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OCLC Support

2. Data requirements for non-MARC numeric search key collections

Find the data requirements for a non-MARC numeric search key collection in WorldShare Collection Manager.

Data requirements

Data must be sent as a .CSV file, consisting of a spreadsheet such as Excel, containing two columns. It must be saved as CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) and encoded as Unicode (UTF-8).

  • The first column of the spreadsheet should contain no data save for the heading “LSN”. Processing of the data will add an arbitrary value so WorldCat records can be output for Holdings Maintenance Only.
  • The second column should have the heading “OCLC_Number” and contain a list of OCLC control numbers with the prefix “(OCoLC)”, e.g., (OCoLC)198765401. 

Download the Numeric search key template.
 Note:

  • Both columns must be present in the spreadsheet even though the LSN column will remain empty.
  • The order of the columns in the template should not be changed.
  • Save the template as CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) and the encoding as Unicode (UTF-8).

Encode a .CSV Excel file to Unicode (UTF-8)

 Note: UTF-8 encoding a .CSV in Excel is not available for Mac.

Encode a .CSV Excel file as Unicode (UTF-8)

  1. Click the File tab.
  2. Click Save As.
  3. Enter your file name and update your file path as needed.
    • Include the collection ID as the first element of the file name followed by the OCLC institution symbol as the second element. A date and/or description can follow the symbol to help identify the file. Periods should be used between each data element., e.g. 1011111.OCL.20200301.NSK
  4. Select CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) from the Save as type drop-down list.
  5. Click More Options and select Web Options from the drop-down list.
  6. Click the Encoding tab.
  7. Select Unicode (UTF-8) from the Save this document as drop-down list.
  8. Click OK.
  9. Click Save.