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Learner guide: Collection Manager - What it is and how libraries use it

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WorldShare Collection Manager

Automates delivery of WorldCat records and maintenance of WorldCat holdings for your library’s electronic and print materials.

Use Collection Manager if you want to:

  • Ensure that your users to have timely access to the electronic materials in your library.
  • Maintain WorldCat holdings for your library’s electronic and print materials.
  • Streamline metadata management for your library’s electronic resources.
  • Share the library’s electronic content with other libraries.
  • Receive updated records based on changes to the WorldCat record.
  • Make your government documents available for quicker discovery.

Refer to Create a Collection Manager account and the WorldShare Collection Manager documentation for more information.

Types of collections

WorldCat updates

Automates delivery of updated records based on changes to WorldCat records.

How to use it

  • While cataloging, you export a less-than-full level record to make materials available sooner and want to get upgraded records when they become available.
  • You have profile your cataloging partner collections to accept less-than-full level records and want to automatically get upgraded records when they become available.
  • You want to automatically receive records in which a field has been added or updated.
  • Titles have changed, have been added, or have been removed from your library’s knowledge base collections.

Considerations

Questions Answers
If I use WorldCat updates, how do I apply the updated records from OCLC to the records for the same items already in my ILS (local catalog)? Your ILS may call this process something like “overlaying” or “replacing” records.
Consult with your systems librarian or ILS vendor’s support staff to determine what your system uses as a “match point” for this process: ISBN, OCLC number, LCCN, etc.
I am concerned that when we load these records into our ILS, we will lose local edits. Consult with your systems librarian or your ILS support staff to see if there’s a way to “protect” specific fields when you overlay records.

WorldCat query collection

Automates delivery of WorldCat records based on defined WorldCat search indexes.

How to use it

  • You want records for all your library’s print serials.
  • You want records for all new titles cataloged in WorldCat to add to a shared catalog.
  • You want records for new titles added to an open-access collection to add to your local catalog.
  • You want records for multiple OCLC symbols.
  • You want records for all your library’s holdings in WorldCat.

WorldCat cataloging partner collection

Automates delivery of WorldCat records for titles your library has purchased from materials vendors.

How to use it

  • You want to get materials to your users more quickly.
  • You want to reduce time staff spends searching for and editing records and handling materials.
  • You want to make your materials visible on the Web by having holdings attached to records automatically.
  • You purchase materials from these participating material providers.

Considerations

Questions Answers
I am not sure if my material provider participates Find a list of participating material providers here.
I am not sure if records using cataloging partner collection will work in my ILS If you are currently loading records from Connexion into your ILS, you should be able to load cataloging partner collection records using the same procedures.
We need to add local acquisitions data to records. We have special requirements for the formatting of Dewey call numbers WorldCat cataloging partner collection provides profiling options for local data and call numbers.
My staff is concerned about their work changing, or about their jobs being replaced. When WorldCat Cataloging Partners takes care of routine copy cataloging, staff can be trained for more responsible, creative work they’ve wanted to do but haven’t had time for, such as managing data in your ILS, cataloging your unique local materials, authority control projects, digitization projects, etc.

WorldCat data sync collection

Automates adding, changing, and removing of holdings information on large number of records.

How to use it

  • Your library is new to OCLC and you want to add records from your library’s catalog to WorldCat.
  • Parts of your library’s holdings information have never been added to WorldCat.
  • Your library’s holdings in WorldCat are out-of-sync with its local catalog.
  • Your library has not consistently added or deleted holdings in WorldCat.
  • You need to add holdings to WorldCat for bibliographic records your library obtains from other sources.
  • You need to efficiently delete your library’s holdings on a regular basis as part of ongoing weeding of your library’s materials.
  • You want to add original bibliographic records to WorldCat that you have cataloged only in your library’s local catalog.
  • You want to add or update local holdings records (LHRs) in WorldCat.
  • You want to register your library’s shared print retention commitments.

WorldCat knowledge base collection

Makes electronic content easier to find, use, share, and manage.

How to use it

  • You want your users to have quicker and easier access to your electronic materials.
  • You want to make it quicker and easier to lend your electronic materials.
  • You want to keep your library’s holdings for electronic serials up-to-date in WorldCat.
  • You want to provide more direct access to your full text content.
  • You are a depository library and want to provide up-to-date records for U. S. government documents.
  • You want to share your library’s data of electronic materials with peer libraries.
  • You want to manage your Demand-Driven Acquisition (DDA) titles.

Test your knowledge

  1. List two main reasons a library would use WorldShare Collection Manager.
  2. Name three types of collections in WorldShare Collection Manager that allows a library to obtain records and maintain holdings in WorldCat.
  3. Which type of collection allows your library to “automatically receive customizable record updates when something that you care about changes in a WorldCat record in order to keep your catalog up to date”?
    1. WorldCat cataloging partner
    2. WorldCat data sync
    3. WorldCat updates
    4. WorldCat query
  4. Name one reason why libraries use WorldCat cataloging partner collections?
  5. Which type of collection allows your library to “synchronize its entire catalog with WorldCat to improve resource sharing and discoverability of your materials worldwide”?
    1. WorldCat cataloging partner
    2. WorldCat data sync
    3. WorldCat updates
    4. WorldCat query
  6. Name two reasons why libraries use WorldCat knowledge base collections?
  7. Does Collection Manager maintain your library holdings in WorldCat for titles delivered via a WorldCat query collection?
    1. Yes
    2. No

 

Answer key
  1. Any two of the following answers:
    • Manage the library’s electronic resources
    • Get new print materials into circulation faster
    • Improve the quality of the library’s local catalog
    • Save staff time maintaining library materials
    • Assist users to better find the library’s resources
  2. WorldCat cataloging partner, WorldCat data sync, and WorldCat knowledge base
  3. c. WorldCat updates
  4. Libraries use cataloging partner collections to improve cataloging efficiencies and get new materials to users faster.
  5. WorldCat data sync
  6. Libraries use knowledge base collections to allow users quicker and easier access to their electronic materials. Also, libraries using knowledge base collections want to get WorldCat records and have their holdings maintained in WorldCat for these materials.
  7. b. Collection Manager DOES NOT maintain holdings in WorldCat for titles delivered in a query collection. Libraries only get records for titles based on the WorldCat selection criteria defined for the query collection.

Additional information

Additional questions? Contact OCLC Support in your region.