Searching glossary [OCLC]

AACR2: Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition. The national/international standard for cataloging library materials. The rules are "designed for use in the construction of catalogues and other lists in general libraries of all sizes. The rules cover the description of, and the provision of access points for, all library materials commonly collected at the present time." The rules are maintained by the Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR and published by the American Library Association, the Canadian Library Association, and the Library Association.
access point: A name, term, code or other indexed characteristic of an authority or bibliographic record that helps make the record searchable and identifiable. For example, titles, names, and subjects are access points.
added entry: A secondary catalog entry (access point). Any entry other than the main entry.
allowable duplicate records: Records for the same resource, but using different cataloging languages or rules. See also parallel records.
any qualifier: Qualifier used to override default qualifiers. Any is also the default qualifier. If you do not qualify a search, the qualifier is any.
authorization number: Number assigned by OCLC to authorize use of OCLC services. Usually used in conjunction with a password. See also password, default holding library code.

Bibliographic Formats and Standards: Guide to machine-readable cataloging records in WorldCat. This guide provides tagging conventions, input standards and guidelines for entering information into WorldCat. (Available on the OCLC Web site at https://www.oclc.org/bibformats/.)
bibliographic information: Details about an item that are sufficient to identify it for the purpose of retrieval are placed in a specific format that describes one item in a collection. Examples: author, title, publisher, publication location, edition, series title, and notes.
bibliographic record: Contains the cataloging information that describes the physical format and intellectual content of a single entity (a book, video, computer file, CD, etc.). Catalogers create records by encoding this information using tags, indicators, and subfield codes in a standard format called MARC 21 (MAchine-Readable Cataloging). Each record is divided into fields (author, title, subjects, etc.) Fields are subdivided into subfields (place of publication, publisher, etc.).
Books format: OCLC-MARC format used for cataloging books and book-like material. In WorldCat searches, use the Books index (label: bks) as a qualifier to limit results to records for this type of material.
Boolean operators: AND, OR, and NOT. Used to combine search terms. AND finds only records that contain both terms. OR finds records that contain either term. NOT finds records that contain the first term but not the second term. Combining search terms produces more precise and manageable search results.
Boolean logic (searches): A system of logical thought developed by English mathematician George Boole (1815-64). A Boolean search combines key concepts or search terms with the logic operators AND, OR and NOT to specify the exact information required in a database search.
bracketed information: Bibliographic information that has been added to bibliographic or authority records by the cataloger. The information appears in brackets ([ ]) in records.
brief list: In Connexion, default display of WorldCat search results when a search retrieves 2 to 5 records. Each entry presents selected bibliographic data.
browse: Scan an index for a match or the closest match to a term (word, phrase, or whole phrase) in records. The system matches the exact text string—character by character, from left to right—against the characters in the specified index. Produces a browse list that highlights the closest match and shows the number of records for each term in the list. Clicking an entry opens the record or a record list, if multiple records match.

cataloging source qualifier: Qualifier index (label cs=) that can be used to limit WorldCat searches to records contributed by a specific library identified by its OCLC symbol (for example, cs=ocl).
Note: To limit searches to records contributed by the Library of Congress or by specific LC cooperative programs, use cooperative programs index (label dl:) with value y (dl:y).
CatExpress/Express: See OCLC CatExpress.
character masking: Entering a question mark (?) or number sign (#) in a search in place of other characters to retrieve multiple words. Example: computer? retrieves records that contain computer, computerization, or computerized.
circumflex: The character (^) entered in certain segments of numeric and derived searches in WorldCat to make searches more precise. Also known as a caret.
CODEN Designation: The Chemical Abstracts Service assigns six-character Coden Designations to serials. The first four characters are letters and have a mnemonic relationship to the serial. The fifth character is either A, B, C, or D. The sixth character is an alphabetic or numeric check character. For example, AISJB6, CADIDW. The Coden Designation is located in field 030, subfield ‡a and can be used during batchload matching.
Computer File format: OCLC-MARC format used for cataloging the following classes of electronic resources: computer software (including programs, games, fonts), numeric data, computer-oriented multimedia, and online systems or services. In WorldCat searches, use the Computer File index (label: com) as a qualifier to limit results to records for this type of material.
conference name: All or part of the name or title of a conference. A conference name could also be included in a title, abstract, notes, or text of a library resource. Examples: names of meetings, exhibitions, expositions, festivals, athletic contests, scientific expeditions.
Connexion: See OCLC Connexion.
Connexion client interface: See OCLC Connexion client.
Connexion browser interface: See OCLC Connexion browser.
corporate/conference name derived search: See derived search.
CSD: See OCLC Customer Services Division (CSD).

