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WorldCat Work

Discover the definition, description, and examples of WorldCat Work Entities.

Overview

There are eight elements and properties, that are treated as a group and referenced as the Minimum Viable Entity Description (MVED) for a WorldCat Work. Note that the input standards are different, understanding that information may not be available for a given work. 

These elements and properties will always be present in a WorldCat Work:

These elements and properties will be present if applicable:

Elements

Alias

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://www.w3.org/2009/08/skos-reference/skos.html#altLabel Alternate forms of the title for a WorldCat Work. A set of words representing the title of the WorldCat Work that is unique from the Label. Alias can include forms of names that represent the WorldCat Work but do not exist in published form as well as variant forms of usage or information found from other sources. The alias is a string.
Alias: Example(s) - Table

Example: Transliterated form of title added an an Alias.

Label (Korean)
Alias (Korean transliterated)
마당 을 나온 암탉
Madang ŭl naon amt'ak

Description

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://schema.org/description A brief and concise statement about the entity to support disambiguation. Descriptions are constructed using lowercase, as appropriate to the language. A description for a WorldCat Person may include the creator (link to property for definition), what the work is about, and the date created as appropriate or other information depending on the type of resource described. The description is a string.
Description: Example(s) - Table

Example: Description added for a cartographic material in Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish.

Label (English)
Description (Dutch)
Description (English)
Description (French)
Description (German)
Description (Spanish)
City in your pocket, San Francisco transit map and street map
Kaarten geassocieerd met A. Schilling over Lokaal vervoer met schaal 1:24.000
Maps associated with A. Schilling about Local transit with scale 1:24,000
Cartes associées à A. Schilling sur le transport local à l'échelle 1:24 000
Karten im Zusammenhang mit A. Schilling über den Nahverkehr im Maßstab 1:24.000
Mapas asociados a A. Schilling sobre Transporte local a escala 1:24.000

Example: Description added for a data set in Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish.

Label (English)
Description (Dutch)
Description (English)
Description (French)
Description (German)
Description (Spanish)
Land value data
Dataset geassocieerd met John Jones over Farms
Data set associated with John Jones about Farms
Ensemble de données associé à John Jones sur les fermes
Mit John Jones verbundener Datensatz über Farmen
Conjunto de datos asociado con John Jones sobre Granjas

Example: Description added for a moving image in Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish.

Label (English)
Description (Dutch)
Description (English)
Description (French)
Description (German)
Description (Spanish)
Westfront 1918 
Drama geassocieerd met G.W. Pabst over de Eerste Wereldoorlog uitgebracht in 1930
Drama associated with G. W. Pabst about World War released in 1930
Drame associé à GW Pabst sur la guerre mondiale sorti en 1930
Bewegendes Bild verknüpft mit G. W. Pabst über den Weltkrieg, veröffentlicht 1930
Drama asociado con GW Pabst sobre la Guerra Mundial estrenado en 1930

Example: Description added for a notated music work in French, Dutch, English, German, and Spanish.

Label (French)
Description (French)
Description (Dutch)
Description (English)
Description (German)
Description (Spanish)
Chansons populaires de France et du Canada
Musique notée associée à Germaine Tailleferre écrite pour piano et voix
Genoteerde muziek geassocieerd met Germaine Tailleferre geschreven voor piano en zang
Notated music associated with Germaine Tailleferre written for piano and voice 
Notierte Musik im Zusammenhang mit Germaine Tailleferre, geschrieben für Klavier und Gesang
Música notada asociada con Germaine Tailleferre escrita para piano y voz

Example: Description added for a physical object in Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish.

Label (English)
Description (Dutch)
Description (English)
Description (French)
Description (German)
Description (Spanish)
Meteorite, Campo del Cielo
Meteorietfragment bestaande uit ijzer, nikkel en kobalt met sporen van fosfor, iridium, gallium en germanium
Meteorite fragment composed of 93% iron, 6% nickel, .05% cobalt with trace amounts of phosphorus, iridium, gallium and germanium
Fragment de météorite composé de fer, de nickel et de cobalt avec des traces de phosphore, d'iridium, de gallium et de germanium
Meteoritenfragment bestehend aus Eisen, Nickel und Kobalt mit Spuren von Phosphor, Iridium, Gallium und Germanium
Fragmento de meteorito compuesto de hierro, níquel y cobalto con trazas de fósforo, iridio, galio y germanio

Example:  Description added for software in Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish.

