WorldCat Discovery release notes, February 2022
Release Date: February 16, 2022
Introduction
This release of WorldCat Discovery provides several new features and enhancements, including:
- Search within availability details to find a particular volume, year, or item
- Accessibility improvements including:
- The ability to audit search Results & item details with the ‘Accessibility Insights for the Web’ tool to promote accessible branding choices
- A static ‘Loading…’ text message that replaces animated spinners for users who prefer reduced motion
- Interface elements in focus with a keyboard now adopt a user’s default browser focus style rather than branded colors
- Updated text on the Place Hold form related to pick up location promotes successful delivery of resources
- For WorldCat Discovery libraries in Germany, the ability to configure a resource sharing button for a regional ZFL gateway
Many of these enhancements are the direct result of your feedback.
This release also includes numerous bug fixes.
Recommended actions
Consider auditing your WorldCat Discovery search results and item details pages with the ‘Accessibility Insights for the Web’ tool to ensure that your branding choices are accessible.
New features and enhancements
Search within availability details to find volume, year, or item
On the item details page, users may now search within the availability table to locate and view the entries for certain volumes, years, or copies. This saves them from having to page through numerous sections of the table if it contains many volumes or items.
A new search box at the top of the availability table allows users to search across the data displayed in shelving location, call number and status columns of the table, including volume/issue numbers and dates.
Search availability for volume, year, or item
Availability searched for the year 1823
Audit search results & item details to promote accessible branding choices
To better assess accessibility, we are now auditing WorldCat Discovery with a new tool: Accessibility Insights for the Web. You may also add this app to your browser to conduct audits at the institution level to ensure that your branding choices are accessible.
Learn more about the Accessibility Insights for Web tool here: https://accessibilityinsights.io/docs/en/web/overview/
View the presentation from an “Introduction to Accessibility for Web tool for WorldCat Discovery” webinar.
Note: OCLC is committed to inclusive design and accessible products for all. The Accessibility Insights for Web tool is not our legal conformance but provides a great visualization to help institutions make more accessible choices when customizing their branding. Please reference the OCLC accessibility policy to learn more.
The search results and item details pages now pass a “clean” check with this tool, resulting in zero failed instances and a more accessible experience for users.
We plan to audit future pages in the coming quarters. Please reference the WorldCat Discovery product roadmap for further communication.
How to get started
After you’ve installed the Accessibility Insights for Web app, you should be able to access this extension to your browser and choose “FastPass”:
Search Results
Previously, there were sub filters nested within each search filter which caused several failed instances. Screen readers were unable to announce every sub filter contained within the search filter. With this install, we’ve updated the search filters so that the sub filters are always expanded. You will only be able to collapse each search filter at the parent filter level.
BEFORE
- Search filters are nested, so screen readers are unable to announce every sub filter
- Color contrast of search and fulfillment buttons were not high enough for the background
AFTER
- Sub filters within the search filters are no longer nested
- Changed the color contrast of search and fulfillment buttons
Item Details
Similar to search results, when the edition and formats section is expanded, the sub filters nested within each search filter caused several failed instances. Screen readers were unable to announce every sub filter contained within the search filter. With this install, we’ve updated the search filters so that the sub filters are always expanded. You will only be able to collapse each search filter at the parent filter level.
BEFORE
- Search filters are nested, so screen readers are unable to announce every sub filter
AFTER
- Sub filters within the search filters are no longer nested
Static ‘Loading…’ text message replaces animated spinners for users who prefer reduced motion
Some users prefer reduced motion in user interfaces and set this preference in their operating system. For example:
- Windows 10: Settings > Ease of Access > Display > Simplify and personalize Windows > Show animations in Windows = OFF
- Mac OS: Apple menu > System Preferences > Accessibility > Display > ‘Reduce motion’ selected.
For these users, WorldCat Discovery now displays a static timer icon and text message ‘Loading…’ while elements of a page are loading rather than the standard animated spinners that indicate loading activity.
BEFORE
- Animated spinners display to all users to indicate page elements are loading
AFTER
- Static timer icon and ‘Loading...’ text display to users who prefer reduced motion
Interface elements in focus with a keyboard use default browser focus style rather than branded colors
For users navigating the WorldCat Discovery interface with a keyboard, the element on which they are currently focused will now be consistently highlighted using their browser default focus style. Previously, certain interface elements used institutional branding colors when in focus. This did not always signal sufficiently clearly to users that the element was their current focus.
BEFORE
- Cite button in focus used institutional branding colors
AFTER
- Cite button in focus uses default browser focus style
Updated text on place hold form promotes successful delivery of resources
The language used on the place hold form “I want to use items from *” was often confusing to users and resulted in resources being sent to the incorrect pickup location. With this install, we’ve updated the text to “I want to pick up at” to reduce user confusion and promote successful delivery of resources.
