OCLC Connexion: Searching WorldCat quick reference
OCLC Connexion interface
Use the Connexion client interface (Windows-based software).
- To open the Connexion client, click Start > Programs > OCLC Connexion or double-click the client icon ().
Multiscript support in the client only: The following non-Latin scripts are supported in the client for cataloging and searching: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Tamil, and Thai.
Enter Command Line or Guided Search/Browse
Search the client
Open the Search WorldCat client window:
- Client: Click Cataloging > Search > WorldCat or click , or press <F2>.
- Enter a complete search or browse in correct search syntax in the Command Line Search box. Type any of these search types:
- Numeric
- Keyword
- Derived
- Browse (scan or index)
Enter a guided search in parts in the Keyword/Numeric area and select an index using text boxes and drop-down lists. Let the system create the correct search syntax. Enter any of these search types:- Numeric
- Keyword
- Derived search term (no browse)
For details, General guidelines.
Tip: Collapse or re-expand the Search WorldCat window or screen to show only the Command Line or show the full window/screen:
- Client: Click Expand/Collapse.
Quick search: Client only
Use the WorldCat Quick Search box on the toolbar to enter a command line search or browse. Click the button to the right to send the search.
Guided browsing in the client
Open the Browse WorldCat client window to enter a guided browse term:
- Client: Cataloging > Browse > WorldCat, or click , or press <F2>.
- Enter a browse term in the Browse for box.
- Select an index in the adjacent list.
For details, see General guidelines.
Batch process searches: Client only
- Click Batch > Enter Bibliographic Search Keys or press <Alt><B><B>.
- Select a local file to store searches (default: DefaultBib.bib.db).
- Select an index in the adjacent list.
- Enter a numeric, keyword, or derived search in the Query box, using full search syntax (same as command line search syntax).
- Click Add or press <Enter>.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4. As you add searches, the client displays them in a list.
- When finished, click Save.
- When ready, run batch processing (Batch > Process Batch).
General guidelines
Command line (full syntax) search or browse
For a command line search (a complete search in a single string):
- Precede a browse term with the Scan command (sca) followed by a space, but use no command for a search.
Example of browsing: sca ti:roots - Include index labels followed by correct punctuation to indicate a word, phrase (subfield data), or whole phrase (field data) form of the index.
- Use a two-letter index label and a colon (:) for word indexes.
Example: ti:nexus - Use a two-letter index label and an equal sign (=) for phrase indexes.
Example: ti=connected islands new and selected* - Use a three-letter index label ending in the letter w and an equal sign (=) for whole phrase indexes.
Example: pnw=woolf, leonard 1880-1969 - Exceptions. Index labels are optional for:
- Derived search if it is the first or only search term
- ISBN search if it is the first or only search term
- OCLC number search, if preceded by an asterisk (*) or number sign (#)
- Use a two-letter index label and a colon (:) for word indexes.
- Options
- Type Boolean operators and, or, or not to combine multiple terms in different indexes.
- Type proximity operators with (w) or near (n) with numbers (1 to 25) to find multiple terms in one index that have a specified number of intervening words.
- Include only one qualifier of any one type.
- Use slashes or index labels for format, year, microform, or source qualifiers.
- Use index labels only (cannot precede with a slash) for Internet/non-Internet or language qualifiers.
- Type symbols for wildcards (# or ?) and truncation (*) in place of characters to retrieve different forms of a word. (Available for Latin script searches only.)
Note: Precede symbols by at least three characters.
- Client only—no separate indexes for non-Latin script search terms: Use the same indexes, operators, and qualifiers as for Latin script searches. Enter search terms in Latin script.
Guided search or browse
For a guided search (entered in parts; system creates the syntax):
- In the Search WorldCat window or screen, enter a keyword, numeric, or derived search term in any Search for box.
- (Optional). Enter multiple search terms in a single box to combine search terms in a single index. Between terms, type appropriate Boolean operator(s):
- and, or, or not.
- with (w) or near (n). (Optional). Add numbers (1 to 25) to specify the number of intervening words.
- Select an index from the adjacent list.
- Other options:
- Enter search terms in additional Search for boxes and select and, or, or not from lists to combine search terns in different indexes.
- Enter symbols for wildcards (# or ?) and truncation (*) in place of characters or endings in a search term to retrieve different forms of a word.
Note: Precede symbols by at least three characters. - Select or enter qualifiers in lists or boxes.
Tip: Switch between long and short selection lists:
- Client: Click plus () or minus () to expand or shorten index, material type, or language lists.
Note: All search examples and guidelines in this document are in command line format (full syntax) only.
