My first resource review is going to be on the topic of my individual research, the site www.worldcat.org. WorldCat is a site that allows users to search an amalgamated library catalog that contains materials from over 10,000 member libraries. Once a library uploads their catalog to WorldCat, their items appear in a listing when searched by a local user. The positive implications of this tool are apparent. The user can choose an appropriate item; for instance, a user in Madison who is not affiliated with the University of Wisconsin can see resources that are available on the UW campus, but they will also see materials that are available to them in their local branch library. These results are displayed in the WorldCat interface, but the user can then leave the website to request the item from the local library. If that item is not available, they may be able to find it at another library nearby. University users can also benefit from WorldCat for Interlibrary Loan requests. If a resource is very rare, they may be able to find the only copy available, request it from their ILL department, and receive it quickly. The WorldCat site is available in a variety of formats, including for mobile phones, Facebook, an embeddable widget for member websites and for Local searches only.
The interface on the welcome screen includes a Google-like search box that is set to search "Everything" by default. The search box is tabbed, which allows users to zero in on a specific facet of their search, specifically the medium of the resource in question. There are tabs for books, CDs, DVDs and Articles. One possible drawback is that many of the articles may be part of subscription databases. Even though a user may search and find scholarly work, they may not be able to fully access the materials if they are not registered patrons of the library. Academic users affiliated with the University of Wisconsin using WorldCat will appreciate their new bibliographic features. One can now export a list of sources to RefWorks or EndNote.
There is also an advanced search available. The searches can be limited by year, language, format, content and audience. In other ways, the advanced options do not appear to be as thorough as other searching tools; for instance, no LC subject heading search is present.I look forward to delving further in to WorldCat as the blog progresses. Keep posted for my comparison of WorldCat with other library catalogs!
Source:
WorldCat. (2001-2009). Retrieved September 16, 2009, from OCLC, WorldCat website, www.worldcat.org
I am 100% obsessed with WorldCat. I think they need to talk about this in library school, because I know a lot of librarians have never used it!
ReplyDeleteReally, Amanda? I'm surprised that librarians do not use WorldCat obsessively. I often use it when helping patrons at MERIT. Its pretty often that we can't find something specific in Madcat or UW System search. I also have the Facebook widget!
ReplyDelete