OCLC Enhances WorldCat WorldCat, the OCLC Online Union Catalog, on the new FirstSearch service, now has enhanced searching and retrieval capabilities resulting in speedier, more efficient information retrieval and system economy. Some of the enhancements are not limited to the WorldCat database alone, but are available across all FirstSearch databases. The new expert search can also use more precise search indexes such as the Dewey Decimal Call Number and Library of Congress Call Number.
Searchers also can use index labels in any search screen basic, advanced or expert.
To explore the Expert Search features, click on the help button in the Expert Search screen and then on Index labels and examples of an expert search in WorldCat . The most commonly indexed languages can now be used as a restrictor in addition to being available as a searchable index. Users may search by language in the language index instead of relying on the onscreen restrictor that was available in previous interface. Results of these searches in which this restrictor is used include records representing Internet materials added to the database through the cataloging of OCLC member libraries and from the NetFirst database. Users in the advanced and expert search levels can also choose to limit their searches to a specified library by typing the library code in the Library Code box.