database: A grouping of data for a particular purpose or for the use of a particular set of users, usually organized in fields and providing tools to enable manipulation of the data for sorting, grouping and searching.
default holding library code: The holding library code that appears automatically in bibliographic field 049 (Local Holdings) when a user displays a bibliographic record in the Connexion client or browser cataloging interface. Each authorization number/password combination has a default holding library code. See also authorization number, password.
default WorldCat search results displays: System-determined displays of WorldCat search results as group, truncated or brief lists or as a full record. The default display type is based on the number of records the search retrieves.
delimiter: Character (‡), followed by a single letter or number code, used to define the beginning of a subfield within a variable field in a MARC bibliographic or authority record. See also subfield.
For batchload services, the delimiter is entered as a dollar sign ($). If immediately followed by a lowercase letter or single numeral, OCLC converts the dollar sign into a delimiter. A $ followed by a numeral and period, two or more numerals, or a blank space is interpreted as a monetary value and is not converted.
derived search: A type of WorldCat search that uses a specific number of initial characters from the words in a name and/or title. A shortcut way to enter a search. The "derived" segments of the words are separated by commas. The number and pattern of letters and commas tells the system which index to search. The four types of derived searches (with the pattern that defines it in parentheses) are: Title (3,2,2,1); Personal name (4,3,1); Corporate/Conference name (=4,3,1); Name/Title (4,4).
diacritic: A mark that modifies the phonetic value of another character or characters. It does not occur alone but is used in conjunction with another character. In records each diacritic occupies its own position, directly following the modified character, although the display shows correctly.

electronic resource: See Computer File format.

field: In a record, a marked area in which the same kind of information is consistently entered.
filing indicator: In bibliographic records, determines how many initial characters the system omits before indexing the field.
forename: A name before a surname; a first name.
Format qualifer (ft): See Type of material (format) qualifier (ft).
full bibliographic record: The complete display of a bibliographic record, including all fields and subfields.
full stop: In cataloging, a full stop is a period ( . ), colon ( : ), semicolon ( ; ), question mark
( ? ), or exclamation point ( ! ).

government document number: Government-assigned number for materials printed at the expense of and by the authority of any office of the government, for example, United States Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) numbers. Other government numbers may be used such as Canadian government numbers from the Outline of Classification. The form of these numbers varies.
group list: Default display of WorldCat search results when a search retrieves 101 to 1500 records. Groups of records are sorted by type of material and year of publication. Clicking an entry opens a record or another list, depending on the number of records represented. 1500 is the maximum number of WorldCat records that can be retrieved.

hits: The number of records or the number of times a record or word is found as a result of searching the system.

index: A detailed alphabetical or numerical list for a specific kind of bibliographic data provided by the system for retrieving a record or sets of records from a database such as WorldCat.
index label: A two- or three-character code followed by a colon or equal sign that indicates to the system the index against which to match a search term.
initial article: Articles (the, an, a, and non-English articles) that are the first word in a title or corporate name.
institution symbol: See OCLC symbol.
International Standard Book Number (ISBN): A unique identification number assigned to a work by its publisher. OCLC has converted the existing 10-character ISBN to the new 13-character format. The thirteenth character is a check character that may be a number or the letter x. In printed form, the ISBN has three hyphens. Hyphens are omitted in online records. ISBNs are stored in field 020 in bibliographic records.
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): A unique identification number assigned to a serial through the ISSN Network. Each ISSN has eight characters. The eighth character is a check character that may be a number or the letter x. A hyphen follows the fourth character.

keyword: A word in a bibliographic record that is indexed. It often conveys subject content in a search for library resources. Keywords are found in titles, notes, abstracts, summaries, descriptions, and subjects. Keywords are also names of people and places that are the subjects of a library resource or a listing in a directory.
keyword index: Default WorldCat search index (the system searches this index if a search has no specified index. Indexes a single word in a record, but other keyword search terms or qualifiers. can be combined.
keyword search: A type of search that uses a complete word, usually combined with other keywords.
kit: A set of textual and nontextual materials in which no one material dominates and which has a collective title. For example, a workbook that comes with flashcards, worksheets, video recording, gameboard, playing pieces, and dice.

