Details from OCLC: Library of Congress scripts
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The Library of Congress (LC) recently announced the expansion of non-Latin script input in bibliographic and authority records. OCLC is working closely with LC to ensure that records distributed to OCLC are correctly rendered in their original scripts. OCLC will roll out support for scripts as they are validated for use and as languages continue to be implemented through Spring 2026.
Most scripts validate and export successfully. You may experience some minor character display irregularities (e.g., dotted circles, white rectangles, spacing issues) in certain interfaces. Several characters across two scripts do not validate successfully. Please review the Known Issues and Workarounds for entering unsupported characters sections below for additional details and recommended actions.
You should export records containing these scripts in UTF-8 Unicode format in Connexion 2.63, Connexion 3.1, WorldShare Record Manager, or WorldShare Collection Manager. MARC-8 export does not support these scripts.
We are committed to full support of LC’s script expansion and will continue to work closely with LC. Our goal is to ensure that as libraries contribute records with scripts, they integrate seamlessly across OCLC’s systems.
Language Support and Display Optimization
Record Manager and Connexion support numerous languages for cataloging.
For optimal display in Connexion, we recommend using either Noto Sans or Nirmala UI font. Please review the recommendations below based on your Connexion client version and working language/script.
Other fonts may provide a similar experience in Connexion, and OCLC's font recommendation does not suggest that other fonts would not work with a given language/script.
Recommended font for Connexion 3.1 users for all languages/scripts: Noto Sans
| Language | Script | Recommended font - Connexion 2.63 |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | Devanagari | Noto Sans |
| Marathi | Devanagari | Noto Sans |
| Sanskrit | Devanagari | Noto Sans |
| Nepali | Devanagari | Noto Sans |
| Prakrit | Devanagari | Noto Sans |
| Tamil | Tamil | Nirmala UI |
| Bengali | Bengali | Nirmala UI |
| Assamese | Bengali | Nirmala UI |
| Malayalam | Malayalam | Nirmala UI |
| Panjabi | Gurmukhi | Nirmala UI |
| Gujarati | Gujarati | Nirmala UI |
| Sinhalese | Sinhala | Nirmala UI |
| Telugu | Telugu | Nirmala UI |
| Kannada | Kannada | Nirmala UI |
| Odia/Oriya | Odia/Oriya | Nirmala UI |
| Burmese | Burmese | Nirmala UI |
| Georgian | Georgian | Nirmala UI |
| Kurdish | Arabic | Nirmala UI |
If you do not have Google Noto Sans, it is free to download. For additional information about installing Google Noto Sans please see Google Noto fonts for Windows.
Known Issues
OCLC has identified five characters that do not pass validation. Please see Unsupported characters for more information and details on the current workaround.
Workarounds for entering unsupported characters
The workarounds described below can work as alternatives to entering nonsupported characters. Please consider the options carefully to choose the one that would best support your library.
Enter an equivalent character with a note
Enter a supported character that is visually or phonologically equivalent to the unsupported character, and add a note indicating that the form on the source differs from what was entered due to current system limitations. Example: If you want to use 𑪴, you could enter ᕹ (U+1579) (which represents the same sound in many contexts) and include the note: Character appears on the source as 𑪴; recorded here as ᕹ due until validation is upgraded.
Bracketed placeholder (most stable)
Entering the romanized name of the character in brackets avoids blocking errors and supports consistent downstream exchange. This may be less practical if many characters are affected. Example: [CANADIAN SYLLABICS NATTILIK HA].
Use transliteration/romanized form of script only
If appropriate for the record and consistent with your cataloging policy, you may choose to supply only the transliterated or romanized form for the affected data element and defer adding the script form until validation support is updated.
Hex entry via Connexion
Enter the hexadecimal value via Connexion, noting that in Record Manager, actions that refresh the record convert the hex reference into the actual character. This can then trigger validation errors and make ongoing editing burdensome. This generally works best only when no further Record Manager edits are required. For more information on working in Connexion, see documentation for Connexion client.