About WorldCat.org
Introduction to WorldCat.org
WorldCat is the world's most comprehensive database of information about library collections. Unique in scale and unparalleled in data quality, WorldCat makes library collections findable and accessible around the world. It's where you can locate a book, video, or other items of interest and discover which libraries near you own the item. Individual member libraries in your community and elsewhere provide access to the items represented in WorldCat.
Recommended browsers
The most effective internet access to WorldCat.org is provided by standard web browsers.
WorldCat.org homepage
The WorldCat.org homepage is divided into three sections.
1. Global navigation and search field
1.1 Global navigation
The global navigation allows you to navigate WorldCat.org.
| Header link | Description |
|---|---|
| Home | Click to return to the WorldCat.org homepage. |
| Libraries | Click to view the library profile screen.
|
| Topics | Click to view the WorldCat Topics screen, which includes information and tutorials such as using WorldCat to conduct genealogy research. |
| Lists | Click to view WorldCat lists. |
| About | Click to view information about WorldCat.org. |
| For Librarians | Click to discover the benefits of WorldCat membership and find out how to add your library to WorldCat. |
1.2 Access WorldCat.org
- Click Create account to create a WorldCat.org account.
- Click Sign In to sign in to your WorldCat.org account.
Note:- WorldCat.org will automatically sign out institutional users after four hours of inactivity on the site. This helps mitigate the possibility of someone accessing your account.
- Contact OCLC Support to have an institutional user account deactivated.
1.3 Location
WorldCat.org tries to determine your location based on the unique Internet protocol (IP) address assigned to the network connection or Internet service provider you are using. Click the location to update it to your current location.
1.4 Search WorldCat.org
The WorldCat.org search field appears on every WorldCat.org page.
- By default, the search box searches for items on all pages except for the Libraries screen.
- Select Libraries from the drop-down list to search WorldCat.org libraries.
- Click the Advanced search button (
) to perform an advanced search.
2. Midsection
The middle of the homepage provides:
- Links to curated WorldCat search results lists (e.g., cooking, classic films, etc.)
- Links to featured lists from participating libraries
- A link to The Library 100
- Recent additions to WorldCat
- Links to WorldCat user lists
3. Footer
3.1 Change the WorldCat.org interface language
The WorldCat.org footer allows you to select the language of the WorldCat.org interface. Options include:
- Czech
- German
- English (default)
- Spanish
- French
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Dutch
- Portuguese
- Thai
- Chinese (Simplified and Traditional)
Note:
- Changing the interface language affects the My Profile screen, the Item Details screen header and footer, and search results.
- Changing the interface language may not affect the language of free text screens (e.g., Libraries, Topics, etc.).
- While the items presented to a user for a particular search remain the same regardless of interface language, the descriptive metadata returned for each item is altered based on the interface language when metadata in the chosen language is present.
3.2 Access WorldCat.org online help
Click Support to access online help for WorldCat.org.
3.3 Navigate WorldCat.org
The footer provides the global navigation links as well as a link to OCLC Support.
3.4 WorldCat.org social media links
The footer provides WorldCat.org's social media accounts as well as OCLC's YouTube channel and LinkedIn company page.
You can follow WorldCat.org using any of the following platforms.