Archive for March, 2010
Library listings from WorldCat added to pic2shop iPhone app
iPhone users can now download the free pic2shop application to scan book barcodes and find local libraries who have them through WorldCat.
The pic2shop app is one of the original mobile apps designed for consumers that like to comparison shop. A user scans a book barcode with their iPhone, and can compare costs to get the book at various retailers or now at a local library. The app uses the WorldCat Search API and WorldCat Registry APIs to deliver results for libraries nearby who hold the item in WorldCat, the world’s largest library catalogue. Location and mapping information is also available.
Developed by Vision Smarts, a technology company based in Belgium, pic2shop was the first iPhone app that could read UPCs and EANs. It broadens the availability for book barcode-scanning functionality, as it offers a free download and works on all available iPhones—even first generation models. In addition, pic2shop works in all countries, although not all users may have nearby libraries with up-to-date holdings in WorldCat. Vision Smarts is also developing pic2shop apps for additional platforms beyond the iPhone.
The pic2shop iPhone app is one of several mobile applications designed for users to access library information from WorldCat. In addition to apps such as RedLaser for iPhone and Compare Everywhere for Android, the WorldCat Mobile pilot app is available for download on all Web-enabled phones in the UK, U.S., Netherlands, Germany, France, and Canada at www.worldcat.org/mobile.
WorldCat-related APIs are available to anyone interested in creating noncommercial mash-ups or mobile apps that include library data. Commercial apps like to pic2shop use the WorldCat Search API through partnership agreements.
iPhone users can download the pic2shop app at no cost through Apple’s iTunes app store.
A video that shows how a consumer would use the pic2shop application to see local library listings, powered by WorldCat data, is available on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHiuaDXipWQ.
March 29th, 2010
Maximizing the Value of Your OCLC Cataloging Subscription
Join OCLC for our new webinar designed to help cataloging and technical services managers contain costs, improve efficiency and use staff resources most effectively. This free session will focus on the many options for cataloging with OCLC, activities, and services that are included in the OCLC cataloging subscription.
Maximizing the Value of WorldCat.org
This webinar provides an introduction to WorldCat.org, the cooperative’s public-facing discovery tool for library-owned materials worldwide. This course illustrates how public services staff, managers, and technical services staff can work behind the scenes to help users get the best results from WorldCat.org.
WorldCat Holdings: Why They Matter and the Tools to Maintain Them
Back by popular demand, this webinar reviews the importance of having your holdings accurate and up-to-date in WorldCat. It is intended for cataloging and technical services managers who are looking to select and implement the holdings maintenance methods that are most appropriate for their library.
March 26th, 2010
OCLC and Gale have signed an agreement to index Gale’s flagship full-text periodical databases in WorldCat Local to provide single-search access to users that subscribe to both services.
The agreement calls for OCLC to centrally index the metadata of Gale’s Academic OneFile and General OneFile databases to provide WorldCat Local users a direct link to the abstracts and articles in these popular, authoritative resources. The two databases contain some 100 million records each that connect to millions of full-text articles in both HTML and PDF from peer-reviewed journals, newspapers and magazines, as well as thousands of podcasts and transcripts.
The result is that Gale’s high-quality content, which is among the most popular in libraries, will be more visible to library patrons through WorldCat Local, and searchers no longer will need to log in to multiple interfaces or navigate numerous results sets to find and get to the information they need.
“We are pleased to be working with OCLC to provide expanded access to some of our popular, award-winning databases through WorldCat Local and to extend our reach to users around the world,” said John Barnes, Gale Executive Vice President, Strategic Marketing and Business Development. “One of our objectives at Gale is to reach users wherever they do their research and connect them to high-quality content and resources their library holds. This partnership will expand our efforts to accomplish that goal.”
“This partnership continues our effort to make the full range of library resources accessible through WorldCat Local,” said Chip Nilges, OCLC Vice President, Business Development. “It is part of our goal to provide libraries with an integrated discovery and delivery service for their physical, licensed and locally produced electronic collections. We’re very pleased to add Gale to the leading content providers who are partnering with OCLC to make their content more accessible to libraries and their patrons through WorldCat Local.”