Label (English)
Description (Dutch)
Description (English)
Description (French)
Description (German)
Description (Spanish)
SCriptWriter
Software geassocieerd met Ellis Horowitz en gebruikt voor het maken van applicaties op een IBM PC
Software associated with Ellis Horowitz and used for creating applications on a IBM PC
Logiciel associé à Ellis Horowitz et utilisé pour créer des applications sur un IBM PC
Software im Zusammenhang mit Ellis Horowitz, die zum Erstellen von Anwendungen auf einem IBM-PC verwendet wird
Software asociado con Ellis Horowitz y utilizado para crear aplicaciones en una PC IBM

Example: Description added for a still image in Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish.

Label (English)
Description (Dutch)
Description (English)
Description (French)
Description (German)
Description (Spanish)
Jazz in the Serengeti 
Poster met reclame voor een tentoonstelling getiteld Projects At The Chamber
Poster advertising an exhibition entitled, Projects At The Chamber
Affiche annonçant une exposition intitulée Projects At The Chamber
Werbeplakat für eine Ausstellung mit dem Titel Projects At The Chamber
Cartel publicitario de una exposición titulada Projects At The Chamber 

Example: Description added for a musical work in Spanish, Dutch, English, French, and German.

Label (Spanish)
Description (Spanish)
Description (Dutch)
Description (English)
Description (French)
Description (German)
Cantos de enamoramiento, amores, desamores y casamientos
Canciones indígenas mexicanas cantadas en varios idiomas nativos
Mexicaanse inheemse liederen gezongen in verschillende moedertalen
Mexican indigenous songs sung in various native languages
Chants autochtones mexicains chantés dans diverses langues autochtones
Mexikanische indigene Lieder, die in verschiedenen Muttersprachen gesungen werden

Example: Description added for a sound work in Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish.

Label (English)
Description (Dutch)
Description (English)
Description (French)
Description (German)
Description (Spanish)
BBC sound effects library 
Geluidseffecten die worden gebruikt in BBC-radio- en televisie-uitzendingen
Sound effects used in BBC's radio and television broadcasting
Effets sonores utilisés dans les émissions de radio et de télévision de la BBC
Soundeffekte, die in Radio- und Fernsehsendungen der BBC verwendet werden
Efectos de sonido utilizados en las transmisiones de radio y televisión de la BBC

Example: Description added for a textual work in Korean, Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish.

Label (Korean)
Description (Korean)
Description (Dutch)
Description (English)
Description (French)
Description (German)
Description (Spanish)
마당 을 나온 암탉
황선미 작가의 개성과 모성에 대한 픽션
fictie van auteur, Sŏn-mi Hwang, over individualiteit en moederschap
fiction by author, Sŏn-mi Hwang, about individuality and motherhood
fiction de l'auteur, Sŏn-mi Hwang, sur l'individualité et la maternité
Roman des Autors Sŏn-mi Hwang über Individualität und Mutterschaft
ficción de la autora, Sŏn-mi Hwang, sobre la individualidad y la maternidad

Label

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label A title appropriate to the work or expression. The label is a string.
Label: Example(s) - Table

Example: A Korean label added along with labels in Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish.

Label (Korean)
Label (Dutch)
Label (English)
Label (French)
Label (German)
Label (Spanish)
마당 을 나온 암탉
De kip die dacht dat ze kon vliegen
The hen who dreamed she could fly
La poule qui croyait pouvoir voler
Das Huhn, das vom Fliegen träumte
La gallina que pensó que podía volar

Properties

About

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P19 The primary topic of a work. Used to connect a WorldCat Work to another WorldCat Entity. See also depicts.
About: Example(s) - Table

Example: Entity representing a biography about Zacharie Vincent.

Label 
About
Zacharie Vincent
Zacharie Vincent

Adaptation of

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P117 WorldCat Work is an adaptation of another WorldCat Work. Use to connect a WorldCat Work to another WorldCat Work.
Adaptation of: Example(s) - Table

Example: Entity representing an adaptation of the Greek play, Antigone, by Sophocles.

Label 
Description (English)
Adaptation of
Antigone
Drama associated with director Sophie Deraspe originally released in 2019
Antigone

Agent

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P232 The top level or generic property to connect a WorldCat Work to a creation Agent. Used to connect a WorldCat Work to another WorldCat Person. Specific agent roles, appropriate for the work, are used. Agent properties, creator and contributor, are only used when a more specific agent role is not applicable. Creator is used for agents who have primary responsibility of the WorldCat Work but no more specific agent role is specified. Contributor is used for agents who have secondary responsibility for the WorldCat Work but no more specific agent role is specified.

