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WorldCat

WorldCat: A Global Library Catalog

Murphy Library offers two choices to connect to WorldCat. The database producer has announced that the traditional interface is slated to be discontinued, probably by 2011. 

Let us know what you think.

Content comparison:

The Traditional Interface includes over 172 million library materials such as books, videos, e-books, etc. but is not generally used for finding articles in periodicals.

The New Interface, includes the same 172+ million library records and also includes over 73 million citations for articles in the following sources:

  • ArticleFirst (articles from a wide range of journals in all subjects)
  • British Library Serials
  • ERIC (education)
    MEDLINE (medicine and health)
  • GPO (U.S. government publications).
  • Elsevier article citations from ScienceDirect and Scopus
  • JSTOR article citations
  • Future additions of citations from MLA and H.W. Wilson databases

More about both versions:

  • Local holdings
    A user can limit their searching to just Murphy Library or search the entire database. If searching the entire database, holdings at Murphy Library display first. A user can refine their search by using facets on the left side. When at the description of a given item, local holdings, call number and status automatically appear. If the item isn't held at Murphy Library, the user is provided with a link to see holding libraries or to place an ILL request.
  • Every conceivable physical and electronic format
    WorldCat includes records for books, videos, serial publications, many articles, recorded books and music, electronic books, sheet music, genealogical references, cultural artifacts, digital objects, Web sites and much more.
  • Popular, rare and one-of-a-kind resources
    Cataloged works span thousands of years and nearly every form of human expression.
  • 470+ languages from 112 countries and territories
    Many items cataloged in WorldCat cannot be discovered through any other resource.
  • National catalogs increasingly represented
    OCLC continues to put much more of the "world" in WorldCat by partnering with national libraries from many countries. More than 40 national catalogs including those of Poland, Australia and New Zealand are now or will soon be part of WorldCat.
  • Enriched record data helps patrons quickly evaluate relevance
    WorldCat records often feature cover art, tables of contents, author notes, reviews, excerpts and links to related resources available through other subscription information services—so users can decide if it's the correct resource and determine how best to access it.
  • Simplified display of titles available in multiple formats
    WorldCat records collapse multiple expressions of a source work using unique, OCLC-developed algorithms based on the FRBR conceptual model. Users and staff don't have to wade through dozens of records for different versions of a popular title.