results screens, giving users a new way to refine their results. These post-search subtype limiters help users identify materials in the exact formats and content types that they can use. Subtype limiters appear on the results screen if a user does not limit a search to a subtype before running it. The subtype limits shown depend on the document types in the results, and the values for the limits are customized for each document type:

  • Mixed: general Audience, Content, and Format limits are displayed (matching those on the search screen)
  • Books: Audience, Content, and Format
  • Sound recordings: Audience, Content, Music Composition, Format NOTE: The Music Composition limit includes over 60 types, listed in the online Help
  • Visual materials: Audience, Subtype (including format)
  • Musical scores: Audience, Music Composition
  • Serial publications: Subtype (newspapers/other)
  • Internet resources: Subtype (NetLibrary eBooks/other) NOTE: Choosing to limit to Other will exclude NetLibrary eBooks from the results list
  • Computer files: Format

No subtype limits display for Archival Materials, Articles, or Maps.

Subtype limits boxes are also included on WorldCat search screens to provide access to specific material formats. The options to limit by subtype include Audience (Any Audience, Juvenile, Not Juvenile), Content (Any Content, Fiction, Not Fiction, Biography, Thesis/dissertation, Music, Non-music recording) and Format (Any Format, Large Print, Braille, Manuscript, Microform, Not microform, CD audio, Cassette recording, LP Recording, VHS tape/Videocassette, DVD video/Videodisc).

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Browse article information from WorldCat serial records

Users of WorldCat on FirstSearch who also have access to OCLC ArticleFirst are now able to click on a record for a serial title in WorldCat and browse detailed contents information for the corresponding title in the ArticleFirst database. Libraries that have access to journals in Electronic Collections Online, or have turned on access to any of the other sources of linked full text in FirstSearch databases (ABI/INFORM, Periodical Abstracts, PsycARTICLES, and Wilson Select Plus) will see links to the full text in these journals or databases from the ArticleFirst records they can now access through WorldCat.

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Easily identify materials held by most libraries

The default display for results from WorldCat searches features materials held by libraries. Most WorldCat search results automatically display records with large numbers of library holdings before those records with fewer library holdings. When records for materials held by many libraries appear at the top of results lists, users are more likely to identify materials held in their own library or another familiar library. Users may also rank search results using the previously available relevance or date options, or they may rank results by LIFO (last in/first out) order, the previous default display for WorldCat search results.

WorldCat users may limit searches by the number of library holdings attached to records in the database and sort result lists of fewer than 100,000 records retrieved in WorldCat by the number of library holdings attached. These search options facilitate faster access to materials held most widely by libraries.

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Tell at a glance which NetLibrary eBooks are available

Users of WorldCat on FirstSearch now see a link to “Full Text” in the record display for those eBooks their library has purchased access, or a link to “Description” where the library has not purchased access. When they click on the “Full Text” link, users will be able to directly access the full text of the eBook and browse through its contents. When users click on the “Description” link, they will be instead taken to a page providing a short description and possible summary of the eBook. Public domain books remain available to all accounts, and are flagged with the “Full Text” indicator.

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View records in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages

WorldCat record displays include Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean vernacular for records to which this information was included in the 880 field of the MARC record during cataloging. Searchers already using the Chinese or Japanese interfaces will automatically see vernacular displayed in WorldCat records because they have set up access to the Unicode character set for FirstSearch. Searchers who wish to display vernacular from within the English, French or Spanish FirstSearch interfaces must enable the Unicode character set in “Options” (found on the lower left side of the FirstSearch interface).

NOTE: Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 or above or Netscape version 6 or above are required for viewing Unicode.

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See the types of material you've retrieved in a flash

WorldCat includes icons representing document types and document subtypes in brief records displays. Format-specific icons display in the brief records in WorldCat results lists to indicate the document types of the retrieved material, and in the full record displays. By highlighting more format-level detail, the WorldCat database in FirstSearch increases visibility of the vast amount of cataloging that has been contributed by OCLC member libraries for more than 30 years.

The icons that represent the primary formats within WorldCat are:
icon Books icon Archival Materials
icon Serial Publications icon Musical Scores
icon Visual Materials icon Maps
icon Computer Files icon Internet Resources
icon Sound Recordings icon Articles
The icons that represent subtypes within within WorldCat are:
icon DVD/CD icon LPs, 78, 45, and 33 rpm recordings
icon VHS tape icon Large print
icon Cassette tape icon Braille
icon Film icon Microform

In addition, various subtypes of material are indicated in the records, letting you tell the difference between them.

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Limit search results by document types

The document type information permits users to easily limit search results sets of fewer than 100,000 records by document type through the use of tabs on results screens. Users can click on a tab to limit the results list to records of a single document type.

Each limit action within a list of results counts as a search and results in the use of a search on per-search accounts.

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Find more information about books

WorldCat now includes additional information, such as tables of contents, cover art, book summaries, and notes about authors for some of the more popular books. Ingram Library Services and NetLibrary provide this content.

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Expand searches with new hotlinks

“More like this” options in WorldCat help users identify relevant materials quickly and precisely. They can match on the title and author of an item of interest, or using Advanced options, they can select criteria of their choice to match. Hot-linked classification numbers available in the detailed records provide a quick way to find other material on the same subjects without having to know exact subject headings.

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