Words, phrases, and whole phrases
Index | Searches for ... | Examples |
---|---|---|
Word | Word or number anywhere in a field. | pn:stansbury dd:151 |
Phrase | Words in a single subfield from the beginning, in sequence, including all subfield data. | pn=james, henry pb=Pearson Addison Wesley |
Whole phrase | All words in a field in sequence from the beginning, including all data across indexed subfields. | pnw=james, henry 1843-1916 sew=poetry in public places |
Notes:
|
Search formats
Numeric searches
Guidelines
- Command line numeric searches: Always precede search term with an index label and punctuation—a colon (:) for numbers or an equal sign (=) for number phrases.
Exception: ISBN does not require label if it is first or only search. - Type all numbers and letters in an ISBN, government document number, publisher number (formerly music publisher), etc.
Tip for entering ISBNs ending in x: If you use the number keypad, truncate the number using the asterisk (*) key. - Omit spaces.
- In class number searches:
- Include periods.
Example: dd:616.46 - Omit all other punctuation in class numbers.
- Omit spaces.
- Include periods.
- See notes in the following tables on the treatment of hyphens in ISBN, ISSN, and LCCN searches.
Numeric indexes and search examples
ISBN index | Too find this number ... | Enter this search ... |
---|---|---|
Label = bn: | 0-85109-130-x | 085109130x or bn:085109130x |
0-8247-7142-7 | 0824771427 or bn:0824771427 | |
Notes:
|
ISSN index | To find this number ... | Enter this search ... |
---|---|---|
Label = in: | 1234-5678 | in:1234-5678 |
0018-165x | in:0018-165x | |
Note: Always include hyphens. |
lCCN index | To find this number ... | Enter this search ... |
---|---|---|
Label = ln: | map32-14 | ln:32000014 or ln:32-14 |
2002-580246 | ln:2002-580246 or ln:2002580246 | |
Notes:
|
Government document number index | To find this number ... | Enter this search ... |
---|---|---|
Label = gn: | a 1.2:R31/14/984 | gn:a12r3114984 |
NAS 1.2:SP1/46 | gn:nas12sp146 | |
Notes:
|
OCLC Control Number index | To find this number ... | Enter this search ... |
---|---|---|
OCLC control number (no:) | 10998406 | no:10998406 or *10998406 or #10998406 |
Notes:
|
Publisher number indexes | To find this number ... | Enter this search ... |
---|---|---|
Number label = mn: | CO 1979-AB5-1 | mn:co1979ab51 |
Note: Formerly called music publisher number. | ||
Number phrase label = mn= | BBC 001 | mn=bbc 001 |
Note: You can include spaces in a phrase search. |
Keyword searches
Guidelines
- For searches of the Access Method index (am: or am=)
- Omit http: and https:.
- Treat punctuation marks as word divisions.
- Include stopwords for this index.
Example: am: his
- Internet qualifier (mt:) limits results to:
- Internet-only resources (that is, records with field 856 and second indicator
, 0, or 1).
In the Command Line, type mt:url
Or - Non-Internet resources (that is, all other records).
Type not mt:url.
- Internet-only resources (that is, records with field 856 and second indicator
Keyword index stopwords
The system ignores the following common words in a keyword search:
a an and are as at |
be but by for from had |
has have he her his if |
in into is it its not |
of on or she so than |
that the their there this to |
was were when which with would |
you |
Enclose any stopword in quotation marks to include it in a search.
Example: To search for the title And Then There Were None, type: ti: "and" then "there" "were" none
Selected keyword indexes and search examples
Keyword index | Label | Example |
---|---|---|
Corp/Conf Name | cn: | cn:enron |
Corp/Conf Name Phrase | cn= | cn=enron corp |
Corp/Conf Name Whole Phrase | cnw= | cnw=enron corp board of directors special investigative committee |
Name | au: | au:kahlo |
Name Whole Phrase | auw= | auw=kahlo, frida 1910-1954 |
Personal Name | pn: | pn:salinger j d |
Publisher | pb: | pb:thousand oaks |
Series | se: | se:ergonomic |
Series Phrase | se= | se=ergonomic management series |
Subject Phrase | su= | su=aquatic ecosystems |
Title | ti: | ti:gerontological |
Title Phrase | ti= | ti=gerontological nursing |
Derived searches
Derived search key limits
Derived index | Label | Minimum key | Maximum key |
---|---|---|---|
Personal Name | pd: | 4,1,blank | 4,3,1 |
Corp/Conf Name | cd: | =4,1,blank | =4,3,1 |
Name/Title | nd: | 4,4 | 4,4 |
Title | td: | none | 3,2,2,1 |
Notes:
|
Guidelines
- Omit index label if it is the first or only search in the command line.
