WorldCat Digital Collection Gateway frequently asked questions

The WorldCat Digital Collection Gateway provides collection managers a self-service capability to synchronize their *metadata* with WorldCat to give digital collections increased visibility to end-users.

Collection managers use the Gateway to load metadata for their digital content to WorldCat and in doing so create profiles for the metadata to be regularly harvested, uploaded and converted to WorldCat [MARC] format. Once uploaded, WorldCat assigns and returns an OCLC number, which can be embedded in the metadata to support future synchronizations.

The Digital Collection Gateway has been available since July 2009. Though previously only integrated with CONTENTdm repositories, it can now be used with any OAI-compliant repository. Once you have harvested your repository data through the Gateway, end users are able to search WorldCat and its syndicates to discover your unique digital content.

You should use the Gateway any time you want to make your digital collections more visible and accessible to end users searching WorldCat.org, WorldCat Local and WorldCat Local "quick start", as well as Google, Yahoo! and other popular Web sites.

Even if you’re not completely finished building your collection you can start uploads. Each time the Gateway uploads metadata from your collection to WorldCat, you can update all the records you’ve previously uploaded (“Replace all Records”) or simply add new records (“Add New Records”) from your collection.

These are two different upload options that you can set in the Gateway for each collection being synchronized with WorldCat.

Replace all Records takes all the current records in your repository and replaces the corresponding records in WorldCat. If there are new records in the collection, then those are simply added to WorldCat as new records.

Add New Records uploads only the new records in your repository that have not been added to WorldCat.

Yes. The Gateway accounts for edits in digital records by replacing them fully in WorldCat. When you set up a profile for your collection in the Gateway, you will have the choice to replace all records each time you harvest or to simply add new records not previously harvested.

No. The Digital Collection Gateway will recognize records previously harvested through the WorldCat Metadata Harvesting Program. When you set up the profile for your collection in the Gateway, you will have the choice to replace all records each time you harvest or to simply add new records not previously harvested.

The Gateway has built in de-duplication functionality based on the unique URL for your digital items. The Gateway will not allow the addition of new records when it finds other records in WorldCat that already contain the URL of your digital content. This means that your data will not be duplicated, even if you have shared it with other aggregators.

After you receive your Gateway KEY you will be able to create separate Gateway registrations at https://worldcat.org/DigitalCollectionGateway/register.jsp. Only one person can manage a collection at a time, but that just means that one person has control of the editing. Any registered user can go into the Manage Account tab and assign a collection to themselves or someone else. In other words, if ‘Jane L.’ is out of the office, then ‘Tom S.’ can assign any of the collections assigned to ‘Jane L.’ to himself and manage the metadata map and sync schedule.

You can assign a single, unique OCLC symbol for each collection in each repository you manage. Prior to performing a sync for the first time, you can apply an OCLC symbol to a collection in the Collection Profile section. You cannot assign multiple OCLC symbols to a particular collection. The Collection Profile defaults to the OCLC symbol associated with your repository’s Gateway key.

After logging into the Gateway, you will begin to edit the metadata map beginning with the first record in a collection.  In the top right navigation, the Gateway indicates a certain number of records are in the collection. When you advance to the next record, that number may change as the Gateway catches up to counting records as they are loaded.

The Gateway provides harvest details in WorldCat Sync Reports. The Sync Report includes harvest error detail about the OAI interaction and error message. Repository XML coding errors are also identified in report details. Harvests that are interrupted because of an error include details on number of records processed before the interruption.

During the transition from the original OAIster harvesting process to using the Gateway, there will be a period of time where duplicate records will show up for users searching WorldCat.org and OAIster. This is unavoidable but will provide continuity of access for users during the transition. As each metadata contributor completes transitioning their workflow to use the Gateway, OCLC will remove the duplicates and eventually no more duplicates will exist from this mechanism of adding records to WorldCat.

No. The Gateway is a free self-service tool provided to digital repository managers to increase the visibility and access of their digital collections by sharing the metadata via WorldCat.

The WorldCat Rights and Responsibilities for the OCLC Cooperative defines how OCLC Members may utilize WorldCat metadata. Your own use of the metadata you contribute to WorldCat is not limited in any way. See Information for Metadata Contributors for information about how OCLC manages metadata added to WorldCat through the Gateway. Also note the Gateway includes a built-in, self-service deletion feature if you wish to remove your metadata from WorldCat.

No, the use of Gateway does not constitute membership in OCLC. For information about membership or becoming an OCLC member, please see OCLC Membership or send an e-mail to membership@oclc.org.

