Searching WorldCat Indexes

(Abridgement of OCLC’s Searching WorldCat Indexes. References to OCLC’s other services, FirstSearch and Resource Sharing, have been eliminated. This document refers only to Connexion searching. References to and examples of derived searches have also been eliminated since derived searches are legacies of the old OCLC database)

Please note: Connexion supports the following non-Latin/non-roman scripts: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Tamil and Thai. Many WorldCat indexes support both Latin script and non-Latin script search terms. This will be noted in examples.

Examples of searches in this guide are given in full search syntax (all parts of a search in correct order and format, including index labels and punctuation, search terms, Boolean operators, and qualifiers). 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.

Indexing for bibliographic institution records (IRs)

About IRs. Institution records are contributed by individual libraries whose authorizations include IRs. They are intended to preserve local library notes, locations, and other data which may be of general interest. They are attached to WorldCat master records.

When the IR index option is set, your search includes the fields and subfields of both master records and attached IRs for the index you specify. However, the search retrieves only worldcat master records with data that matches the search and any master records that have IRs with unique data that matches the search. You cannot retrieve IRs directly from a WorldCat search, but you can display them from a master record.

To search IRs: Open SearchWorldCat box and then click Settings.

Check “Include Institution Record Indexes when searching WorldCat”

WorldCat search results include only the master records to which IRs are attached. You can only display attached IR(s) from a master record.

When this option is set, both master records and IRs will be searched but only the master record will be retrieved.

To view IRs:

With a WorldCat record displayed that has IRs attached, click Cataloging > Show and then click one of the following:

  • All Institution Records
  • My Institution Records
  • Institution Records for [enter the OCLC symbol for a library whose IRs you want to view]

You can also add icons for these actions to your toolbar:

Tools>Toolbar Editor>drag icon to your toolbar CatalogingShowAllInstitutionRecords

CatalogingShowMyInsitutionRecords

CatalogingShowInstitutionRecordsfor

If you are authorized to work with IRs, you can create and add, edit and replace, or delete your own institution records only. However, anyone can copy and paste, export, or print IRs. Also, anyone can view IRs attached to retrieved master records without setting the option to include IR indexes in WorldCat searches.

Types of searches

Abridgement of: Searching WorldCat indexes: types of searches.

Basic guidelines

  • Index labels and punctuation required. Always use index labels followed by correct punctuation and then the search term–for example, kw:politics–unless you are selecting indexes from a list.

Exceptions: In a Connexion command line search index labels are not required for the following searches if they are the first or only element of a full syntax search:

  • ISBN search
  • OCLC number search preceded by an asterisk (*) or number sign (#)
  • Keyword index is default. If you do not include an index label, the system uses the keyword index (kw:) as the default. See a description of the keyword index in "WorldCat index descriptions."
  • Spacing.
  • In Connexion, do not enter spaces between the index label and punctuation or between punctuation and the search term. Example: kw:software.
  • Case. Index labels and search terms can be upper- or lowercase or a combination.
  • Stopwords. The system ignores common words in some types of searches. You can omit them from search terms. See a list of stopwords for keyword searches and a list for derived name searches in sections below that cover these search types.
  • Non-Latin scripts in searches. Use any supported non-Latin script for Worldcat searches in the Connexion client interface. Currently supported non-Latin scripts include: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Tamil, and Thai scripts.

Treatment of initial articles in searches

Omit initial articles in the following types of searches:

  • Beginning of these searches:
  • Title word and phrase browsing (index scanning)
  • Keyword searches: stopwords are not indexed. (See list of keyword stopwords later in this section.)
  • Title phrase (ti=) searches: The system automatically ignores English articles a, an, and the.

See a comprehensive list of initial articles on the Library of Congress Web site.

Notes:

  • If a word listed as an initial article on the LC Web page is the first word of a search but has a different meaning (for example, ein or un used to mean one, or thé used to mean tea), include the word in a search.
  • In cataloging, a second indicator of 1 or higher in a field indicates how many initial character spaces to ignore for indexing, filing, and sorting.

