1. WorldCat: Broad Web visibility for our collection
We contribute holdings to WorldCat
OCLC partners with Google, Yahoo! and other sites
Relevant library materials show up in keyword searches
Our library appears in the results, if we have an item
Deep linking takes users right to our catalog record
Our library profile page shows our latest additions to WorldCat
As a member library of OCLC, we enjoying a substantial benefit from our WorldCat contribution and subscription: Visibility of our materials on the open Web through WorldCat.org.
Since we enter our holdings into the WorldCat database through [cataloging / batch processing], people outside the library are finding us, our materials and our services because we’re showing up in their searches.
How does it work? OCLC provides a WorldCat data feed to popular search engines like Google, and materials are then indexed. So when someone searches for something, relevant library resources appear, with a link to the relevant item (detailed record) page in WorldCat. It can be a book, video, game, digital image, a eBook, anything. When our library holds the item, we are listed by geographic proximity.
On the detailed record page, the user can review evaluative information such as a cover image, author, publisher, format, year and ISBN. Subject headings for the work link off to “More like this” results.
If the user decides this item is interesting, she is presented with libraries near her location through IP address recognition. She can also enter a postal code or another geographic identifier.
WorldCat returns a list of libraries near her location that hold the item. If our library holds that item, our library’s name appears as one of the displayed links. That link leads directly to our local catalog and the online record for the item. This is made possible by a simple process known as “deep linking,” in which we register the basic URL structure (“syntax”) for our specific Integrated Library System with OCLC.
Once at our local catalog, an unauthenticated user can [indicate possible circulation activities, e.g. check availability], and an authenticated user can [indicate possible circulation activities, e.g. remote checkout, place a hold].
Authenticated users within our library or accessing remotely also see a small box titled “My Library,” with links to our internal fulfillment options relative to the displayed item. [State your options, e.g. resource sharing request]
WorldCat.org also has social networking features standard in today’s Web 2.0 environments. Things like lists, ratings, reviews, RSS feeds and more. An “Editions” link shows a user other available formats and/or versions of a work, such as translations or audiobooks. And if a user decides to buy an item, s/he can do it directly through WorldCat.org.
There is also a library profile page for each WorldCat library that provides links to our catalog, hours, location, phone number, and automatically pulls in a list of the most popular new items we’ve added to our collection in WorldCat.
Additional features on WorldCat.org include:
Facebook apps and downloadable browser plug-ins and toolbars for always-there WorldCat searching
A modular version of the WorldCat search box any user, library or organization can place on their Web site or blog
Simple permalinks and link structures to make linking and mash-ups easy
A WorldCat Mobile pilot to deliver library results to mobile phones
A WorldCat Search API for qualifying institutions to get even more value out of WorldCat data
OCLC continues to expand and enhance WorldCat.org through partnerships with sites such as weRead for additional valuable user-centered content.
WorldCat.org helps our library—and all OCLC libraries—gain visibility on the Web. It points more people—even those who don't typically visit libraries—to library collections as a first source of information. Our current customers find another way to reach us online, and new customers can now discover our services.