Checklist: Collection Manager - What it is and how libraries use it

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Checklist of questions and suggested collection type to use

Answering questions in this checklist will help you decide which types of collections in WorldShare Collection Manager are most effective for getting records and maintaining your library’s holdings in WorldCat.

Questions	Answers	Collection type
Do you create a large volume of original cataloging using your library’s ILS rather than Connexion or Record Manager? Does your library receive bibliographic records from a vendor, but needs to update its WorldCat holdings for these items? Do you need to delete your library’s holdings in WorldCat from more than a few hundred records at a time?	☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No	If you answered Yes to any of these questions, consider setting up a data sync collection.
Are there parts of your library’s holdings information that have never been set in WorldCat? Does WorldCat indicate that your library holds items that it no longer has? Do you need OCLC control numbers for your library’s local records?	☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No	If you answered Yes to any of these questions, consider setting up a data sync collection.
Do you want to maintain your library’s item-specific holdings for serials in WorldCat (for example, volumes and dates held)? Do you want to add information about your library’s lending and reproduction policies for specific titles in WorldCat to better target resource sharing requests? Do you have MARC Format for Holdings Data records in your library’s ILS that you can send to OCLC? Or Do you have patterned non-MARC holdings data?	☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No	If you answered Yes to most of these questions, consider letting OCLC maintain your local holdings records using a data sync collection.
Do you purchase part of your materials from one of the participating material providers listed at: Material providers for cataloging partner collections? Can you download files of records from a Web site or receive files of records via OCLC file exchange delivery using SFTP? Can you import files of bibliographic records into your ILS? Is staff time limited for timely and regular updating of holdings on individual records for new acquisitions?	☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No	If you answered Yes to most of these questions, consider using a cataloging partner collection.
Do you have large electronic sets that need bibliographic records? Can you download files of records from a Web site or receive files of records via OCLC file exchange delivery using SFTP? Can you import files of bibliographic records into your ILS?	☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No	If you answered Yes to most of these questions, consider using a knowledge base collection.
Does your library have electronic serials? Do you want to maintain WorldCat holdings for your electronic serials? Or Do you want to receive MARC records for your electronic serials?	☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No	If you answered Yes to most of these questions, consider using a knowledge base collection.
Is your library a regional or selective depository for U.S. government documents? Does your library lack the resources to catalog federal documents? Can you download files of records from a Web site or receive files of records via OCLC file exchange delivery using SFTP? Can you import files of bibliographic records into your ILS?	☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No	If you answered Yes to most of these questions, consider using a knowledge base collection.
Do you want to get records for all of your library’s print serials? Does your library want to get records on a particular subject or from a specific provider? Do want records for all your library’s holdings in WorldCat to add to a shared catalog?	☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No	If you answered Yes to any of these questions, consider using query collection.
Does your library want to get records for titles in which the WorldCat records have changed? Does your library need full-level records to update records in its local catalog? Is your library using WorldCat knowledge base to manage its electronic content and would like to get updated WorldCat records when titles have changed, have been added, or have been removed from these collections?	☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No	If you answered Yes to any of these questions, consider using WorldCat updates.
Does your library want to register shared print retention commitments? Does your group want to register shared print retention commitments?	☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No	If you answered Yes to any of these questions, consider using Shared Print.