How do the FirstSearch and WorldCat Discovery services compare?
How should I decide which service best meets the needs of my library and our users?
My library searches WorldCat at no charge through WorldCat.org™. Why should I subscribe to FirstSearch or WorldCat Discovery?
Subscriptions/pricing
Which services do new subscribers receive when they purchase a FirstSearch/WorldCat Discovery subscription?
What is included in a subscription renewal?
Group subscribers
What kind of group pricing is available for FirstSearch and WorldCat Discovery?
My library group shares a subscription to WorldCat Discovery and has a group catalog. Is our group catalog available in WorldCat Discovery and FirstSearch?
Content
Are former FirstSearch Base Package databases individually searchable in FirstSearch and WorldCat Discovery?
How can users find my library’s e-books in FirstSearch and in WorldCat Discovery?
Specific features
Will FirstSearch continue to offer the precision searching I depend on?
Member stories

Locate and request exactly what you need from near or far
Discover how the Massachusetts Library System efficiently finds and delivers the right items to library users across the state.

Find precisely what you’re looking for without distraction
See how the University of California, Davis empowers researchers with quick and efficient access to the resources they need worldwide.
“I use WorldCat on FirstSearch 10–15 times a day at least, sometimes more. I couldn't do my job without WorldCat on FirstSearch. The breadth of collections is unparalleled.”
Tommy Nixon
MLIS Subject Librarian for Classics, Dramatic Art, & English/Comparative Literature
Davis Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
FirstSearch is the most powerful interface for searching WorldCat. Researchers and library staff can find and select resources in thousands of library collections with rich information from WorldCat records. FirstSearch libraries are also more visible on the popular websites where people often begin their research.
Service availability
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Available everywhere
Learn more
Download the FirstSearch brochure
Download the FirstSearch brochure (US Letter)
Download the FirstSearch brochure (A4)
Upcoming events
On-demand webinars
15 August 2023
Meet me on the web: Reach information seekers where they search
20 October 2022