Individual agent roles: The list of current agent roles for a WorldCat Work.

Individual agent roles - Table
Agent Properties Definition URI (Universal Resource Identifier)
Actor person performing live for a camera or audience https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P48
Architect person associated with the design of a structure https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P79
Author person responsible for the content of a textual based creative work https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P43
Cartographer person responsible for the creation or production of maps https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P67
Composer person responsible for the creation of music or notated music https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P69
Contributor person responsible for contributing to the work https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P41
Copyright owner person who owns or holds the copyright of the work https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P60
Creator person responsible for creating the work https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P40
Designer person responsible for designing the work https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P78
Director person who supervises the actors, camera crew, and other staff for a production (television, movie, play, etc.) https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P50
Editor person responsible for corrections or changes to the work https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P51
Illustrator person responsible for creating or contributing to the illustrative content for the work https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P44
Interviewee person responsible for creating or contributing to the work by responding to an interviewer, reporter, pollster, or some other information gathering agent https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P174
Interviewer person or organization responsible for creating or contributing to the work by acting as an interviewer, reporter, pollster, or some other information gathering agent https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P173
Librettist person responsible for creating the text used as the basis for the musical work (e.g., opera, operetta, musical) https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P77
Lyricist person responsible for creating the words of the musical composition (e.g., song, aria) https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P76
Musical conductor person who leads the performing ensemble https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P74
Narrator person responsible for conveying spoken narrative elements to an audience as part of the performance https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P70
Painter person who works in the application of paint on canvases, walls, or other surfaces https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P181
Participant person actively taking part in an event or process https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P42
Performer person who is part of the performance (e.g., play, orchestra) https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P71
Photographer person responsible for the photographic work https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P68
Producer person responsible for the financial and managerial aspects of the work https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P75
Screenwriter person responsible for authoring the screenplay or script for the work https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P73
Sculptor person who practices the art of carving, modeling, welding, or otherwise producing figurative or abstract works of art in three dimensions https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P153
Speaker person responsible for speaking at an event such as a ceremony, keynote or presentation https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P72
Translator person responsible for translating the work into another language https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P45
Videographer person who creates video recordings https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P203
Individual agent roles: Example(s) - Table

Example: Individual agent roles listed for a sound work.

Label (English)
Author
Narrator
The hen who dreamed she could fly
Sŏn-mi Hwang 
Jill Larson

Example: Individual agent roles listed for a moving image work. Multiple Persons are listed with the same role.

Label (English)
Actor
Actor
Actor
Actor
Actor
Actor
Actor
Actor
Screenwriter
Amistad
Morgan Freeman
Anthony Hopkins
Nigel Hawthorne
Djimon Hounsou
Matthew McConaughey
David Paymer
Pete Postlethwaite
Stellan Skarsgård
David Franzoni

Example: Individual agent roles listed for a work. Multiple roles are listed with the same Person.

Label (English)
Author
Illustrator
Red Knit Cap Girl and the reading tree 
Naoko Stoop
Naoko Stoop

Based on

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P17 The work(s) used as the basis for the subject. Used to connect a WorldCat Work to another WorldCat Work.
Based on: Example(s) - Table

Example: Utanför tiden is loosely based on a previous work, Noels bok, by the same author.

Label (Swedish)
Based on
Utanför tiden 
Noels bok

Creation date

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P233 The date when the work was created.

Used to connect a WorldCat Work to a date. When no specific creation date for the Work is known, the earliest manifestation date for creation date of a Work Entity is used.  Date types include day, month, year, decade, century, millennium.

 

Creation dates: Example(s) - Table

Example: Creation date is known to be a specific year for the English translation of a textual work. Date entered as a year.

Label (English)
Creation date
The hen who dreamed she could fly
2013

Example: Creation date is known to be created in the 1800's. Date entered as a century.

Label (English)
Creation date
Letter to Mrs. Severn
19th century

Depicts

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P198 Representation in words or images of someone or something. Used to connect a WorldCat Work to another WorldCat Entity. See also about.
Depicts: Example - Table

Example: A poster that depicts the actor, John Wayne. Used to advertise the 1959 film, Rio Bravo.

