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WorldCat Discovery release notes, October 2023

 

Release Date: October 25, 2023

Introduction

The following release notes are for the OCTOBER 25, 2023 release of WorldCat Discovery.

WorldCat Discovery October Release Highlights

This release of WorldCat Discovery includes the following enhancements as well as bug fixes:

  • Prompt unauthenticated users to sign in when following a permalink to a record in a restricted database.
  • Find WorldCat knowledge base titles that were previously only discoverable through the A-to-Z list

Many of these enhancements are the direct result of your feedback.

Recommended actions

Libraries using OpenAthens and WorldShare ILL: encode your remote access login URL 

WorldCat Discovery libraries using OpenAthens and WorldShare ILL are invited to configure WorldCat Discovery to encode their remote access login URL before it appends the URL of their WorldShare ILL request form to it. This will ensure that your new WorldShare ILL request form will populate with bibliographic data when a library user clicks on the access option to request an item through interlibrary loan.

You can configure this remote access login URL encoding in Service Configuration > WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat Local > User Interface Options > Custom Links

For the link type ‘Remote access login’:

  • Check the option to ‘Append current URL to the end of this link.’
  • Check the additional option to ‘Encode URL before appending’.

Remember to save your changes.  

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.

Request ID screen.jpg

 

New features and enhancements

Prompt unauthenticated users to sign in when following a permalink to a record in a restricted database

With this release, when a user who is not signed in to WorldCat Discovery follows a permalink to a record from a restricted database that your library has activated for searching (whether included in your default group of databases or not), WorldCat Discovery displays a prompt for the user to sign in. Previously, in this scenario, WorldCat Discovery displayed an error message. 

Permalink1.5 restricteddb prompt.png

After the user successfully signs in, the target record of the permalink is displayed.

Find WorldCat knowledge base titles that were previously only discoverable through the A-to-Z list

As announced in the WorldShare Collection Manager September 2023 release notes, WorldCat Discovery users will now benefit from automated creation of WorldCat records for WorldCat knowledge base titles in global collections. This means that they will be able to find WorldCat knowledge base titles that were previously only discoverable through the A-to-Z list.

Cancel and Save actions are displayed in a consistent order on modernized pages in Service Configuration 

Cancel and Save actions now follow a consistent design on modernized pages in Service Configuration. They are justified to the right with the Save action always closest to the right margin, so Cancel and Save always display in the same order. 

CancelSaveCTAsServiceConfig.png

Bug fixes

Users of Course Reserves can now navigate past the first page of listed Courses or Temporary Materials

When navigating Course Reserves, selecting the next page of results or the advance arrow now brings users to the next page. This fix applies to lists of "Courses" for all users as well as to lists of "Temporary Materials" for signed in staff users with Course Manager or Course Maintainer roles.

The new WorldShare ILL request form now populates with bibliographic data for users at libraries that use OpenAthens to manage remote access

Libraries using OpenAthens to manage remote access can now configure WorldCat Discovery to encode their remote access login URL before it appends the URL of their WorldShare ILL request form to it.

You can configure this remote access login URL encoding in Service Configuration > WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat Local > User Interface Options > Custom Links.

When the link type is ‘Remote access login’, an existing check box displays to provide an option to ‘Append current URL to the end of this link.’ Now, when that option is checked, a further check box displays to offer the option to ‘Encode URL before appending’. Guiding text explains that "This setting is not necessary for all URLs; verify with your remote access provider before selecting."

RemoteAccessLogin EncodeURL ServiceConfig.png

Once institutions using OpenAuthens to manage remote access have configured this new option for WorldCat Discovery to encode their remote access login URL, their new WorldShare ILL request form will populate with bibliographic data when a library user clicks on the access option to request an item through interlibrary loan.

Known issues

Prompt unauthenticated users to sign in when following a permalink to a record from a restricted database.

When the restricted database prompt is displayed, screen readers such as NVDA read the default message text "You are trying to access content in a database that requires authentication." instead of custom message text that a library may have configured.

Targeted Resolution: TBA

New content

OCLC is pleased to announce the release of three new databases to the OCLC central index. As a reminder, the central index provides content for WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat.org.

You can enable these databases as search options in the Licensed Content and Databases module of the OCLC Service Configuration site. Please remember that your library must have a valid subscription to these databases in order to enable them.

Please find below the database names and providers for reference. The complete list of databases is available here.

Available in WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat.org

From Edward Elgar Publishing, Ltd.
Encyclopedia of Tourism Management and Marketing
The Encyclopedia of Tourism Management and Marketing is, quite simply, the definitive reference work in the field. Carefully curated by leading tourism scholar Dimitrios Buhalis, this is the largest tourism management and marketing ontology that has ever been put together and offers a holistic examination of this interdisciplinary field. 
From ABC-CLIO
Health and Wellness Issues: Understanding Science, Society and Yourself
Health and Wellness Issues: Understanding Science, Society, and Yourself dives deep into today’s top health-related issues, exploring their historical contexts, current complexities, impacts on physical and mental well-being, and global reach. Authoritative yet accessible reference content includes the insightful perspectives of a diverse group of experts, giving students the full picture on complex and controversial concepts. Through its collection of carefully curated primary and secondary sources, this multifaceted database offers students a rich resource for school learning and research as well as personal explorations.
The Asian American Experience: The American Mosaic
Developed with guidance from Asian American scholars and historians, The Asian American Experience applies a critical lens to the study of U.S. history, exploring the social, political, and economic forces that have shaped the experiences of Asian Americans in distinct historical eras. The database also explores some of the rich and varied experiences of Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Island and indigenous groups.

Important links

Product website

More product information can be found here.

Support website(s)

Support information for this product and related products can be found at:

 
If you have additional questions, please contact OCLC Customer Service by calling 1-800-848-5800 or 1-614-793-8682 Monday – Friday 7 a.m. – 9p.m. ET, or email support@oclc.org. For support enquiries in the UK and Ireland, please contact the Support Desk by calling +44-(0)114-281 60 42 or e-mailing support-uk@oclc.org. Support is available between the hours of 09:00 and 17:30 (UK Time).