Yes. Modifying or issuing Gateway KEYs to accommodate multiple users, as well as multiple repositories, is a simple configuration. In the OCLC Online Service Center order form, you will be asked to choose between 3 ‘types’ of Gateway keys.  We recommend 10:10 (10 users: 10 repositories). Alternatively, you may send an e-mail request to support@oclc.org  and request that your existing key be modified to one of the other key options.

This selection is for informational purposes only. It informs OCLC staff about the type of OAI repository software that you own. It is not used within the system to change capabilities. It is used for trouble-shooting purposes.

In the Gateway, sets are enabled by default. If you choose to disable sets, this is a permanent change that cannot be undone. Depending upon how your repository is configured, you may have the option of being able to sync your entire repository as a single collection (Entire Repository) or as separate collections (Theses; Dissertations). Keeping the default enable sets may provide both options if you have configured an Entire Repository set. Changing the disable sets-N option to Y will provide only the entire-repository-as-single-collection option permanently.

How it works

If your repository doesn’t support OAI sets, then the Gateway will enable the “Entire Repository” feature by default.

Keep the default No for “Sets disabled?” and create metadata maps only for those sets which you wish to synchronize with WorldCat. If you never create a metadata map or don't setup a sync, then the sets won't be loaded.

The Gateway will utilize information provided by your OAI repository in the setDescription field to create a collection description in WorldCat. A collection description allows users to put your collection in context.

Most of the time. The Gateway has a feature to allow you to control the “material type icon” from data in your source records. It also has a prefix/suffix feature to allow you to “append” constant data to existing source metadata fields. In the latest Gateway release, OCLC has added a constant data capability to the Gateway. This feature allows you to supply collection level data that is applied to each metadata record uploaded for a collection

Yes. The Gateway’s Edit Metadata Map page allows you to “add” a mapping for a source metadata field which creates multiple mappings for the field. Using the “replace” capability on the Edit Metadata Map page allows you to re-map a single field to a single new display location.

The WorldCat.org interface is programmed to build a thumbnail URL from metadata loaded from CONTENTdm servers. Other types of OAI repository software thumbnail URLs are not yet supported. We are currently developing a ‘best practice’ as a way to generate an external thumbnail request from all other OAI-compliant repositories.

The Gateway will utilize information in your metadata record’s dc:language field to construct more precise MARC mappings. The Gateway will use the language information you supply in ISO 693-2,3 standard language tables and complete more of the language details in the resulting WorldCat.org record.

MARC records are not supported by the Gateway. The Gateway only supports Dublin Core, Qualified Dublin Core, OCLC DC (only for CONTENTdm repositories), and the European Semantic Elements (a set of extensions of Qualified Dublin Core).

“oclc_dc” is a custom Dublin Core extension for CONTENTdm servers. It is an extension of Qualified Dublin Core.

It depends. If you only use Connexion digital import to load items into your CONTENTdm collection then there is no need to use the Gateway. With Connexion digital import, you’ve hand-coded a bibliographic record in WorldCat for each item you’ve uploaded. If you use Connexion digital import exclusively to load content into a CONTENTdm collection there is no need to harvest records back into WorldCat.

If you load some items into a CONTENTdm collection using Connexion digital import and other items into the collection using the Project Client or Web Add function of CONTENTdm, you can still use the Gateway to synchronize your entire collection with WorldCat. Items uploaded using Connexion digital import are already in WorldCat, so they don’t need to be synchronized and are ignored by the Gateway during processing. All the other records in your collection are processed by the Gateway according to the record processing settings you’ve chosen, either “replace all” or “add new only”.

If you’ve previously loaded digital content metadata into WorldCat using the “Register with WorldCat” function in CONTENTdm Administration, you have two choices about how to do future synchronizations with WorldCat. The Gateway has a profile for each collection that can be set to “Replace All” or to “Add New Only”.

If you select “Replace All” the Digital Collection Gateway will recognize existing records in WorldCat and replace them with the records currently in your CONTENTdm server. If you select “Add New Only” the Digital Collection Gateway will only add records not previously synchronized with WorldCat.

Yes. Modifying or issuing CONTENTdm Gateway license KEYS to accommodate multiple users is a simple configuration. To accommodate additional users, you may send an e-mail request to support@oclc.org  and request that your existing key be modified to one of the other key options (10 users or 50 users).

Only those collections that are enabled for WorldCat Sync  in CONTENTdm admin will be available for harvesting. Additionally, create metadata maps only for those sets which you wish to synchronize with WorldCat. If you never create a metadata map or don't setup a sync, then the collections won't be loaded.

A collection description allows users to put your collection in context. Once your collection has been enabled in CONTENTdm admin, you are asked to provide an optional collection-level description.  When you are logged into the Gateway, you have the option to then add that collection-level description in the Collection Profile section.