Enabling "deep" links from WorldCat.org to your library catalog via the WorldCat Registry

If your library is eligible to have its WorldCat holdings exposed via WorldCat.org, partner sites such as Google, and WorldCat-based Web services, deep linking is the means by which Web users arrive directly at an item record in your online catalog.

Deep linking helps information seekers cross the "last mile," going from (1) WorldCat.org results for a keyword search to (2) the WorldCat.org detailed record for a specific title, including a list of nearby WorldCat libraries that hold the item, to (3) the local record in the selected library's OPAC.

To ensure deep links to your individual catalog records, take a few minutes now to register the correct URL "syntaxes" (link structures) for your OPAC. These are maintained in the WorldCat Registry (http://www.worldcat.org/registry/institution/), a free Web tool that provides a single location from which any library can manage and distribute data that describes its institutional identity and services.

Keeping your link syntaxes current in the Registry allows Web users to reach your item records directly without having to repeat their search. If your library isn't yet eligible to have its holdings exposed, there's still value in maintaining catalog links in the Registry: OCLC syndicates this information across the Web through other WorldCat-based Web services such as xISBN and LibX. Also note that keeping your WorldCat Registry profile up-to-date can significantly shorten the amount of time needed to implement WorldCat Local—the localized version of WorldCat.org—at your institution.

Learn more about the Registry

How to register deep-link syntaxes in WorldCat Registry

1. Visit the WorldCat Registry at http://www.worldcat.org/registry/institution/. If you have previously visited the Registry and created a user account, sign in with that account, then go to step 6.
2. If you do not have a Registry user account, do so using the "Create a User Account" facility. This link is available on the home page and at the bottom of every Registry page. (Note: User accounts you may have for the OCLC Online Service Center or WebJunction can be used here.)
3. The WorldCat Registry is pre-populated with profiles for many institutions inside and outside the OCLC cooperative. Holders of new accounts should first attempt to locate an existing profile for their institution and have their account authorized by OCLC to make changes to that profile. (Unauthorized accounts can only add information to blank fields in existing institutional profiles; information added by unauthorized accounts is subject to verification by OCLC.)
   
   To locate an existing profile, click the "Authorize Me to Manage a Profile" link at the bottom of any Registry page. Click the "Search for my institution's profile" link and conduct a search using words from the name of your institution.
   
   
4. If you find a profile for your institution, select the corresponding radio button and click the "Select an Institution for Authorization" button.
   
   
   Can't find a profile for your institution?
   If you do not find an existing profile, click "Create a new WorldCat Registry profile" at the top of your search results, or use the "Create a New Profile" link at the bottom of any Registry page. You will be prompted to begin building a new profile for which you will automatically be authorized.
   
   
   
   Once you have created a basic profile using the screens shown above, go to Step 7.
5. The following "Authorize Me for [Library Name]" screen will offer two options. Your account can be instantly authorized to manage your Registry profile by inputting an enterprise authorization for an OCLC service such as FirstSearch or Connexion. If you do not have this, your request will be processed manually by OCLC to verify your affiliation with your institution.
   
   
6. If you are logged in and have been authorized to manage your institution's Registry profile, click the "My Institutions" link at top right of any Registry page (shown below). Then click the name of the institution for which you are setting a deep-linking syntax.
   
   
7. The institution's Profile Summary page is displayed. In the left-hand profile navigation pane, click the "Online Catalog" link in the Services section.
   
   
8. Click the "Edit this page" button on the Online Catalog screen to enter Edit mode.
9. Use the Registry's suggestion feature to generate your deep links. This feature automatically suggests URL syntaxes for many vendors and online catalog products. From a separate browser window, search your library's Web catalog for any held item. Go to the item record page for that title and copy the page's URL from the browser Location box. Return to the Registry's Online Catalog screen and paste that URL into the suggestion field, then click the Suggest Links button. The Registry will pre-fill one or more of the linking syntax fields on the Online Catalog screen, including your ILS vendor, with values based on the URL you entered.


10. Test each of the suggested links. Click the "Test" link to the right of each suggested URL syntax. The link will open a new window within your Web browser, and load the proposed URL syntax with a preset ISBN, ISSN or OCLC Number appended to the end of the URL string. (In each case, OCLC has selected a standard number that represents a widely held resource.)
    
    A successful test should display your ILS interface and, within it, your local record for the test item. (If you do not hold the item, whatever message or interface facility your ILS employs for "record not found" should be displayed.)
    
    
    Problems with suggested links?
    If the Registry's suggestion feature cannot generate deep-link syntaxes based on your input URL, or your test links do not correctly display your ILS, you will need to manually construct URL syntaxes using the information below.
    
    You can also contact OCLC support at support@oclc.org or your OPAC vendor for assistance.
11. When you have successfully tested the URL, fill in any additional information on the Edit Online Catalog screen appropriate for your institution.
12. Click the "Save Changes" button to preserve your changes.

Deep links from the WorldCat.org interface to individual catalog records in your OPAC will be functional on the next business day.

Manually determine your deep-linking URL syntax by vendor

A deep link's "syntax" is the basic structure of the link, focusing on where standard identifier information about the searched item (ISBN, ISSN or OCLC Number) is embedded within the URL. The table below shows common ILS vendors and the syntax of their deep-link URLs.

In each URL listed, bold text indicates the component of the URL that you replace with the base URL for your OPAC (e.g. "catalog.mylibrary.org"). Bold italicized text may need to be changed depending on your local configuration. (Important notes on some systems' URL structures are in the footnotes below.)

Tips on deep link construction

• Deep links should be constructed so that the ISSN, ISBN or OCLC number is at the end  of the URL string.
• Deep links cannot include semicolons (;) or carats (^)—they will cause links to break, even though they will seem to work correctly when tested.
• Deep links cannot include a unique session identifier. A session ID is a device for tracking a specific user's visit to a Web site which expires after a preset time of inactivity; it often appears as a long, random string of letters and/or numbers. Sirsi catalog links almost always have a session ID value, so be sure to remove it when constructing your syntax.

Need help?

Note that older or newer versions of some OPAC software may require modifications to the URLs above. For assistance on deep-link syntax, contact OCLC support at support@oclc.org or your OPAC vendor.

Also see: Dynamic OPAC linking to WorldCat.org for "Nearby Libraries" results