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Maximize your institution's experience and visibility on WorldCat.org

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Discover how to update your institution's WorldCat Registry profile and holdings as well as how to create your staff account in WorldCat.org.

Update your institution's WorldCat Registry profile

Your institution’s WorldCat Registry profile determines how your name and location displays in the WorldCat.org interface and enables people to access your catalog from WorldCat.org. A current address in your profile ensures the display of accurate information and appropriate mapping via Google maps.

Sign in to Service Configuration to configure settings for your institution(s).

  1. Go to the Service Configuration Sign In screen.
  2. Select how you want to sign in by clicking either Use Your WorldCat Account or Use Your OCLC Services Account.
  3. Enter your username and password.
  4. Click Sign In or press <Enter>.
    • If this is your first time signing in with your WorldCat Account, the Select an Institution dialog will appear. You can select an institution from the drop-down list or click I am not affiliated with an institution to access the WorldCat registry.

Once you are signed in to Service Configuration, click WorldCat Registry > Name and Location in the left navigation. Confirm that your institution's name, address, email, and phone number are correct, and add a library card form page. You can edit or add information as needed on the Name and Location screen. You can also configure and manage your deep links.

Watch a video

Update your WorldCat Registry profile (3:31)

This video demonstrates how to verify or update your institution's name and location and how to configure links from WorldCat.org to resources in your institution's local catalog.

Update your holdings

Your library’s holdings in WorldCat enable people worldwide to find items in your collections through OCLC services like Connexion, WorldShare Interlibrary Loan, and FirstSearch. If you maintain OCLC cataloging and FirstSearch/WorldCat Discovery subscriptions, your holdings are also visible in WorldCat.org. Accurate holdings in WorldCat are vital so people can find and access all resources currently available in your collections. Up-to-date holdings also ensure they see your latest acquisitions, without viewing items you no longer own.

Streamlined holdings update process

You can request a streamlined WorldCat holdings update project at no additional cost with any OCLC cataloging subscription. When you send your library’s complete MARC 21 catalog data to OCLC, the process matches your records with WorldCat and:

  • Adds holdings to matching WorldCat records
  • Removes inaccurate WorldCat holdings
  • Adds new records when a matching record is not available

To request a streamlined holdings update project, submit the form at oc.lc/holdings-request. For answers to commonly asked questions, see Streamlined holdings update FAQ.

Watch a video

Request a streamlined WorldCat holdings update project (3:14)

WorldCat.org makes resources in library collections from around the world visible and accessible.  
This video demonstrates how to request a  WorldCat holdings update project to ensure that your resources are accurately represented here.

Automated holdings feed

To find out how to get WorldCat records and holdings for content from additional providers that send electronic order information or to see a list of providers with collections that are cataloged by OCLC, please see Use Collection Manager for content from a specific provider.

Providers

Click on your provider below for instructions to create an account and request automatic collection loading.

 Note: The collection names and other collection details are included. Once the holdings feed is set up, OCLC will select all applicable collections according to the data received from the vendor.

When a collection is being updated by an automated holdings feed, you should not select the option to Auto Select Titles in the Titles accordion of the collection's settings. Refer to Collection-level settings in knowledge base collections, Auto Select Titles for more information.

Watch a video

Automated holdings updates for e-resources collections (3:42)

Libraries can use the knowledge base through WorldShare collection manager to identify their licensed e-content and make direct links to this content available through WorldCat.org. This video describes how to request automatic collection loading and holdings updates from selected e-content providers so that accurate holdings are maintained.

 

Create your WorldCat.org staff account

WorldCat.org staff accounts offer a variety of features to help you engage with the communities you serve, including the ability to make edits to your library’s profile page on WorldCat.org and collaboratively build lists representing your library resources and areas of specialty.

Sign in to create your staff account

 Note: You must have the correct roles or permissions assigned prior to signing in to WorldCat.org.

  1. Navigate to https://worldcat.org.
  2. Click Sign in > Sign in as an institutional user.
  3. Enter your institution's OCLC symbol and then click Sign in. If you are unsure of your OCLC symbol, you can find it here.
  4. Enter your username and password associated with the OCLC Services Account that you use to sign in to WorldShare or the Service Configuration, and then click SIGN IN. The Set your preferences screen opens. 
  5. From the Set your preferences screen:
    • Enter your display name in the text field.
    • Select your profile visibility.
      • Private (default) - Your profile will be hidden from all the WorldCat.org users.
      • Public - WorldCat.org users can see your profile information such as screen name, favorite libraries, lists, interests, etc.
    • Select whether you want to share your profile information, such as email address and interests with libraries around you.
  6. Click Next. The Set your favorite library screen opens.
  7. From the Set your favorite library screen, click Favorite Library for the library you want to set as your favorite. By default, WorldCat.org displays the libraries nearest your location. You can search for a specific library using the search toolbar.
     Note: You can select one favorite library when creating your account. We recommend selecting your institution as your favorite library when logging in as a staff member. After your account has been created, you can add up to four additional favorite libraries.
  8. Click Continue. The Profile creation successful screen opens.
  9. From the Profile creation successful screen, click Continue to WorldCat.org to start using WorldCat.org.

 Note:

  • WorldCat.org will automatically sign out institutional users after four hours of inactivity on the site. This helps mitigate the possibility of someone accessing your account.
  • If you no longer wish to associate your OCLC Services Account with WorldCat.org, you may delete it. This will not delete your OCLC Services Account, only remove its association with WorldCat.org.

Roles and permissions

The following roles allow you to read and edit institution staff lists and view WorldCat Insights.

  • Acquisitions Admin
  • Circulation Admin
  • WorldCat Discovery Admin
  • WorldCat List Manager

The following role allows you to edit institution staff lists.

  • WorldCat Discovery Staff

Create lists in WorldCat.org

The lists you create while logged in to WorldCat.org site with a staff account are affiliated with your institution. On WorldCat.org, you can also collaborate with other staff at your library to create lists of your library's resources.

Create a list

  1. From the Item Details screen, click Add item to list button (Add item to list button).
    • If you are signed in to WorldCat.org, the Add item to a list dialog opens.
    • If you are not signed in to WorldCat.org, you will be prompted to sign in before the Add item to a list dialog opens.
  2. From the Add item to a list dialog, click Create New to open the Create new list dialog.
  3. From the Create new list dialog, complete the following:
    1. List name - Enter a name for the list. The list name can contain up to 70 characters, including spaces.
    2. List description—Enter a description for the list. The description can be up to 500 characters, including spaces.
    3. List privacy - Select a privacy setting for the list.
      • Private (default) - Only you can view this list. If you are part of an institution, you will be able to see all public and private lists created by the institution.
      • Public - Anyone on WorldCat.org can view, cite, share this list.
    4. Click Create. A confirmation message with a hyperlink to view the list displays when the item has been added.
      • If you created a list using a personal account, your display name will appear under the list name (e.g., Curated by Erika).
      • If you created a list using an institution's account, the institution's name will appear under the list name (e.g., Curated by OCLC WorldShare Management Services - Library).

Add an item to a list

  1. From the Item Details screen, click Add item to list button (Add item to list button).
    • If you are signed in to WorldCat.org, the Add item to a list dialog opens.
    • If you are not signed in to WorldCat.org, you will be prompted to sign in before the Add item to a list dialog opens.
  2. Select the list you want to add the item to and then click Add Item. A confirmation message with a hyperlink to view the list displays when the item has been added. You can search for a list in the search text field, which will begin to filter the available lists based on the text you enter.