Accessing Open WorldCat through Google or Yahoo

You can enter your search terms as you would any other Google search at http://books.google.com.

  1. Find it in the library (which gives users the ability to enter a zip code and receive a list of libraries in the area with the book).
  2. Google toolbar can be configured to show book info when you click on a book’s ISBN.
  3. On the toolbar, click on AutoLink drop down arrow. Select WorldCat as the ISBN (book) information provider.
  4. Click on the library and get the catalog information so you can find it at that library.

Note – Not all books are included in Open WorldCat. Many archival and genealogy materials and books do not have ISBNs. This source is useful but be aware of the limitations.

National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC)

This collection is similar to WorldCat in so much as it provides bibliographic database of many different archives (currently over 700 thousand entries). The Library of Congress sponsors this web site. The main difference between the two is NUCMC lists only manuscripts – those materials that have never been published. In many cases these can be one-of-a-kind sources in nature. Their subject matter does not necessarily tie them to a related facility.

This site is available at – www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc. There are three different ways to search the RLG Union Catalog. Easy search (word list) will look for the search terms in order of name, title, and subject fields, as well as Advanced and Boolean searches. Like WorldCat, searching for materials under surnames, locations, organizations, etc can be performed.
Each search has a link to more on this record. Clicking on it gives you the full catalog entry, including the location of the material. Some records are brief, while others go on for a page or more

Google Book Search – Not So Easy to Find the Library Link - http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6290431.html

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