- Omit initial articles (a, an, the, and non-English equivalents).
- Include articles within titles.
- Include letters and numbers.
- Exclude all other characters; for example, exclude diacritics and punctuation.
- Use a circumflex (^) to narrow a search (but do not use the circumflex in a derived title search).
Example: pd:harv,hen,^ or harv,hen,^ - For names beginning with Mc or Mac followed by an uppercase letter, type m and omit the c or ac. If followed by a lowercase letter, include the lowercase letter c or ac.
Examples: For MacDonald, Marion B., type pn:mdon,mar,b.
For Macdonald, Andrew T., type pd:macd,and,t. - For compound or hyphenated surnames, treat all parts of a name up to the first comma as the first derived search element.
Example: For Li-Marcus, Moying, type pd:lima,moy,. - For forenames only, treat each part as separate segments. Treat each part of a hyphenated forename as separate.
Examples: For White Bull, type pd:whit,bul,.
To find Li-Min Tau, type pd:li,min,t. - Do not use non-Latin scripts in derived searches.
Derived search stopwords
Omit the following words from the first segment of a corporate/conference name when you use the derived search indexes cd: and nd:. Otherwise, include the words.
& a American an and Association at Australia Board Bureau Canada College Colloquium Commission Committee |
Commonwealth Conference Congress Council Department Dept. Division East Federal for France Great Britain House in India |
Institute International Joint Meeting National North of Office on Organization Parliament School Seminar Senate Society |
South State Subcommittee Symposium the U.N. U. N. United Nations United States University U.S. U. S. West Workshop All names of U.S. states |
Examples of omitting initial stopwords
Omit initial stopwords in a search for ... | Enter search as ... |
---|---|
Corporate author: Great Britain Forestry Commission (works published in 1985) | cd:fore,com,/1985 |
Corporate author: United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights | cd:econ,soc,c |
Corporate name and title: Indiana Supreme Court [name] and Race and gender fairness [title] | nd:supr,race |
Derived search examples
Browse (scan an index)
Browsing matches your term or phrase character by character, from left to right, across.
Guidelines
- Include up to 60 letters, numbers, spaces, or these characters: ( ) # &
- Omit initial articles (a, an, the, and non-English equivalents)
- Include hyphens or substitute with a space.
- Type any word to browse a word index (need not be the first word). The system matches any instance of the word in indexed fields/subfields.
- Begin a phrase or whole phrase with the first word in a field or subfield (exclude initial articles). The system matches the exact term, beginning with the first word, in sequence, across indexed fields/subfields.
- Use the title whole phrase index (tiw=) to browse for a title proper, or cataloger-constructed title access point. The index excludes 245 ‡b.
- Use the title phrase index (ti=) to browse for title/subtitle combinations. The index includes 245 ‡b.
- Browsing provides automatic truncation. Type only as many characters or words as needed.
Example: For the title Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, type sca tiw=let us now praise - Do not combine terms or use qualifiers, truncation, or masking.
- If you copy text across subfields in a record and paste as a browse term, remove delimiters, subfield codes, and punctuation.
- If you are unsure of an exact browse term, use a keyword search instead.
Selected browse indexes and examples
Index | Label | Example |
---|---|---|
Corp/Conf Whole Phrase | cnw= | sca cnw=hershey chocolate |
Dewey Class Number | dd: | sca dd:151 |
LC Class Number | lc: | sca lc:z5063.2.a2 |
Name Whole Phrase | auw= | sca auw=dewey, melvil |
Personal Name Whole Phrase | pnw= | sca pnw=james, henry 1843-1916 |
Publisher Phrase | pb= | sca pb=macmillan |
Series Whole Phrase | sew= | sca sew=literacy 2000 |
Subject Whole Phrase | suw= | sca suw=library science |
Title Whole Phrase | tiw= | sca tiw=birds and beasts |
Uniform Title Whole Phrase | utw= | sca utw=concertos f 44 f major |
Qualify, combine, or expand searches
Use qualifiers, Boolean and proximity operators, and wildcard and truncation symbols to qualify, combine, and/or expand searches.
Qualifiers
Add qualifiers to limit search results.