Gale joins a growing list of OCLC eContent partners that have agreed to have their databases indexed in WorldCat Local. These institutions are collaborating on a global scale to ensure that library users can find and access the valuable, authoritative content in their local libraries, in regional libraries and through the OCLC network of WorldCat libraries worldwide. Today, more than 100 databases, 420 million article records, and numerous digital library collections, including Google Book Search and HathiTrust, are combined with the 170 million items cataloged in WorldCat to provide libraries using WorldCat Local a rich and growing index that represents the combined print, electronic, and digital collections of the OCLC membership.
WorldCat Local is the service that combines the cooperative power of OCLC member libraries worldwide with the ability to use WorldCat.org as a solution for local discovery and delivery services. WorldCat Local provides a powerful discovery environment that includes a locally branded Web page and single search box, and presents localized results first while at the same time allowing the user to search the entire WorldCat database.
Since August 2009, users of WorldCat Local have been able to search content found in OCLC electronic resource services—OCLC FirstSearch databases, NetLibrary eBooks and eAudiobooks, Electronic Collections Online eJournals, ArchiveGrid archival collection descriptions and CAMIO (Catalog of Art Museum Images Online)—from the WorldCat Local search box. The Gale partnership continues these efforts by adding content from non-OCLC sources, giving libraries a full-featured way to easily connect information seekers with the materials they need.
OCLC is expanding the central index to include resources from other familiar content providers that are most used by libraries today. Over time, the central index will provide access to the majority of available content, and will be complemented by searching remote indexes to incorporate the diverse materials libraries make available to their users.
About Gale
Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world’s information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools, and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth, and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs—from homework help to health questions to business profiles—in a variety of formats. For more information, visit www.gale.com.
About OCLC
Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC is a nonprofit library service and research organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, eContent, preservation, library management, and Web services to 72,000 libraries in 112 countries and territories. OCLC and its member libraries worldwide have created and maintain WorldCat, the world’s richest online resource for finding library materials. Search WorldCat.org on the Web at www.worldcat.org. For more information, visit www.oclc.org.
ArchiveGrid, CAMIO, Electronic Collections Online, FirstSearch, NetLibrary, OCLC, WorldCat, WorldCat Local, and WorldCat.org are trademarks/service marks of OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. Third-party product, service and business names are trademarks/service marks of their respective owners.
March 24th, 2010
OCLC is pleased to announce that Midwest Library Service has agreed to become a WorldCat Selection partner.
For 50 years, Midwest Library Service has been supplying libraries with academic and scholarly books. In that time, Midwest has established a reputation within the library community as the best library book service in the business. In fact, Midwest Library Service has become synonymous with superior service. Midwest provides books from more than 20,000 U.S., Canadian, and U.K. publishers. No company can supply every book from every publisher; and such claims should be regarded with skepticism. We continually add new publishers to our database, and we make every effort to obtain their books.
For more information about Midwest Library Service, visit http://www.midwestls.com
For more information about OCLC’s WorldCat Selection service, visit http://www.oclc.org/selection/
March 24th, 2010
U.S. libraries that subscribe to the Text a Librarian (TAL) text messaging service from Mosio can now receive SMS text questions in QuestionPoint. This allows the library to integrate all its methods for receiving questions—e-mail, chat, SMS text, and telephone and in-person by the Add-Question feature—into one interface for answering, referring, tracking, and reporting. For more information, please visit QuestionPoint blog at http://questionpoint.blogs.com/
March 24th, 2010
WorldCat.org URLs updated to include titles
A recent enhancement to WorldCat.org means the title of the work is now included in the URL. This change makes WorldCat.org URLs more intuitive, mashable, and search engine-friendly. For example, the previous permalink URL for Catcher in the Rye by J.S. Salinger was http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/287628. Now, the permalink URL will be http://www.worldcat.org/title/catcher-in-the-rye/oclc/287628. Title-only URLs, i.e., http://www.worldcat.org/title/catcher-in-the-rye will also resolve correctly.
We hope this change means that WorldCat.org URLs are easier to guess, and that library results will continue to rise relevancy rankings for search engine results pages. All previous URL constructions will continue to work.