Library of Congress: The research arm of the Congress of the United States, established in 1800 and located in Washington, D.C. Although not officially a national library, the Library of Congress (LC) provides services appropriate to a national library. LC also administers the U.S. copyright system, serving as the nation's copyright depository.
LC is the primary source of original cataloging in the United States. Machine-readable cataloging (MARC) and cataloging-in-publication (CIP) programs originated at the Library of Congress.
Library of Congress call number: Identification number derived from the U.S. Library of Congress classification system. Used to retrieve a library resource.
Library of Congress Control Number: An accession number assigned by the Library of Congress. The LCCN is usually a two- or four-character number representing the year, followed by a hyphen and up to six numbers. The Library of Congress formerly referred to control numbers as card numbers.

main entry: The entry determined by AACR2 to be the primary access point for the item.
Maps format: OCLC-MARC format used for cataloging cartographic material, such as maps, atlases, globes, digital maps. In WorldCat searches, use the Maps index (label: map) as a qualifier to limit results to records for this type of material.
MARC: Machine-Readable Cataloging. An international standard digital format for the description of bibliographic items developed by the Library of Congress during the 1960s to facilitate the creation and dissemination of computerized cataloging from library to library within the same country and between countries. By 1971, the MARC format had become the national standard for dissemination of bibliographic data and by 1973, an international standard.
Several versions of MARC are in use internationally, the most predominant of which is MARC 21, created in 1999 as a result of the harmonization of U.S. and Canadian MARC formats. UKMARC is used primarily in the United Kingdom. UNIMARC is widely used in Europe. Besides formats for bibliographic records, the MARC 21 family of standards now also includes formats for authority records, holdings records, classification schedules, and community information.
matches: The number of times the system identifies a search term, or the number of records retrieved as a result of a search.
Medical Subject Headings: Formal and consistent vocabulary words and phrases used to describe the subject of a medical work. MeSH is provided by the National Library of Medicine for medical and health sciences libraries.
meeting name: See conference name.
MeSH: See Medical Subject Headings.
microform or not microform qualifier: The qualifier used to limit searches to microform or not microform.
Mixed Materials format: OCLC-MARC format used for cataloging materials in two or more forms that have accumulated by or about a person or body, excluding instructional materials, which are coded as Type: o (Kit). Includes archival material and mixed manuscript materials such as text, photographs, and sound recordings. In WorldCat searches, use the Mixed Materials index (label: mix) as a qualifier to limit results to records for this type of material. See also kit.
mnemonic: An aid used help memory. Fixed field elements of records have mnemonic identifiers to help catalogers with coding and interpretation.
multipart surname: Surname that includes prefixes, hyphenated names, or names that begin with articles or prepositions.
music number: See publisher number.

name/title derived search: See derived search.
Notes: Supply significant additional information about an item described in a bibliographic record.
numeric search: A type of WorldCat search that allows you to search for records by number, such as ISBN or OCLC control number.