Qualifier (label) | You type ... |
---|---|
Type/Format (mt:) | /bks or mt:bks (Books) /com or mt:com (Computer Files) /cnr or mt:cnr (Continuing Resources) /map or mt:map (Maps) /mix or mt:mix (Mixed Materials) /sco or mt:sco (Scores) /rec or mt:rec (Sound Recordings) /vis or mt:vis (Visual Materials) Note:
|
Year(s) of publication (yr:) | Single year (example: /1980 or yr:1980) Decade (example: /198? or yr:198?) Century (example: /19?? or yr:19??) Single year and all following years (example: /1980- or yr:1980-) Single year and all previous years (example: /-1980 or yr:-1980) Range of years (examples: /1980-3 or /1980-3 or /1880-921 or /1990-2005 or precede with an index label instead of a slash) Unknown dates (code u) (example: for Date1 value 19uu, type /1900 or yr:1900) No date: Enter zeroes (example: /0000 or yr:0000) |
Microform/not microform (mf:) | /mf or mf:mic (microform) /nm or mf:nmc (not microform) |
Source (dl:) | /dlc or dl:y (records contributed by Library of Congress/Program for Cooperative Cataloging) Note: Use the Cataloging Source phrase index (cs=) with an OCLC symbol to find records contributed by a specific library. |
Internet/non-Internet (mt:) | mt:url (Internet resources only) not mt:url (exclude Internet resources) |
Language (la:) | Index label followed by language name or MARC code Example: la:english or la:eng |
Note: You can also qualify searches by language of cataloging (checks for a language in 040 ‡b):
- In the command line: Use index label ll: (two lowercase letter “ells” followed by a colon) and a language code. (See a list of codes at http://www.loc.gov/marc/languages.)
Example: ti=to the lighthouse and ll:ger
Or - In the keyword/numeric search area: Enter a language in one of the Search for boxes and select the Language of Cataloging index in the adjacent list. Combine with another search term.
Qualifier guidelines
- Use slashes or index labels for format, years, microform, or source qualifiers (called “slash qualifiers”). Use index labels only for Internet/non-Internet and language qualifiers.
- Use only one qualifier of each type per search.
- “Slash” qualifiers must appear at the end of a search. Qualifiers with index labels can appear anywhere in a search, combined with a Boolean operator.
- Type qualifiers in any order.
Operators
Use Boolean and proximity operators to combine search terms.
Operator | What the operator does |
---|---|
and | Find all terms anywhere in a record. Example: su:wom?n and ti:history and yr:1970- |
or | Finds any single term or all terms. Example: pn=woolf, virginia or pn=woolf, leonard and yr:1900-50 |
not | Excludes the term that follows not. Example: ti=civil war not su:battle not gc=united states |
with (w) | Finds records containing both terms, in the order typed, or if followed by a number (1 to 25), finds records with no more than the specified number of words between the terms. Examples: ti:aluminum w wiring or alternatively, enclose the phrase in quotation marks: ti:"aluminum wiring" Or ti:aluminum w2 wiring |
near (n) | Same as for with, except that the words can be in any order. Examples: ti:moon n eclipse ti:chicken n3 egg |
Operator guidelines
- Do not use and, or, not, with, or near for browsing.
- Do not use with or near for derived searching.
- Type the maximum number of characters in the segments of each derived search that you combine with and, or, or not.
- To use and, or, not, with, or near as a keyword in a search, enclose the word in quotation marks.
Example: To search for the title Neighbors Near and Far, type ti:neighbors "near" "and" far. - Qualifiers apply to all parts of combined searches.
Truncation and wildcard symbols
Use truncation and wildcard symbols to expand or focus search results.
Truncation | How to use |
---|---|
* (asterisk) | Place at the end of a word to retrieve variant endings. Example: invest* retrieves investor, investment, investment fraud, etc. |
Wildcard | How to use |
---|---|
# | Replace one unknown character in a word. Example: wom#n retrieves woman and women |
? | Replace multiple unknown characters in a word. Example: emp?e retrieves empire, empale, emphasize, and emplace |
?n | Specify the number of characters to replace (n=number of characters, 1-9) Example: str?3 retrieves street, stream, streak, stride, strait, string, etc. |
Truncation and wildcard guidelines
- Limitation: Precede symbols by at least three characters.
- Non-Latin script searches: Truncating searches is supported for Bengali, CJK, Devanagari, Tamil, and Thai script search terms only. For other scripts, use browsing for automatic truncation.