Word, phrase, or whole phrase searches

Many WorldCat keyword and numeric indexes are searchable and browsable separately by words, phrases, and whole phrases. Index labels and punctuation distinguish whether you want to find a word, phrase, or whole phrase in an index, as shown in the following table:

Search by ... / Format of index label / System finds / Example
Word / xx: / Word or number anywhere in indexed field / Publisher:
pb:dakota
Dewey Class Number: dd:616
LC Class Number: lc:z5074.g8
Phrase
(Left-anchored) / xx= / Complete data in indexed subfield / Personal name phrase: pn=james, henry
Publisher phrase: pb=namgyal institute of tibetology
Whole phrase
(Left-anchored)
/ xxw=
/ Complete data in indexed field, across all indexed subfields / Personal name whole phrase: pnw=james, henry 1843-1916
Subject whole phrase: suw=library science computer network resources

Note: Use the same index labels and punctuation for browsing.

  • In a Connexion command line search, precede with the Scan command (sca) and a space.
    Example:
    sca ti:buddenbrooks

Guidelines for word, phrase, and whole phrase searches

Word indexes:

  • Enter multiple words in a string (do not separate with Boolean and) to find any instance of any term in a single index.
    Example:
    ti:asian crisis
  • Enclose more than one word in quotation marks to find the exact sequence of the words.
    Example:
    ti:"asian crisis"
  • Combine words with proximity operators with (w) or near (n) and an optional number (1 to 25) to find the exact sequence of the words or the sequence with no more than the specified number of words between. (See "Combine, qualify, expand searches" for more details.)
    Example:
    ti:asian w2 crisis

Phrase indexes:

  • Include all subfield data, or truncate using the asterisk (*).
    Example: pb=namgyal institute*
    Alternative: Browse for the phrase: [sca ]pb=namgyal institute
    Use the scan (sca) command in a Connexion command line search
  • Retain periods in classification numbers.
  • Omit initial articles in titles.
  • Retain the first comma for personal name indexes if it is not the last element in the subfield.
  • Retain hyphens in dates.
  • Omit other punctuation.

Whole phrase indexes:

  • Enter all field data, or truncate using an asterisk (*).
    Example: suw=library science computer*
    Alternative: Browse for the whole phrase: In Connexion, enter sca suw=library science computer. Follow the same guidelines for punctuation and initial articles as for phrase searches.
  • Combine word, phrase, or whole phrase searches in more than one index with Boolean operators. (See "Combine, qualify, expand searches" for more details.)

Numeric searches

Searching for numbers–accession numbers, such as the OCLC control number or LCCN; standard numbers, such as an ISBN or ISSN; or a class number, such as a Dewey or Library of Congress classification number–is one of the most efficient ways to search.

A number search can retrieve a single record (for example, by its unique ISBN) or precisely related records (for example, by class number). Numbers are usually unique to a single record or group of related records.

A number search is simply entering a number as a keyword. Follow these general guidelines to search for significant numbers in records:

  • Type all numbers and letters.
    Tip for entering ISBNs ending in x: If you use the number keypad, truncate the number using the asterisk key (*).
  • Omit spaces.
  • Omit punctuation, except keep periods (.) in classification numbers.

Keyword searches

A keyword is any word that is part of a record's bibliographic information and is significant or descriptive enough to retrieve the record(s) you need.

A word is any character(s) between two blank spaces:

  • Initials and abbreviations are words.
  • Words with characters attached by punctuation marks, such as an apostrophe, are not yet normalized in the system (that is, they are not indexed together so that a search term with or without the character retrieves the same records).
    For now, you can enter both forms combined with OR to retrieve all appropriate records.

Example: To search the title index for l'étranger, type ti:etranger or letranger.

  • For hyphenated words:
  • Substitute a space for the hyphen (system treats as two words). If searching a word index rather than a phrase index, enclose the two parts of the hyphenated word in quotation marks to find the words together in sequence.
  • Keywords can be combined in searches. Type a string of words to search a single index for any instance of the words in indexed fields (enclose words in quotation marks to find the words together in exact sequence) or combine with Boolean operators (and, or, not) to search multiple indexes.

