-------- 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]>