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.
67 million quality records and counting
WorldCat-listed resources span thousands of years and nearly every form of human expression. Records exist for everything from stone tablets to electronic books, wax recordings to MP3s, DVDs and Web sites. Whether an item is physical or digitally preserved, popular or one-of-a-kind, the integrity of its record is maintained by the input of cataloging members, our standards and quality control.
A peerless collection of cataloging expertise
Built by catalogers around the globe, WorldCat is the leading bibliographic database in the world, providing libraries with an extensive and rich source of cataloging records. This resource increases efficiency by ensuring a high hit rate for materials of all formats. You'll find records for materials ranging from the popular to the rare and difficult-to-find. When coupled with OCLC cataloging tools such as Connexion, PromptCat and others, librarians save time and resources when performing copy or original cataloging with WorldCat.
Global reach, local access
Resources in WorldCat represent hundreds of languages and cultures, and are owned—and shared—by libraries in your community and more than 80 countries worldwide.
More than titles and call numbers
When used as a reference resource through FirstSearch, you'll discover that many WorldCat records are enriched with cover art, tables of contents, reviews, excerpts and other descriptive information. Records typically have library holdings information attached. Users can quickly evaluate relevance, decide if it's the correct resource and see where they can access it.
For your library: better everything
Through WorldCat-enabled services, your library can highlight its own collection in search results, increasing visibility and circulation; use generated statistics to support budgets and refine planning; improve service to non-English speaking patrons; and generally offer more content and greater service.
For you and your patrons: faster everything
WorldCat saves time. Your staff speeds through cataloging thanks to record matching and ready-to-load record sets. Your users perform their own searches and resource sharing requests via FirstSearch.