Qualified, combined, and expanded search examples
Searches in both keyword/numeric and derived search format:
Keyword/numeric search | Derived search |
---|---|
au:rendell, ruth or au:vine, barbara | rend,rut, or vine, bar, Or pd:rend,rut, or vine, bar, |
au:cervantes/1970-80/vis Or au:cervantes and mt:vis and yr:1970-80 |
cerv,mig,d/1970-80/vis Or pd:cerv,mig,d and yr:1970-80 and mt:vis |
au:camus and ti:etranger and la:french | pd:camu,alb, and td:etr,,, and la:french |
More examples of qualified, combined, and expanded searches:
- su:scotland and mt:map and yr:2000-
- cn:microsoft and yr:2003 not mt:url
- su:civil and war not battle/1970
- dd:880 and la:eng/bks/1960-70
- ti:bring w2 bacon
- gon,wi,th,w/bks/19??/mf/dlc or td:gon,wi,th,w/bks/19??/mf/dlc
- =adri,col,/bks/1970-90 or cd:adri,col,/bks/1970-90
Qualify searches by specific material types
To qualify searches by material type, use a word or phrase qualifier index label (mt: or mt=) with the 3-letter code or name for a material type, as shown in the table below (names are not case-sensitive but must be entered exactly as shown).
Example: To find The Sound of Music in CD audio only, type: sou,of,mu, and mt:cda or sou,of,mu, and mt=cd audio
Material type codes and names below are organized by broad qualifier group and then alphabetically by name within each group.
Code | Name | Code | Name | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Universal types Books (use mt:bks or /bks) and Mixed materials (use mt:mix or /mix) |
||||
shs | Adolescent | mss | Manuscript | |
arc | Archival material | mmc | Original microform | |
acp | Article | mcd | Micro-opaque | |
bio | Biography | mfc | Microfiche | |
brl | Braille | mfl | Microfilm | |
cnp | Conference publication | ngp | National government publication | |
elc | Electronic | ejh | Pre-adolescent | |
fic | Fiction | pre | Preschool | |
gpb | Government publication | pri | Primary school | |
igp | International government publication | sgp | State or province government publication | |
juv | Juvenile (includes all juvenile types) | deg | Thesis/dissertation | |
lpt | Large print | web | Web access | |
lgp | Local government publication | |||
Sound recordings (use mt:rec or /rec) | ||||
45s | 45 rpm | msr | Musical recording | |
78s | 78 rpm | nsr | Non-musical recording | |
cas | Cassette | rtr | Reel-to-reel tape | |
cda | CD audio | rll | Roll | |
dva | DVD audio | wxc | Wax cylinder | |
lps | LP | wrr | Wire recording | |
mp3 | MP3 | |||
Visual materials (use mt:vis or /vis) | ||||
ngr | 2-D image | nts | NTSC | |
art | 3-D object | oar | Original artwork | |
anm | Animation | pal | PAL | |
rep | Artwork reproduction | pan | Partial animation | |
ats | ATSC | pht | Photograph | |
bta | Beta | pgr | Projected image | |
blu | Blu-ray | rbj | Real object (realia) | |
cht | Chart | rbj | Real object (realia) | |
dio | Diorama | scm | SECAM | |
dvv | DVD video | sld | Slide | |
mot | Film | tch | Technical drawing | |
flm | Filmstrip | toy | Toy | |
crd | Flash card | trn | Transparency | |
gam | Game | umc | U-matic | |
grp | Graphic | vhs | VHS | |
kit | Kit | vca | Videocassette | |
msl | Microscope slide | vdc | Videodisc | |
mdl | Model | vid | Videorecording | |
Maps, cartographic materials (use mt:map or /map) | ||||
atl | Atlas | mcm | Manuscript cartographic material | |
cgl | Celestial globe | mmp | Model map | |
egl | Earth globe | pgl | Planetary globe | |
gsc | Geological section | pcm | Published cartographic material | |
glb | Globe | rsi | Remote-sensing image | |
Musical scores (use mt:sco or /sco) | ||||
mmu | Manuscript music | pmu | Published music | |
Continuing resources (use mt:cnr or /cnr) | ||||
*int | *Integrating resource | mse | Series | |
new | Newspaper | upd | Updating database | |
per | Periodical | upl | Updating loose-leaf | |
*ser | *Serial | upw | Updating website | |
Computer files (use mt:com or /com) | ||||
312 | 3.5 in. disc | fnt | Font | |
514 | 5.25 in. disc | imm | Interactive multimedia | |
bdt | Bibliographic data | ndt | Numeric data | |
cdc | CD for computer | oss | Online system or service | |
cgm | Computer game | pgm | Program | |
cig | Clipart images graphics | snd | Sound effects | |
dct | Document |
*For integrating resource (int) and serial (ser) material types only, you can either precede with mt: or mt= or add to the end of a search as a slash qualifier (/ser or /int), similar to the main qualifiers.