Examples:
ti:asian crisis
ti:asian and su:crisis

Stopwords for keyword searches

The system ignores the following common words in a keyword search statement:

a / but / he / it / so / to / you
an / by / her / its / than / was
and / for / his / not / that / were
are / from / if / of / the / when
as / had / in / on / their / which
at / has / into / or / there / with
be / have / is / she / this / would

To use any of these words as search terms, enclose them in quotation marks.

Example: To search for the title And Then There Were None, which includes three stopwords, type ti:"and" then "there" "were" none.

Browsing

Browsing scans an index with the intent of finding a matched term or the closest matching term, rather than retrieving records. Selecting a term in a browse results list then retrieves the relevant record(s).

Browse WorldCat using:

  • A word that appears anywhere in indexed fields and subfields.
    Or
  • An exact phrase (complete subfield) or whole phrase (complete field), starting with the first word and including all words (but excluding initial articles in titles). The phrase you enter is matched character by character, from left to right, against the characters of the phrase in the index you specify.
    The system returns a list of terms showing a match or the closest match, along with terms that precede and follow the matching term. When you open an entry on the list, you see the record or a list of records retrieved for that term.

Follow these general guidelines for browsing:

  • Include up to 60 letters, numbers, spaces, or these characters: ( ) &
  • Omit initial articles and non-English equivalents from titles (as listed on the Library of Congress Web site).
  • Include hyphens or substitute a space (system treats as two words).

Example:

sca td:asymmetrically distributed finds both titles, Asymmetrically-distributed variations... and Asymmetrically distributed information....

  • Do not use qualifiers, wildcards, or combined terms for browsing.

Tips for browsing

  • Truncation. Browsing provides automatic truncation without using the truncation symbol. Type only as many characters or words as needed.
    Example: To browse for the title Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, type tiw=let us now praise famous
  • Browse for titles.
  • Use the title phrase index (ti=) to browse for title/subtitle combinations. The title browse index includes 245 ‡b.
  • In Connexion: Use the title whole phrase index (tiw=) to browse for a title proper (cataloger-constructed title access point). The index excludes 245 ‡b.

Selection of indexes from OCLC documentation

WorldCat indexes are described in alphabetical order. Some indexes include word, phrase (complete subfield), or whole phrase (complete field) versions, or a combination of these. See "Types of searches" for a detailed explanation of word, phrase, and whole phrase indexing.

Asterisks next to index names.Asterisks indicate qualifier indexes used mainly to limit search terms.

In Connexion some values and codes for qualifying searches can be entered by simply preceding with a slash instead of an index label and colon (:) or equal sign (=).

These charts have been simplified to include only Connexion information. OCLC’s own documentation covers all OCLC services, including FirstSearch and WorldCat Resource Sharing, which have different indexing and searching capabilities.

(For additional indexes see OCLC’s Searching WorldCat Indexes)

Cataloging source* (cs=)

*Qualifer index

Search by ... / Label / Fields and subfields indexed / Guidelines and examples
OCLC institution symbol / cs= / 040 a c
For institution records:
Symbols in the Admin field /
  • Available only for searching.
  • Use a single OCLC institution symbol per search.
  • Use to limit searches.
Example:
cs=ocl
Note on Library of Congress records: To retrieve records contributed by the Library of Congress or by specific LC cooperative programs, use Cooperative programs index (dl:) with value y (dl:y).

Character sets present (vp:)

Search by ... / Label / Fields and subfields indexed / Guidelines and examples
Character set symbol / vp: / Records are retrieved based on the following data:
066
/
  • Available only for searching.
  • Non-Latin scripts in records can be viewed in the Connexion client interface.
  • Enter a symbol for a character set. Those currently supported are:
  • vp:ara (Arabic)
  • vp:ben (Bengali)
  • vp:cjk (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean)
  • vp:cyr (Cyrillic)
  • vp:dev (Devanagari)
  • vp:gre (Greek)
  • vp:hbr (Hebrew)
  • vp:tam (Tamil)
  • vp:tha (Thai)
Example: To view Cyrillic records for items published in 1985:
Type vp:cyr and yr:1985

Cooperative programs* (dl:)*Qualifier index

Also called the "DLC restrictor" or "Source" index.

