Willamette Items
In the WU Worldcat catalog, items owned by Willamette University display first, then items owned by members of Summit
display second, followed by any other libraries with holdings in
WorldCat.
Except when ... you click on "View all
editions and formats." Once you click on that option, that is no longer
true; the first titles displayed may be held only by WorldCat
libraries. You may limit the search to Summit libraries by selecting
"Summit" in the Search Limit box in the green bar at top.
Known Item Searching
1. The default search on WU WorldCat is keyword. WU WorldCat assumes "and" between individual words in the search, and looks for records with the words appearing in many elements of the record, in any order: titles, authors, subjects, contents notes, identification numbers, etc. For example, "snow white" yields results displayed in this order:
The Juniper tree, and other tales by Grimm
Snow White
White snow, bright snow
The art of Walt Disney: from Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdoms
2. Phrase searching, or words in that exact order. Phrase searching is is possible by enclosing the phrase with quotation marks, such as "transfer student orientation" or "history of music." WU WorldCat looks for records with that phrase anywhere in the area being searched, and not only as the first words of the area searched. See examples in table below and notice where "sustainable building" occurs at the beginning or elsewhere in the field.
3. Truncation: part of a word. Use an asterisk (*)
or a question mark (?) to truncate your
search.
for example,
biolog* methods
(compare with search "biological methods")
4. Results are shown in order of assumed relevancy, and are not in alphabetical order by title or author. Relevancy ranking is based on the following, emphasizing a higher relevancy for
more recently published items
proximity, i.e. the words occur close to each other
items with more libraries owning it
the words occuring in targeted, or more important fields, such as authors, titles, and subjects
5. Advanced Searching is available to search specific elements of information: Author, Title, Subject, or Numbers (ISBN, ISSN, or OCLC). Advanced Searching by ISBN, ISSN or OCLC Number is a very useful way to find a known item that is difficult to retrieve by a keyword search (items with short titles, or common words).
Example of a search using Advanced Search to search Titles only
WU WorldCat Searching
WU WorldCat can be searched from a Basic Search screen and an Advanced Search screen.
Basic Searching is a great way to start your research when you are just beginning to explore your topic. The Basic Search screen is similar to what you see in the WU WorldCat Local search box as it appears on the WU library homepage. The default search setting is for all formats, but you can change this by simply clicking on the dropdown box. You can use keywords alone or together when searching in the Basic Search mode.
- Click here to watch a short video on Basic Searching.
Advanced Searching offers more detailed options for your search. Here you can limit to specific authors, keywords, year, format, language, and more. To get to the Advanced Search screen, click on the hyperlink located below the Main Search box.
- Click here to watch a short video on Advanced Searching.
Look below for some basic information on using WU WorldCat. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact a librarian!
Finding Editions and Other Formats
When WU Worldcat lists the libraries that own an item, it lists them only for the edition that you are currently looking at.
There are several ways to find other editions and formats in WU Worldcat.
Note that clicking on "View all editions and formats" will bring only other items closely related to that exact item or version, and not all editions, versions and formats.
From the initial list of Search Results - the Brief Display Screen
- Click View all editions and formats below the description. WU WorldCat will return a list of other editions and formats related to that particular item or version (for example, other editions and formats of the juvenile version of a book compared to the adult version of the book, or with that specific subtitle).
Results
From a detailed record (choosing an individual item from the Search Results screen)
- Click View all editions and formats in
the Description. WU WorldCat will return a list of other editions and
formats,
related to that particular item or version (for example, other editions
and formats of the juvenile version
of a book compared to the adult version of the book, or with that
specific subtitle).
[This option not available for Articles]
Or ... (not preferred)
- Further down in the Detailed Record, in the section labeled WorldCat, choose Worldwide Libraries own this item. WorldCat will display a list of all libraries that own different editions and formats. If you click on a library, you will be redirected to that library's catalog.
Summit Libraries
Summit members with holdings are displayed in alphabetical order. For specific holdings click on "check availability for this item" for specific library holdings.
Specific items are displayed only for the first few items shown on the member's local catalog (WebOPAC). If you see 8-10 volumes displayed, there may be more!
Holdings for serials (continuously published over time) may be displayed in summary only, and not individual items. Holdings for monographs (published in one or more parts) are usually displayed as separate items, and without a summary statement.
"On order" items: many Summit members add holdings to WorldCat for items only when they have been received and cataloged, not when they are placed on order.
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