Perform a search
Perform a basic search
- On the WorldCat.org homepage, enter one or more basic keywords in the search box.
Or
Select Search for Library Items from the Search drop-down menu and then enter one or more basic keywords in the search box. - Click Search. Your results appear, sorted by relevance.
- Click an item title to view the Item Details screen.
Perform an advanced search
Advanced search allows you to construct more complex searches by entering keywords for multiple categories and limiting your results by format (e.g., Books), or date of publication, subject content, audience, and/or language.
You can access the advanced search from the following areas:
- WorldCat.org homepage
- Search Results screen
- Search for Library Items screen
To perform an advanced search:
- Click Advanced Search from one of the locations above.
- Enter one or more search terms in at least one of the available fields.
- (Optional) Limit your search results by selecting values for one or more Limit results by fields. See Limiting an advanced search.
- Click Search. Your results appear, sorted by relevance.
- Click an item title to view the Item Details screen.
Limiting an advanced search (optional)
You can limit advanced search results by entering information in one or more of the following fields, if available:
| field | returns only... |
|---|---|
| Year | Items published in a certain date range (whole years only) |
| Audience | Items for the audience |
| Content | Items with the content |
| Format | Items in the format |
| Language | Items in a certain language |
To get more exact search results, combine search terms with limiters. For example, to find a specific journal:
- Enter part of a journal title in the Title field, followed by an asterisk. (*)
- Limit your search results by selecting Journal/ Magazine from the Format drop-down list.
Example:
| this search... | returns... |
|---|---|
| Title: cat* | Journal titles with the phrase cat anywhere in the title, such as:
|
Search for lists
Lists are a way for you to group library-owned items you have found. Lists let you keep track of items of interest and refer back to them whenever you want to. You can create as many lists as you need, up to a total of 500 items per list.
You can search for:
- Public lists you have created
- Lists that have been created by other users, provided that the creator has set a list's Privacy Setting to Viewable by Anyone (Public).
For additional information about lists, see Work with lists.
To search for a list:
- Select Search for Lists from the Search drop-down menu.
- Enter in the search box any combination of:
- A complete or partial list name
- One or more words contained in the list's description
- Click Search. Lists that match your search are displayed.
- Select a list name to see its contents.
Search techniques for lists
Several techniques are available for searching for WorldCat lists. See Search guidelines for more information.
Invalid search techniques
Some common search techniques cannot be used to search lists:
| usage... | |
|---|---|
| - | movies - hitchcock (used in place of the Boolean NOT operator) Use this instead: movies NOT hitchcock. |
| phrase search | "boston massacre" (encloses two or more words in quotation marks to search for the exact words in the exact order) This search produces no results. |
Search for contacts
You can search for others who have created public WorldCat profiles, in order to connect with people that you know, or people you may have heard of. You can search for contacts by:
- WorldCat username
- Your contact's first or last name
To search for a contact:
- Select Search for Contacts from the Search drop-down menu.
- Enter a user name, a first name, or a last name in the search box.
- Select either the User Name or the First or Last Name radio button.
- Click Search. Profiles for individuals whose public profiles and user name match your search are displayed.
- Select a user name to see that user's profile.
Search techniques for contacts
All contact searches must use a complete single word only. Searches involving wildcards or truncations will not work.
Note: Search results match EXACT searches only.
| use this... | not this... | returns results... |
|---|---|---|
| smith | john smith john AND smith |
smith NOT smithson |
| anderson | anders?n | anderson NOT andersen |
| robert | robert* | robert NOT roberts or robertson |
Search for a library
You can search for a library near you. You can search for a library by:
- Library name, or part of a name
- Zip/postal code
- State or province
Note: Only libraries that have created a profile in the WorldCat Registry are listed in the library search results.
To search for a library:
- Select Search for a Library from the Search drop-down menu.
- Enter keywords in the search box. You can search by:
- A library name or part of a name
- Zip/postal code
- State or province
- Click Search. Libraries are displayed whose name or location match your search.
- (Optional) You can narrow your search results by library type from the Refine Your Search list on the left-hand side of the screen.
- Select a library to see the library's profile page.