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OCLC Support

Report errant knowledge base links

See how to report broken links to OCLC and how to troubleshoot missing and errant links.

Report a broken link to OCLC

Contact OCLC Support with the following information, if you have it:

  • Your institution’s name
  • OCLC symbol or Registry ID
  • URL to the item
  • OCLC number of the item, if available
  • Collection ID of the collection from which the item appears
  • (Optional) Proxy credentials to access your resources*

*If you are unable to provide test proxy credentials, OCLC might need to conduct a screen-sharing session with your library to troubleshoot.

Report a broken link to library staff

If you enable the "Report a broken link" form so that it appears in your WorldCat Discovery interface and A to Z list, both patrons and library staff can report broken links to your library. See Enable "Report a broken link" and receive emails for more information.

 Caution: OCLC does not receive the emails sent to your library.

Troubleshoot missing or errant links

Verify that full-text links are enabled

Enable full-text links in OCLC Service Configuration:

  1. Sign in to OCLC Service Configuration.
  2. Navigate to the  WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat Local > Full Text and Open Access Links.
  3. Check Links from the WorldCat knowledge base to full text content. This will automatically select the settings for links to appear on the detailed record and on the brief record on the search results page. If for some reason you do not want links in search results, adjust the Search Results setting.

Check your settings

Verify settings in the WorldShare interface, Metadata > Collection Manager > Institution Settings.

Proxy settings

Review the Proxy settings checklist. Note that if the title with the errant link is from an open access collection, you might need to disable the proxy setting within the collection's settings in Collection Manager.

Check your proxy settings for off-campus access

Proxy Type

  1. Navigate to Institution Settings > Proxy and authentication > Proxy.
  2. Select Proxy:
    • None (default)
    • EZproxy
    • III WAM Proxy

Base URL

  • EZproxy users:
    • Enter your Base URL. Example of a EZproxy base URL: http://ezproxy.oclc.org/login?url=
  • III WAM Proxy users:
    • Enter the Hostname. Example of a III WAM Proxy hostname: sys.lib.proxy.edu

 Caution: Do not include a space after the Base URL.

Username and Password

(Optional) Enter your Username and Password. Providing username and password information is used by OCLC for de-bugging purposes only.

Provider settings

See if a provider-specific identifier is needed for links to resolve
Find information about Provider Settings in WorldShare Collection Manager.

About linking IDs

Collections from certain providers require identifiers specific to the provider in order for links to resolve to full-text. The ID is often included in the URL you use to access the provider's platform. For example, if you have an ID "XXX" from a provider:

  • You might access the provider's platform with the URL: http://XXX.provider.com
  • In Collection Manager, "XXX" would be the ID needed for Provider ID / Customer ID settings and once entered, the ID would be:
    • Automatically included in MARC records if outputting records from Collection Manager. For example: =856 40$uhttp://XXX.provider.com/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=12345$zClick for resource
    • Referenced in corresponding links in your discovery interface. For example: http://XXX.provider.com/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=12345

Configure provider settings

  1. First, see the table below to see if you have a collection from a provider that requires a linking ID. If your provider is listed, continue with the steps below. If you do not know your ID, contact your provider before you proceed:
  2. Navigate to Institution Settings > Provider Settings.
  3. Select your provider from the drop-down list.
  4. Enter the identifier from your provider.

 Note: In special situations, you might need to override a linking ID for a particular collection. For help, see Collection-level settings in knowledge base collections, Use Proxy.

Providers that require an ID Setting is always required Setting is only required when custom linking has been set up with the provider Vendor Specific Linking ID
Askews and Holts x   VLeBooks Organisation ID
CSA   x Base URL
China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)   x Base URL
EBSCO A-to-Z x   Customer ID
EBSCOhost   x Authentication Type
EBSCOhost EJS (EBSCOonline)   x

EBSCOonline Customer Code

 

Elsevier   x

Scopus Partner ID

Expert Consult ID

Factiva x   Factiva XS-ID
Gale Cengage x   Location ID
Get It Now

WorldCat Discovery libraries configure Get It Now as an unmediated service which allows end users to purchase articles immediately. See How to configure Get It Now (unmediated service) for instructions.

WorldShare ILL libraries configure Get it Now as a mediated service.See Purchasing articles from Get It Now for instructions.

ILL Email Address

Bill to Email Address

Institute

Order Source

IRIS Education x   IRIS Education Library ID
Infobase x   Infobase Library ID
JSTOR   x OpenAthens Domain Name
Kanopy x   Kanopy Library ID
LOCKSS x   Base URL
LexisNexis   x LexisNexis MIP
MD Consult   x  
National Library of Medicine   x Outside Tool User Name
Naxos Digital Services Ltd x   Naxos Library ID
OCLC   x  
Odilo   x Base URL
OverDrive x   Base URL
Ovid   x Base URL
ProQuest   x ProQuest account ID
ProQuest Ebook Central x   ProQuest ebook Library ID
ProQuest Safari x  

ProQuest Safari UI Code

O'Reilly Connection String for SAML SSO Access

Psychotherapy.net x   Psychotherapy.net Library ID
Recorded Books x   Library ID
Skillsoft EZproxy Domain   x EZproxy Server
Springer   x Base URL
Swank Digital Campus x   Swank Library ID
Teton Data Systems x   Group Alias
The HistoryMakers x   Site ID
VIP   x Base URL
Vandeplas Publishing x   Vandeplas Publishing Custom URL Path
Westlaw Campus   x Westlaw Site ID
e-libro x   e-libro ID-channel

 

Make sure the correct collection is selected

  1. Search in Collection Manager. See Tips for using the search field.
  2. Verify that the correct collection and title is selected in the knowledge base.

Verify the format and coverage

Verify that the title-level format is one that will surface links:

  • Journal, Full Text (The following values will not surface links: Print, Selected Full Text, Abstracts, and Indexed. Only Full Text titles will surface links.)
  • e-Book
  • Audio
  • Image
  • Video

Verify that your coverage information is represented correctly. Coverage can include:

  • Dates, Enumerations, or both

See KBART values and formatting for information on how to represent coverage information.

Check title metadata

OCLC number

Verify that there is an OCLC number and that it is correct. Verify that the OCLC number in the knowledge base matches that in the WorldCat record.

Standard Number

Verify that there is an ISSN/ISBN and that it is correct. Verify that the number in the knowledge base matches that in the WorldCat record.

If the Standard Number is incorrect, report it to OCLC Support.

Additional information

For information about Cooperative Management of the WorldCat knowledge base, see Update title information in existing collections.