Simpson Library Technical Services

Finding Records in OCLC

These instructions work best for most books.

OCLC Connexion

1. Open OCLC Connexion.  
2. Click the Cataloging menu > Search > WorldCat (alternately, you can click on the icon right under the File menu called CatalogingSearchWorldCat)
3. Sign in

Searching for records

The easiest way to look for a record is by ISBN.  You can also look by title and author, but this will yield many more results without the ISBN.  You can narrow your selections by choosing Format, Year, Language, etc.

Even though searching by ISBN is easy, it is not always best.  Derived searches often help you find the right record more accurately.
A derived search uses a specific number of initial characters from words in a name and/or title. The "derived" segments of the words are separated by commas. The number and pattern of letters and commas tells the system which WorldCat index to search.
Derived searches go in the command line.

The four derived search formats include the following required number of initial letters and commas:

• Title (td:) 3,2,2,1
• Personal name (pd:) 4,3,1
• Corporate/conference name (cd:) =4,3,1
• Name/title (nd:) 4,4

You can combine these formatted searches with other specifics about the item.
Ex. nd:hock,quan and yr:2018 and mt:bks

It is best if you can construct a search that yields less than 10 results.

You should be able to quickly disregard electronic records and non-English records (unless the item you have is another language).

Usually, the best record to open is the one with the most holdings.  In the case above, the third record has 22 holdings.  The first record is in German, so I can skip opening that one.

For the 3rd record in the example above, the title, author, publisher, pages, (basically everything that is visible) matches, Also, I see DLC in the record and that is the type of record that is best for our purposes.  It means that the record was cataloged by someone at the Library of Congress.  We can be pretty confident that the record is good.

Double click on the best record from the results to view. 

Verifying Records in OCLC

Compare the information in the record with the item you have.

1. Verify these fields match the information from the item* you have in hand:
   040 ǂb Language
   020 ISBN
   100 Author
   245 Title
   250 Edition Statement
   260 or 264 Publication, distribution, copyright, etc. 
   300 Physical Description
   490 Series
   5XX Summary
   * the 250, 490 and 500 fields may not be present in every record.
   * the copyright date and the publishing date can be different, so make sure they are stated correctly.
2. If you are sure that the record represents the item you have in hand, go on to step 3.  If not, if there is any question at all, place a note on the item and refer the item to your supervisor.
3. If there is no call number (field 050) write "co call" on a post-it, attach to item and give to your supervisor when finished.
4. Set our library holdings by going to Action > Holdings > Update holdings (or F8).  You should now see Held by VMW at the top of the record.
5. Copy the OCLC number on a small post it and attach it to the item.
6. Export the record to Alma by going to Action > Export (or F5).  You should get a confirmation pop-up that says "The record has been processed successfully, MMS id is: 99100XXXXXXXXXXXXX"

Finding Records in OCLC for AV Materials

OCLC Connexion

1. Open OCLC Connexion.  
2. Click the Cataloging menu > Search > WorldCat (alternately, you can click on the icon right under the File menu called CatalogingSearchWorldCat)
3. Sign in

Searching for records

Finding the correct record for audio-visual materials can be trickier than it is for books.  Sometimes, an item will have an ISBN or you can search the UPC code on the back of the item.  You can also look by title, year and select DVD video (dvv) in the Material Format dropdown window. 

It is best if you can construct a search that yields less than 10 results.

You should be able to quickly disregard incorrect publishers and non-English records (unless the item you have is another language).

Usually, the best record to open is the one with the most holdings.  However, this is not always the correct choice for the item.

Double click on the best record from the results to view. 

After examination:
Record #7 has two discs.  My item only has one.
Record #8 has optional French subtitles.  My item only has English subtitles.
In this particular case, the best match was the 3rd record.

Verifying Records in OCLC for Audio Visual Materials

Compare the information in the record with the item you have.

Verify these fields match the information from the item* you have in hand:
040 ǂb Language
020 ISBN
100 Author
245 Title
250 Edition Statement
260 or 264 Publication, distribution, copyright, etc. 
300 Physical Description
Check to be sure these additional characteristics** match:

• Subtitle language(s)
• Running time
• Aspect ratio (fullscreen, widescreen)
• Closed-captioning
• Number of discs

*  fields may not be present in every record.
** additional characteristics are often not consistently cataloged in the same MARC fields.

1. If you are sure that the record represents the item you have in hand, go on to step 3.  If not, if there is any question at all, place a note on the item and refer the item to your supervisor.
2. If there is no call number (field 050) write "co call" on a post-it, attach to item and give to your supervisor when finished.
3. Set our library holdings by going to Action > Holdings > Update holdings (or F8).  You should now see Held by VMW at the top of the record.
4. Copy the OCLC number on a small post it and attach it to the item.
5. Export the record to Alma by going to Action > Export (or F5).  You should get a confirmation pop-up that says "The record has been processed successfully, MMS id is: 99100XXXXXXXXXXXXX"