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Sign in to WorldCat.org

Learn how to sign in to WorldCat.org, create a WorldCat account, and edit your user profile.

Create a WorldCat account

  1. Click Create Account on the WorldCat.org homepage.
  2. Enter a valid email address, password, and confirm your password.
    • A confirmation message appears if the passwords match.
    • A warning message appears if the:
      • Email address entered is not valid
      • Passwords do not match
  3. Select your country/region from the drop-down list.
  4. Read the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and then select the I agree to the OCLC Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and confirm that I am at least 16 years old check box.
  5. Click Create WorldCat.org account. You'll receive an email at the address you entered in step 2 asking you to verify your WorldCat account.
  6. Click the verify link in your WorldCat.org account verification email. The Set your preferences screen opens.
  7. 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 users.
      • Public - WorldCat 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.

Sign in to WorldCat.org

WorldCat users

Once you've created a WorldCat account, you can sign in from any WorldCat.org page.

  1. Click Sign In on the WorldCat.org homepage.
  2. Enter your username and password.
  3. Click SIGN IN.

Sign in as an institutional user

 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 users.
      • Public - WorldCat 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 the new WorldCat.org, you may delete it. This will not delete your OCLC Services Account, only remove its association with the new WorldCat.org.

Roles and permissions

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

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

The following role allows you to edit institution staff lists.

  • WorldCat Discovery Staff

WorldCat.org user profile

When you create a WorldCat account, a profile is automatically created for you.

Edit your user profile

  1. Click Sign In.
  2. Enter your user name and password.
  3. Click Continue.
  4. Select My Profile from the Profile drop-down menu.
  5. Your user profile consists of three screens. Use the drop-down menu to open each screen.
    • My Profile (default) - Allows you to update your user profile as needed.
       
      Field Editable Description
      Display name Y The display name you entered when creating your WorldCat account.

       Note: Public profiles must have a display name.

      To update your display name:
      1. Click Edit.
      2. Enter a new display name in the text field. Your display name can contain up to 50 characters, including spaces.
      3. Click Save.
      Username/Email address Y The username or email address you entered when creating your WorldCat account.

       Note: The username/email address is only editable if you are using an account that was created or migrated as a personal account. If the account was created with an OCLC symbol and that symbol's authorization system was used, this field is not editable.

      Profile visibility Y The profile visibility you selected when creating your WorldCat account.

      To update your profile visibility:
      1. Select whether you want your profile to be private or public.
        • Private (default) - Your profile will be hidden from all WorldCat users.
        • Public - WorldCat users can see your profile information such as screen name, favorite libraries, lists, interests, etc.
      2. Select whether you want to share your profile information, such as email address and interests with libraries around you.
      Manage account N/A You can delete your profile information, but lists associated with your institution and your sign-in credentials will not be deleted.

       Caution: This action cannot be undone.

      To delete your account:
      1. Click Delete Account. The Delete Account dialog opens.
      2. Select the I confirm, I want to proceed with account deletion checkbox.
      3. Click Delete Account to permanently delete your account.

       

    • Lists - Allows you to manage and view your WorldCat lists and any lists you follow.