BEFORE
AFTER
Configure resource sharing button for ZFL gateway (Germany)
WorldCat Discovery libraries in Germany may now configure a resource sharing button that will direct users to place their interlibrary loan request via one of three regional union catalogues: Bavaria (BVB), Berlin-Brandenburg (KOBV) or Baden-Württemberg (BSZ). These union catalogue request forms provide a gateway for users to place requests into the nationwide cross-network interlibrary loan system, Zentraler Fernleihserver (ZFL-Server) (ZFL).
The new ZFL Gateway button type is available for selection within Service Configuration -> WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat Local -> Place Hold/Request Buttons -> Resource Sharing (Any Level)
Bug fixes
Improved display of item level and LHR level notes
Within the availability table on the item details page, item level notes now display only with the appropriate single item. Local Holdings Record (LHR) level notes now display only with items on the appropriate LHR. Previously some item level or LHR level notes were displayed on all items on all LHRs.
To achieve the above correct association of notes, all item level and LHR level notes now display in the availability table call number column.
The following table summarizes note levels, their source data, display location and display context.
|
|
Notes |
Display location |
Display details |
Source |
|
1 |
Shelving location note |
shelving location column |
On all items for that shelving location |
Service Configuration > WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat Local > Holding Codes & Shelving Location Messages |
|
2 |
LHR level notes |
call number column |
On all items in the LHR |
852 $z |
|
3 |
LHR item level notes |
call number column |
On single item |
876/877/878 $z |
|
4 |
LHR item structure holding notes |
call number column |
On all items in the LHR |
863/864/865 $z |
|
5 |
LHR item unstructured holding notes |
call number column |
On all items in the LHR |
866/867/868 $z |
|
6 |
LHR item level note 2nd LHR |
call number column |
On all items in the LHR |
562 $a |
|
7 |
Retention notes "committed to retain" (shared print) |
call number column |
On all items in the LHR |
583 $a |
Local bibliographic data 590 private notes no longer display
When a local bibliographic data (LBD) 590 local note is coded as private with first indicator value = 0, WorldCat Discovery now honors this setting and does not display the note. 590 local notes coded as public with first indicator value = 1 will continue to display.
Previously private local notes were displayed.
All interface elements display in the chosen language when users change their interface language
When users change their interface language by selecting from the language menu in the footer of WorldCat Discovery pages, all interface elements will now consistently display in the chosen language. Previously, in certain scenarios, interface elements were displayed in a mix of more than one language. Examples included:
- Users entering a search via a search box embedded in a library web page and then changing interface language after arriving on the search results in the WorldCat Discovery interface.
- Users changing interface language while on the Advanced Search page, sending their search and then seeing interface elements in more than one language on the search results.
Changes to Service Configuration OPAC status grid now save successfully in all languages
Changes that you make to the OPAC status grid in Service Configuration > WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat Local > OPAC Statuses, Locations and Circulation Policies > Item Availability from OPAC will now save successfully regardless of the language of your status messages.
Previously, some libraries were receiving an error message when saving changes to the OPAC status grid. This occurred when the changes included status messages that exceeded a certain number of characters in length. This tended to happen in certain languages in which words or phrases used for status messages are naturally longer.
Service Configuration interface fully translated into all supported languages
Library administrators using OCLC Service Configuration in languages other than English will now see all interface text, instructions and labels in their chosen language when using modules with WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat Local to configure their instance of WorldCat Discovery.
Previously, certain fixed strings of text displayed in English to all users, regardless of their chosen interface language.
Print serial titles that do not have a title URL no longer display in A - Z list as a clickable link
If you have created a print serial collection in the WorldCat knowledge base using Collection Manager and have not supplied a title URL for some of the titles in the collection, those titles will now display as plain text rather than linked text in your A-Z title list.
Previously, a print serial title with no title URL displayed as a hot linked title in the A-Z list. Clicking this title simply returned users to the A-Z page on which they had clicked the title.
New content
This is a list of new databases added to WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat.org since our last update.
You can enable these databases as search options in the Licensed Content and Databases module of OCLC Service Configuration. Please remember that your library must have a valid subscription to these databases in order to enable them.
The complete list of databases is available here.
Available in WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat.org
- From Brill
- Storey Online Charles Ambrose Storey’s (1888-1968) Persian Literature: A Bio-bibliographical Survey is a standard reference work about the Persian literary tradition. Storey’s Survey originally consisted of 5 volumes (1.1; 1.2; 2; 3; and 4), but not all volumes were actually published. A new volume (no. 5) was published later by François de Blois. Based on Storey’s handwritten legacy preserved by the Royal Asiatic Society, Brill has published the missing volumes, completing the Survey in 2020 and 2021. Description of the resource.
Important links
Support website(s)
Support information for this product and related products can be found at:
Include Request ID with problem reports
When reporting an issue with WorldCat Discovery, it is extremely helpful to include the Request ID. The Request ID is found at the bottom of the screen on which the issue occurred. Including this information allows us to directly trace what happened on the request we are troubleshooting.
