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Worldwide (English) Change
WorldCat : A global catalog : Guidelines for contributions

Guidelines for contributions to WorldCat

  1. Member libraries will "contribute all current, Roman alphabet bibliographic and holdings information which represents cataloged items in their collections."

    Many libraries question what this means to them. Most do not hesitate to add holdings for their circulating book collection, but question whether other types of materials should be added. Below are some examples to help in deciding when to add or not to add holdings to WorldCat.

    Materials that should be added to WorldCat:

    • AV materials
      If the materials are part of your permanent collection, and appear in your catalog, these holdings should appear in WorldCat. The item does not have to be classified in order to qualify for inclusion in WorldCat; many libraries only assign accession numbers to AV materials but still catalog them and consider them part of their permanent collection.
    • Materials that a library does not wish to lend
      Inclusion of holdings in WorldCat does not obligate any library to lend these materials. It merely acknowledges that it owns a copy of the material. Many patrons using WorldCat will be interested in learning that materials are held by a nearby library, to which they can travel in order to use the material. Scholarship is advanced by the inclusion of rare materials in WorldCat, even if the holding library has no intention of lending it. Scholars are usually willing to travel considerable distances for the privilege of examining rare materials on site.
    • Local historical materials
      Often local materials are not included in WorldCat because it is felt that there is no interest in them on a international level. However, local history is a fast-growing discipline, and materials that appear of only local interest may in fact have broader appeal. The inclusion of local materials can be one of the richest contributions made to WorldCat.
    • Bookmobile collections
      If these materials are cataloged, and the library can lend from the collection to fill requests, they should be included in WorldCat. However, if materials are housed only in the bookmobile, and therefore never available for interlibrary loan or walk-in use, it is reasonable not to include these holdings, at least until that time when the materials are recycled back into the library's regular holdings.
    • E-Journals
      Holdings for electronic journals that can be accessed on an issue-by-issue basis should be included in WorldCat. Such inclusion does not necessarily indicate the ability to loan articles from these journals, as many license agreements for e-journals do not allow for interlibrary loan.


    Materials that need not be added to WorldCat:

    • Rental collections
      Member libraries may not invest in the cataloging of rental or leased collections (e.g. McNaughton) because of the temporary status of these collections in their local catalog. Therefore, not contributing holdings to WorldCat would be an acceptable exclusion.
    • Reserve materials
      Academic libraries have the common practice of temporarily cataloging items not part of their collection in order to place them on reserve for a class. Usually these are personal copies of books or videos owned by the professor requesting that they be placed on reserve. Such items, because they are temporary in nature, do not have to be included in WorldCat.
    • Classified materials
      Corporate libraries may not want to show acquisition of or ownership of open source materials because their presence would point to classified current interests or development of new competitive products.
    • Government documents
      After discussion by Users Council in 1995, government documents, even if cataloged and classified, were identified as a legitimate exception to the requirement of adding to WorldCat the holdings of all current, Roman alphabet cataloging.
    • Web sites and other more ephemeral electronic sources
      These materials are useful to include in WorldCat, but adding holdings for such resources is not necessary in order to comply with OCLC guidelines.
  2. Member libraries will "create bibliographic records and related data to the fullest possible level, consistent with the standards and guidelines adopted by OCLC."

    This guideline allows librarians to contribute original cataloging to WorldCat according to the level of their expertise. OCLC recognizes that not all libraries will be able to contribute original cataloging to the highest level for every item in their collections. K-level cataloging is an accepted standard and option for briefer level cataloging, requiring only the ISBN, main entry, title, bound with or reproduction notes, and any applicable added entries. Cataloging training to help member libraries develop and retain cataloging skill is always available via the regional networks.

    Note: These Guidelines to OCLC WorldCat Principles of Cooperation were prepared by the Task Force on Shared Commitments and endorsed by Members Council at its May 1999 meeting. They are designed to assist OCLC member libraries in interpreting the Members Council document titled, "OCLC WorldCat Principles of Cooperation." However, as libraries and information continue to develop, these guidelines also may need to evolve.

  3. Member libraries, regional service providers and OCLC will promote the responsible use of OCLC-derived records by approved users.


    4. (This clause added by resolution of the OCLC Members Council in February 2004.)

    The intent of this guideline is to insure that the resources of the cooperative are used to the benefit of the cooperative and to protect member libraries' investment in OCLC WorldCat. Member libraries should not, for example, share system authorizations and passwords with non-members.

    The Guidelines for the Use and Transfer of OCLC-Derived Records describe the circumstances under which member libraries may approve sharing of the records of their own holdings with other member libraries, with non-members and with other organizations (including commercial firms). These Guidelines allow great flexibility in sharing records and impose very few restrictions. The Guidelines also assume that such sharing occurs with the agreement and knowledge of the member library. This allows a member library to assess the impact of record transfer and subsequent record use on the cooperative and balance this against the benefit to be gained by sharing the records. Newer technologies, such as the Z39.50 Search and Retrieval Protocol, however, allow MARC records to be copied from a member library's online catalog without the library agreeing to the intent of the copying. The extent to which member libraries' investment in OCLC WorldCat is at risk depends on the extent to which non-member libraries use OCLC-derived records without contributing their holdings to WorldCat.

    To minimize this risk:

    1. OCLC should encourage growth in membership and promote participation by, for example, utilizing new pricing models and ensuring that the process of deriving catalog records from WorldCat is more efficient than using other sources to capture these records.
    2. OCLC should monitor, to the extent possible, and notify the regional service providers and member libraries of the unapproved use of OCLC-derived records.
    3. The regional service providers should continue to help member institutions understand that adding their catalog records and holdings to WorldCat is important to the continued viability of WorldCat and OCLC and to help non-member institutions understand the benefits of participation in the cooperative.
    4. The regional service providers should monitor, to the extent possible, and notify OCLC and member libraries of the unapproved use of OCLC-derived records.
    5. Member libraries should make reasonable attempts, for example by using filters and other techniques supplied by OCLC, to deny non-member libraries the ability to use OCLC-derived records for cataloging purposes unless they have agreed to such use.
    6. Member libraries should monitor, to the extent possible, and notify OCLC and the regional service providers when they become aware of the unapproved use of OCLC-derived records.




Unanimously adopted by the OCLC Members Council on May 18, 1999.