OCLC: Previously called Online Computer Library Center, Inc. and Ohio College Library Center. Nonprofit membership organization serving libraries around the world to further access to the world's information and reduce library costs by offering services for libraries and their users.
OCLC cataloging: OCLC's online services for cataloging library materials using WorldCat and for producing catalog cards, machine-readable records, and other offline products. Participating institutions retrieve bibliographic records, modify the information for local use, and then order the modified record from OCLC. Institutions also contribute new records and location information to WorldCat for items for which no record is found. Access to cataloging activities is provided by the Connexion client, Connexion browser, CatExpress, and Z39.50 cataloging.
OCLC CatExpress: An OCLC service for copy cataloging. CatExpress users log on from Connexion browser. Connexion users who also subscribe to CatExpress log on to Connexion and access CatExpress from the Express tab.
OCLC Connexion: Integrated cataloging service that offers access to WorldCat, the OCLC Authority File and other online databases. The browser interface provides access via Internet Explorer or other browsers. The client interface provides access via Microsoft Windows-based software installed on user workstations. Both interfaces offer the same cataloging capabilities. Each also provides unique capabilities.The browser interface uniquely provides access to CatExpress, Dewey services, local holdings maintenance, and OCLC Selection and supports creation of pathfinders and other electronic resources. The client uniquely supports the use of macros, local files, offline cataloging, integrated label processing, using non-Latin scripts for cataloging, and batch processing searches and record actions.
OCLC Connexion browser: One of two interfaces to OCLC Connexion cataloging services and products. Introduced in mid-2002, the Web-browser-based interface provides the same access to cataloging in WorldCat as the Connexion client. The browser interface also provides some unique functions, including WebDewey and Abridged WebDewey, CatExpress, OCLC Selection, Pathfinders and Local Holdings Maintenance.
OCLC Connexion client: One of two interfaces to OCLC Connexion cataloging services and products. Introduced in the second half of 2003, the Windows-based software interface provides the same access to cataloging in WorldCat as the Connexion browser. The client interface also provides some unique functions, including the use of macros and an automatic macro recorder, extensive keyboard shortcut customization, integrated label printing, local files, offline cataloging, batch processing for searches and record actions, use of non-Latin-based multiscripts for cataloging, and more.
OCLC control number: A unique accession number assigned by the OCLC system when a record is added to WorldCat. Used to search for records.
OCLC Customer Services Division (CSD): OCLC's user assistance and support contact desk that provides support for telecommunications, hardware, and software. Formerly called OCLC User and Network Support (UNS).
OCLC-MARC: OCLC's implementation of the MARC bibliographic format. See also MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data.
OCLC symbol: A unique identifier assigned by OCLC to member libraries and other participants. OCLC symbols in records and in holdings displays identify libraries that have entered, modified, and used the bibliographic records for cataloging. See also OCLC holding library code.
OCLC Union List: Former name for local holdings maintenance service. See local holdings maintenance.
OCLC User and Network Support (UNS): See OCLC Customer Services Division (CSD).

parallel records: Records in WorldCat that describe a single resource, but which have been cataloged in different languages. For example, collation, notes, and subject headings are in different languages. See also allowable duplicate records.
password: A sequence of characters required to gain access to a computer system. Usually used in conjunction with an authorization number. See also authorization number , default holding library code.
PCC: Program for Cooperative Cataloging. An international cooperative project. PCC includes BIBCO (monographic bibliographic component), CONSER (Cooperative Online Serials Program, the serials bibliographic component), NACO (name authority component), and SACO (subject authority component). For more information, see www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc.
PDF: Portable Document Format. The Adobe Acrobat standard that enables the same graphic display of a document on different platforms. Because the graphical display preserves hard-copy features such as page numbers, logical page breaks, tables of contents, etc., printing a PDF document makes a better hard copy than printing HTML-formatted documents. Most OCLC user documentation is available in PDF as well as HTML.
personal name derived search
phrase indexes: Search indexes used to search for an entire field or subfield in records. Phrase indexes are also browsable.
phrase search: Words, numbers, or character strings used to initiate a search for an entire field or subfield in a record. To enter a complete search string using a "command line" search in Connexion or an "expert" search in FirstSearch/Resource Sharing, use a phrase index label in the format xx=.
Example: To search for a personal name phrase, type pn=brooks, gwendolyn.
publisher: The person or company responsible for placing a book or other resource on the market. A publisher and printer may be the same person or company, although in modern publishing this is not usually the case.
publisher number: Plate and publishers' numbers for printed music (scores); serial and matrix numbers for sound recordings; videorecording numbers for visual materials, and publisher numbers other than those for sound recordings, music, or videorecordings. The publisher number is located in field 028, subfield ‡a or field 262, subfield ‡c and is used for batchload matching. For example, B 07042 L.

qualifier: A means of limiting a WorldCat search to specific classes of records, for example: type of material (index label - mt:), years of publication (index label - yr:), microform or not microform (index label - mf:), cataloging source (index label - cs=). Qualifiers are elements from the bibliographic record that are used in combination with a search term to narrow a search.
qualify a search: A technique to make a search more precise by limiting results to specific classes of materials. Produces more manageable search results. See also qualifier.