Search by ... / Label / Fields and subfields indexed / Guidelines and examples
Code or value for Library of Congress/specific LC cooperative programs as cataloging source / dl: / Records are retrieved if they contain the data below
008 Srce c
040 c DLC
040 a DLC
040 a DLC/other data
040 a Other data/DLC
042 a lcderive
042 a lccopycat
042 a lccopycat-nm
042 a lcode
042 a pcc
042 a lcnccp
042 a premarc
042 a lcac
042 a lc
042 a lcd
042 a msc
042 a nsdp
042 a nst /
  • Available only for searching.
  • Use to limit searches to records produced by the Library of Congress (LC) or LC cooperative programs.
  • May enter either as slash qualifier: /dlc
    Or
    With index label and value y: dl:y
  • y is the only valid value.
  • If selecting a value from a list, select DLC.
Note: To retrieve records contributed by a specific library, use Cataloging Source phrase index (cs=) (see description above) and an OCLC-assigned institution symbol.

Corporate/Conference name (cn: or cn= or cnw=)

Search by ... / Label / Fields and subfields indexed / Guidelines and/or examples
Word / cn: / 110 a-e n u
111 a c d e n q u
710 a-e n
711 a c d e n q /
  • Available for searching and browsing.
  • Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Tamil, and Thai scripts are currently supported.
Example:
cn:caedmon
Phrase / cn= / 110 a-d n
111 a c d e n q
710 a-d n
711 a c d e n q /
  • Available for searching and browsing.
  • Supports non-Latin script searches.
  • Do not include commas
Examples:
cn=caedmon records
cn=herdman hills & mangsen (finds Herdman, Hills & Mangsen)
Whole phrase / cnw= / 110 a-d n
111 a c d e n q
710 a-d n (d n are included only if they occur left of first subfield t or k)
711 a c d e n q (n is included only if it occurs left of first subfield t or k) /
  • Available for searching and browsing
  • Supports non-Latin script searches.
  • Do not include commas.
Example:
cnw=general motors cancer research foundation

Corporate/Conference subject (nc: or nc= or ncw=)

Search by ... / Label / Fields and subfields indexed / Guidelines and/or examples
Word / nc: / 610 a-c d n p
611 a c d e n p q /
  • Available for searching and browsing
  • Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Tamil, and Thai scripts are currently supported.
Example:
ncw=orthodox eastern church/rec
Phrase / nc=
Whole phrase / ncw=

Country of publication (cp: or cp=)

Search by ... / Label / Fields and subfields indexed / Guidelines and/or examples
Country code or name / cp: / 008 15-17
044 a c /
  • In Connexion, available only for searching
  • Enter MARC code or name:
  • 2- or 3-letter country code
    Or
  • Name of country
    See on the Library of Congress Web site for codes and names.
  • Use mainly to limit searches.

Phrase / cp=

Descriptors (de: or de=)

Search by ... / Label / Fields and subfields indexed / Guidelines and/or examples
Word / de: / 600 x
610 x
611 x
630 x
648 x
650 a b x
651 x
654 x
655 x /
  • de: is available only for searching
  • de= is available for searching and browsing.
  • Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Tamil, and Thai scripts are currently supported.
Example:
de=history and criticism/2005/dlc
Phrase / de=

Format/Document type (dt=)

Search by ... / Label / Fields and subfields indexed / Guidelines and/or examples
Format/Document Type code / dt= / Presence of both Leader/06 (Type) and
Leader/07 (BLvl) /
  • Available for searching only.
  • Use with index label and punctuation.
  • This index determines groupings for search results, where record groups correspond to primary document type.
  • To limit results by a format/document type, enter and dt= followed by a format code.
    Examples:
    pn:twain, mark and dt=vis
  • To exclude a format/document type, enter not dt= followed by a format code.
    Examples:
    ti:buddenbrooks not dt=bks
  • This index is the only WorldCat index that does not cover institution records. It covers master records only.
Note: If you use a guided or advanced/expert search, selecting indexes and other parts of a search rather than typing a full syntax search:
  • In a Connexion guided search, select a format (or select Any) from the Format list to limit a search to that format.

Guided search drop-down list in Connexion: