-------- Original Message --------
Subject: OCLC QC Tip: Searching WorldCat Indexes
Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 18:34:36 +0000
From: Goodson,Luanne <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: askqc <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
*Searching WorldCat Indexes*
_http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/worldcat/searching/searchworldcatindexes/default.htm_
provides comprehensive information about indexes used to retrieve
records from WorldCat.
This guide shows MARC fields and subfields indexed for each WorldCat
index, gives examples, and provides information about how each index
works to help construct searches that retrieve the records you need.
OCLC services, including cataloging, reference, and resource sharing,
use the same search indexes. Interfaces for searching WorldCat include:
* OCLC Connexion^® client and browser (cataloging)
* OCLC CatExpress^® in Connexion browser (copy cataloging)
* OCLC FirstSearch^® (reference)
* OCLC WorldShare™ (Acquisitions, Circulation, Interlibrary Loan,
Metadata)
* OCLC WorldCat Resource Sharing (interlibrary loan)
This guide is intended for library staff who use the OCLC interfaces
listed above to search WorldCat, as opposed to end users searching
public access interfaces to WorldCat.
*Please note:* Connexion Client and FirstSearch support the following
non-Latin/non-roman scripts: Arabic, Armenian, Bengali, Chinese,
Cyrillic, Devanagari, Ethiopic, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Syriac,
Tamil, and Thai. Many WorldCat indexes support both Latin script and
non-Latin script search terms. In _WorldCat index descriptions_
<https://www.oclc.org/support/services/worldcat/documentation/searching/searchworldcatindexes.en.html>,
each description notes whether that index supports non-Latin script
search terms.
*Levels of searching and examples in this guide*
To give flexibility in search strategy and control over the results,
OCLC search interfaces provide various levels of searching, from
simplified to complex.
The most complex search level requires knowledge of full search
syntax–all parts of a search in correct order and format, including
index labels and punctuation, search terms, Boolean operators, and
qualifiers.
Examples of complex search levels: An "expert" search in FirstSearch or
a "command line" search in Connexion.
Interfaces also provide less complex levels of searching where you use
text boxes and drop-down lists to enter or select the parts of the
search. The interface automatically formulates the correct search
syntax when you send the search to the OCLC system.
Examples of less complex search levels: A "basic" search in
FirstSearch/Resource Sharing or CatExpress or a "guided" search in
Connexion.
*Note:* Not all indexes are listed in drop-down lists in searching
interfaces. If an index is not a selection in a drop-down list:
* In Connexion, you must enter a full syntax "command line" search
that includes the index label, punctuation, and search term for the
index.
* In FirstSearch and WorldCat Resource Sharing, you can enter a search
term preceded by the index label and punctuation in any search box;
the index you type overrides the index selected in the drop-down
list adjacent to the search box.
*Examples of searches in this guide are given in full search syntax*
(most complex format). From full syntax examples, you can extrapolate
the parts of a search you would enter or select in boxes and lists to
construct a basic or guided form of the search.
*Caution.* Although constructed as "real" WorldCat searches that produce
actual results, the examples in this guide can only illustrate the
principles of searching. Over time, results of running a search example
may change. Because of the dynamic nature of WorldCat, search examples
used here may no longer retrieve records or may retrieve too many records.
For assistance on Searching WorldCat please call or email
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>.
Please direct any questions or comments about this email to
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
|
