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Worldwide (English) Change
WorldCat Local : Overview

Overview

WorldCat Local combines the ability to configure WorldCat.org as a solution for your local discovery and delivery services with the cooperative power of OCLC member libraries worldwide. You gain added value with local branding; integrated search and discovery of physical, digital and licensed electronic collections; local relevancy ranking of search results; and integrated access to multiple delivery options.

WorldCat Local is a unique service that works in conjunction with WorldCat.org and provides Web access to WorldCat—the world’s richest database for discovery of materials held in libraries.

Whenever one of your users conducts a search using WorldCat Local, your library’s holdings are shown at the top of the results list. Items that are most accessible to your users—collections in your library, collections shared in a consortium, open-access collections, local digital collections and more—are discovered through a single search box in a locally branded interface.

WorldCat Local interoperates with locally maintained services like circulation, resource sharing, full text and local digital collections to create a seamless search, discovery and delivery experience for your users.

Personalizing the search experience

WorldCat Local offers the same feature set as WorldCat.org, such as a single search box, relevancy ranking of search results, result sets that bring multiple versions of a work together under one record, faceted browse capability, citation formatting options, cover art and additional evaluative content.

Each custom installation of WorldCat Local, however, goes much further toward personalizing the search experience for the users of a particular library and/or group.

Your library at the top of the list

WorldCat Local provides your users with a customized search at multiple levels—local, group and global—all at the same time. It’s a seamless way for information seekers to find what they’re looking for through your library (even if the materials aren’t available locally).

Local search

Whenever your users search WorldCat Local, results from your library are elevated in the search results to the top of the list. This helps users easily find your library’s materials that you’ve identified and purchased as part of your collection management strategy.

Group search

When WorldCat Local is set up to work with a group or consortium catalog, library ownership information for group members is displayed in search results following those for your library.

Global search

Search results will be displayed for WorldCat libraries throughout your state, across the country and around the world in order of proximity after all local and group results have displayed.

Custom branding

WorldCat Local can be branded with your library’s colors, logo and links. It can also provide access to your library’s resources and services.

Interoperability

WorldCat Local interoperates with locally maintained services such as circulation, resource sharing and resolution to full text.

WorldCat Local interfaces with your library’s circulation system to deliver location and availability information. This means your users immediately know the library department or division location and local call number, and whether the item is on the shelf. WorldCat Local is also configured to present the resource sharing options that are appropriate for your library’s users.

WorldCat Local works with your library’s OpenURL resolver to connect library users with the resources they need across the range of services each library provides.

OCLC will work closely with library staff during implementation of the service to integrate access to this information so it can be delivered through the custom, branded WorldCat interface.

Add your holdings to WorldCat

A successful WorldCat Local implementation requires coordination between your library and OCLC staff to ensure that your library’s holdings are current in WorldCat.

It is also important that your digital collections are represented in the WorldCat database to make them easily accessible to your library’s local information seekers.

OCLC will consult with your library to determine the fastest and easiest way to get your library ready for WorldCat Local.