More WorldCat news
WorldCat Local redirect completed
Now WorldCat Local libraries can now redirect a user from WorldCat.org to their specific WorldCat Local instance, based on IP address recognition. The service builds on initial redirect functionality released in December 2009. WorldCat Local libraries can go to OCLC Service Configuration to enable this functionality.
Mobile pilot gains cover art, connects to local catalogs
The WorldCat Mobile pilot now includes cover art when available and now connects users to their local library catalog. The link to local catalog means that a user can potentially set a hold, view shelf status, and reserve a work through their mobile phone. (Libraries can set their deep links in the WorldCat Registry to have this functionality enabled.)
New and revised content sites: OAIster-only and genealogy
A new standalone Web site was released recently to showcase the 23 million+ open archives records in OAIster, available through WorldCat.org. Since coming up early last month, the site has already attracted many new searchers looking for open and accessible content.
Genealogists have been noticing WorldCat.org lately, thanks in large part to the “52 Weeks to a better genealogy” program going on now. WorldCat.org has played its part by updating the resources available for genealogy flier and Web site. A revised genealogy tutorial is in the works.
See WorldCat.org at a conference (without leaving your chair!)
Plan to attend WorldCat.org presentations at upcoming industry events such as PLA, SLA, ELAG, and AASL. If you’re not able to travel, catch the latest WorldCat.org presentations from ALA MW on video, which includes guest speakers librarian Jennifer Friedman, user Graeme Williams, and mobile platform architect Andrew Yu, among others.
On Facebook? Become a Fan of WorldCat on the new WorldCat Page. Then upload a photo, start a discussion, or post a question to the wall.
On Twitter? Follow @WorldCatorg’s tweet stream to get the latest news as it happens, or share feedback and stories with the WorldCat.org team.
March 24th, 2010
This month, four collections from the CONTENTdm Collection of Collections are featured on the OCLC Web site. The featured collections for March are Bethine Church Collection, John Muir Correspondence, Charlotte Harbor Area Historical Society and Ulysses Samuel (U.S.) Cleveland Collection, and Edward J. McCauley Photographs.
Included in the collection information below is a link to each organization’s record, if available, in the OCLC WorldCat Registry. OCLC’s WorldCat Registry allows libraries worldwide to manage and organize their data for vendors and third parties by creating and maintaining a comprehensive institutional profile in a single, Web-accessible location.
Bethine Church Collection – http://digital.boisestate.edu/cdm4/index_bchurch.php?CISOROOT=/bchurch
[WorldCat Registry] Boise State University – http://www.worldcat.org/registry/Institutions/772
The Bethine Church Digital Collection provides access to photographs of Bethine Church, wife of the late U.S. Senator Frank Church. The collection includes photographs of Bethine’s extraordinary life as a wife, mother, as the ‘third senator’ from Idaho due to her active participation in public life during her husband’s tenure in the Senate, as well as her recent accomplishments in the Idaho Democratic Party, Sawtooth Mountain Recreation Area, and Sawtooth Society.
John Muir Correspondence – http://library.pacific.edu/ha/digital/muircorrespondence/
[WorldCat Registry] University of the Pacific – http://www.worldcat.org/registry/Institutions/360
This collection consists of the correspondence of pioneering environmentalist John Muir from 1856-1914. The vast majority of the letters were sent and received by Muir, although the collection also includes some correspondence of selected family members and colleagues. Muir’s correspondence offers a unique first-hand perspective on his thoughts and experiences, as well as those of his correspondents, which include many notable figures in scientific, literary, and political circles of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Charlotte Harbor Area Historical Society and Ulysses Samuel (U.S.) Cleveland Collection – http://ccflhistory.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=/p15007coll1
[WorldCat Registry] Charlotte County Library System – http://www.worldcat.org/registry/Institutions/8969
U.S. Cleveland was a celebrated Florida author and historian. In 2004, Mr. Cleveland’s home was destroyed by Hurricane Charley. Afterwards, he donated the remains of his vast collection of photographs and historical artifacts to the Charlotte County Historical Center for preservation and display.