Label 
Depicts
Rio Bravo
John Wayne

External identifier

Definition Description
Identifiers representing the same Entity in a different ontology or system. Used to connect a WorldCat Work to an entity in a different ontology or system.
List of currently available URIs - Table:
URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Properties Definition URI (Universal Resource Identifier)
BNE identifier for a person represented in the Biblioteca Nacional de España Authority File https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity//P101
CAOONL identifier for a person represented in the Canadiana Names Authority File https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P252
GND identifier for a person represented in the German Integrated National Authority File https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P98
Library of Congress Name Authority File identifier for a person represented in the Library of Congress Authority File https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P96
NTA identifier for a person represented in the Dutch National Thesaurus for Authority File https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P250
VIAF identifier for a person represented in the Virtual International Authority File https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P26

Influenced by

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P186 An WorldCat Work that is informed by another WorldCat Entity.  Used to connect a WorldCat Work to another WorldCat Entity.
Influenced by: Example(s) - Table

Example: Entity representing the painted artwork, The Lady of Shalott, by John William Waterhouse, which was influenced by the work by Alfred Tennyson Tennyson.

Label (English)
Influenced by (English)
The Lady of Shalott
The Lady of Shalott

Instance of (entity subtype)

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P5 Used to connect a WorldCat Work to a content type. Used to connect a WorldCat Work to a content type.
Content types - Table
Content Types Definition URI (Universal Resource Identifier)
cartographic material a visual representation of a geographical area, including maps, atlases, and globes https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/Q397
data set a collection of structured data organized around a particular topic or purpose https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/Q29
moving image a sequence of images that convey the impression of movement https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/Q22
notated movement a graphic representation of movement which is intended for the study and performance of a work based on movement, such as dance  https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/Q398
notated music a graphic representation of a musical work which is intended for the study and performance of a musical work https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/Q396
physical object a singular and coherent aggregation of material which exists in three dimensions https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/Q28
software a non-tangible executable component of a computer https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/Q30
still image a static and intentional visual representation in two dimensions, such as photographs and paintings https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/Q23
music an intentional organization of tones with characteristics such as pitch and timbre produced by instruments which can be controlled by a performer https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/Q392
sound a wave frequency within the range of human hearing https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/Q26
text a sequence of symbols intended to convey language which can be perceived by a reader https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/Q10
Instance of: Example(s) - Table

Example: Content type for a work.

Label (Korean)
Instance of
마당 을 나온 암탉
text

Example: Multiple content types for a work.

Label (English)
Instance of
Instance of
Instance of
Wheels storytime kit
text
music
moving image

Language of work

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P33 The language associated with the WorldCat Work. Used to connect a WorldCat Work to a language or languages.
Language of work: Example(s) - Table

Example: Language of a textual work written in Korean.

Label (Korean)
Title (Korean)
Language of work
마당 을 나온 암탉
마당 을 나온 암탉
Korean

Example: Papers of conference written in various languages.

Label (English)
Language of work
Language of work
Language of work
Language of work
Orchestral conducting in the nineteenth century 
English
French
Italian
Spanish

Part of

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P18 WorldCat Work of which this WorldCat Work is a part. Used to connect a WorldCat Work to a WorldCat Work.
Part of: Example(s) - Table

Example: Part 1 of the multipart text, Patagonia literaria.

Label (Spanish)
Title (Spanish)
Part of
Fundaciones, invenciones y emancipaciones de un espacio geopolítico y discursivo
Fundaciones, invenciones y emancipaciones de un espacio geopolítico y discursivo
Patagonia literaria

Subtitle

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P18 Other portion of title following the main title of the WorldCat Work. Enter value as a string.
Subtitle: Example(s) - Table

Example: Other title information added as Subtitle.

Label (English)
Title (English)
Subtitle (English)
National Park Service Centennial Act
National Park Service Centennial Act
report together with additional views (to accompany H.R. 4680) (including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office)

Title

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P15 Name given to the WorldCat Work. Enter value as a string
Title: Example(s) - Table

Example: Title of a Korean work.

Label (Korean)
Title (Korean)
마당 을 나온 암탉
마당 을 나온 암탉

Translation of

URI (Universal Resource Identifier) Definition Description
https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/P114 WorldCat Work is a translation of this WorldCat Work. Used to connect a WorldCat Work to a WorldCat Work.
Translation of: Example(s) - Table

Example: Another WorldCat Work that the WorldCat Work is translated from.

Label (English)
Title (English)
Translation of (Korean)
The hen who dreamed she could fly
The hen who dreamed she could fly
마당 을 나온 암탉