record: A machine-readable record in a database that contains bibliographic information about a separately cataloged library item, set, or serial. A record can describe a book, journal article, or any other library resource, including electronic resources. It also contains coded information used to retrieve and work with data. In WorldCat, a bibliographic record is in OCLC-MARC format.
record matching: Computer system operation that compares one record to another based on search criteria to determine a match.
record standard: A standard for representating and exchanging data in machine-readable form. See also record structure.
record type: Term that identifies the format, genre, or medium of a document for cataloging and for retrieving a specific type of record. Valid values vary by database. In FirstSearch/Resource Sharing searches, use the advanced or expert search screens to select a valid document type from the drop-down menu. In Connexion, type a full search in the command line of the Search WorldCat screen or window, or select from a dropdown list in the guided search area of the screen or window.
report number: Uniquely identifies a technical report; not a series number. There are two kinds: Standard Technical Report Numbers and other nonstandard numbers.

A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y

S

Scan

Command used to send a browse string to the system to scan indexes. See browse.

Scores format

OCLC-MARC format used to catalog musical scores. In WorldCat searches, use the Scores index (label: sco) as a qualifier to limit results to records for scores.

search

Command used in Connexion to send a numeric, derived, or keyword search.

search history

In a Connexion Search WorldCat screen or window, search term input boxes have a popup or dropdown list that displays up to 10 previous searches.

search key

In Connexion client only, a search entered in command line format (full search syntax) and add to a list stored in a local file for batch processing.

searching

The process of retrieving records from a database.

segment

One part of a derived search. See derived search.

Serials format

See Continuing Resources format.

series

Uniform volumes of a library resource that are related by subject matter, issued successively, and generally by the same publisher in a uniform style.

series title

The collective title of all items in a series, as opposed to each item's individual title.

Example:
Series title—Summer Institute of Linguistics Publications in Linguistics
Title (of individual item in series)—Modes in Denya Discourse

W

whole phrase index

Search indexes used to search for entire indexed fields of records. Whole phrase indexes are also browsable.

whole phrase search

All words, numbers, or character strings used to initiate a search for an entire indexed field in records. To enter a complete search string using a "command line" search in Connexion, use a whole phrase index label in the format xxw= (where xx represents the label).

Note: FirstSearch/Resource Sharing supports only one whole phrase index—Subject. This index label has a different format; see example below.

For a whole phrase search, enter all field data or truncate using an asterisk.

Examples:

To search for a subject field in Connexion, type suw=library science computer* (field data is truncated).
To search for the same subject field in FirstSearch/Resource Sharing, type sa=library science computer* (field data is truncated).

wildcard (# or ?)

A special character used to represent one or more characters in a search term. The pound sign (#) represents a single character, and the question mark (?), alone or with a number, represents zero or more characters. Wildcards must be preceded by at least three characters in a term. Example: wom#n retrieves women or women; col?r retrieves color or colour. See also truncation (*).

word

For searching purposes, any character or group of characters between two blank spaces, including initials or abbreviations.

word indexes

Search indexes used to search for a word or number in specific indexed fields of records. Word indexes are also browsable.

word search

A word, number, or character string used to initiate a search for a word in an indexed field in records. To enter a complete search string using a "command line" search in Connexion or an "expert" search in FirstSearch/Resource Sharing, use a word index label in the format xx:.

Example: To search for an OCLC control number, type no:10998406 (or #10998406 or *10998406).

WorldCat

A database of tens of millions of online records built from the bibliographic and ownership information of contributing libraries. The WorldCat database is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind. OCLC members use WorldCat for a full array of technical library services, including cataloging, interlibrary loan, reference, union listing, local holdings, and many more.WorldCat is the foundation of many OCLC services that let your library process, manage and share information resources. And with its records now opened to Web search, bookselling and bibliography sites, holdings in your collection are even more easily located and obtained by both your local patrons and a broad-based Internet usership.

WorldCat Resource Sharing

See OCLC WorldCat Resource Sharing.

Searching WorldCat glossary

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