Edward J. McCauley Photographs – http://www.lib.unc.edu/dc/mccauley/
[WorldCat Registry] University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – http://www.worldcat.org/registry/Institutions/2147
Edward Johnson McCauley (1926-2003) was a photojournalist and life-long resident of Burlington, North Carolina. He spent more than twenty years on the staff of the Burlington Daily Times-News, covering a wide variety of events in Burlington, across Alamance County, and in other parts of North Carolina. This digital collection contains a selection of images from the Edward J. McCauley Photographic Materials taken between the years 1952 and 1972, mostly for the Burlington Daily Times-News. A majority of the images in this digital collection center around political campaigns and elections as well as other events in and around Alamance County, North Carolina.
March 17th, 2010
The WorldCat Search API has been enhanced to support the JSON format option for library location (holdings data).
This format option for library holdings data is helpful for developers who want to supply a list of nearby WorldCat libraries that hold the materials in question.
The JSON holdings format provides some very brief bibliographic information along with structured data describing holding libraries, including the familiar values from the current XML response. Find more information on the JSON holdings format in the documentation at http://worldcat.org/devnet/wiki/SearchAPIDetails#JSON_Format_for_Holdings_Location
Additional recent enhancements to the WorldCat Search API include the addition of South African postal codes and fixes for the following entities:
- OCLC symbols that include “@” in the symbol name
- the “any” relation operator
- SRU errors with quotation marks
Developers everywhere are encouraged to exercise their creativity to create new mash-ups that make use of WorldCat data through the WorldCat Search API, WorldCat Basic API, building WorldCat.org links, and other WorldCat widgets.
OCLC Web Services continue to offer ways to connect people with knowledge through libraries, and for libraries to reap the benefits of library cooperation. To join the OCLC Developer Network conversation, join the WC-DEVNET-L listserv, read the OCLC Developer Network blog, and follow @oclcldevnet.
March 12th, 2010
The WorldCat Mobile pilot functionality has been enhanced with two new features: cover art for select items and links to a local library catalog.
Now in its second year with more than 117,267 searches sent from the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, the WorldCat Mobile pilot continues to provide library results for 1.4 billion items to mobile and smart phone users at no cost.
Cover art is now displayed on an item’s detailed record when artwork is available, and a link to the selected library’s catalog is also now enabled. As one of the most-requested features from user feedback, this new functionality means a user can potentially check shelf status, place a hold, or reserve an item through their mobile phone at their local library.
The WorldCat Mobile pilot makes library results available for all Web-enabled mobile phones in either a standalone, downloadable app or a simple Web “lite” browser form. If your phone accepts apps, it will prompt you for download or you may find the WorldCat app in the representative app stores. Otherwise, the browser version will display when you type www.worldcat.org/m from your mobile phone.
All libraries—regardless of OCLC membership status—are represented in the WorldCat Mobile pilot, as long as they maintain a library profile in the WorldCat Registry. The WorldCat Registry profile is a free service made available to help raise the visibility of all libraries on behalf of the OCLC cooperative and the library community as a whole.
The WorldCat Mobile pilot is powered by the WorldCat Search API and created and maintained by Boopsie, a leader in mobile search technology.
March 12th, 2010
QuestionPoint Users Group Meeting
Friday, March 26
9:30-11:30 AM
Doubletree Hotel Portland , Hawthorne/Sellwood/Ross Island Room
Join your QuestionPoint colleagues to share your experiences with QuestionPoint and the 24/7 Reference Cooperative and hear about plans for the ongoing enhancement of QuestionPoint.
Virtual Reference Collaboration Sharing Session: OCLC’s QuestionPoint and Mosio’s Text a Librarian
Friday, March 26
3:30 – 5:30 PM
Doubletree Hotel Portland, OCLC suite 1455
Find out how your library can communicate with users online and on-the-go, through the new collaboration of QuestionPoint and Text a Librarian. Join us to learn more about this exciting new offering, as well as other new enhancements from QuestionPoint.
Please register here if you are planning on attending these and other OCLC events: https://www3.oclc.org/app/pla_registration/ . Visit OCLC in Booth 1847 to see a variety of tools that help your users discover and access the materials in your library and beyond.
March 12th, 2010
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