Searching WorldCat Indexes
(Abridgement of OCLC’s Searching WorldCat Indexes. References to OCLC’s other services, FirstSearch and Resource
Sharing, have been eliminated. This document refers only to Connexion searching. References to and examples of
derived searches have also been eliminated since derived searches are legacies of the old OCLC database)
Please note: Connexion supports the following non-Latin/non-roman scripts: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Cyrillic,
Devanagari, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Tamil and Thai. Many WorldCat indexes support both Latin script
and non-Latin script search terms. This will be noted in examples.
Examples of searches in this guide are given in full search syntax (all parts of a search in correct order and
format, including index labels and punctuation, search terms, Boolean operators, and qualifiers). From full syntax
examples, you can extrapolate the parts of a search you would enter or select in boxes and lists to construct a
basic or guided form of the search.
Indexing for bibliographic institution records (IRs)
About IRs. Institution records are contributed by individual libraries whose authorizations include IRs.
They are intended to preserve local library notes, locations, and other data which may be of general interest.
They are attached to WorldCat master records.
When the IR index option is set, your search includes the fields and subfields of both master records and
attached IRs for the index you specify. However, the search retrieves only worldcat master records with
data that matches the search and any master records that have IRs with unique data that matches the search.
You cannot retrieve IRs directly from a WorldCat search, but you can display them from a master record.
To search IRs:
Open SearchWorldCat box and then click Settings.
Check “Include Institution Record Indexes when searching WorldCat”
WorldCat search results include only the master records to which IRs are attached. You can only display
attached IR(s) from a master record.
When this option is set, both master records and IRs will be searched but only the master record will be
retrieved.
To view IRs:
With a WorldCat record displayed that has IRs attached, click Cataloging > Show and then click one of the
following:



All Institution Records
My Institution Records
Institution Records for [enter the OCLC symbol for a library whose IRs you want to view]
You can also add icons for these actions to your toolbar:
Tools>Toolbar Editor>drag icon to your toolbar
CatalogingShowAllInstitutionRecords
CatalogingShowMyInsitutionRecords
CatalogingShowInstitutionRecordsfor
If you are authorized to work with IRs, you can create and add, edit and replace, or delete your own
institution records only. However, anyone can copy and paste, export, or print IRs. Also, anyone can view
IRs attached to retrieved master records without setting the option to include IR indexes in WorldCat
searches.
1
Types of searches
Abridgement of: Searching WorldCat indexes: types of searches.
Basic guidelines

Index labels and punctuation required. Always use index labels followed by correct
punctuation and then the search term–for example, kw:politics–unless you are selecting indexes
from a list.
Exceptions: In a Connexion command line search index labels are not required for the following
searches if they are the first or only element of a full syntax search:





o ISBN search
o OCLC number search preceded by an asterisk (*) or number sign (#)
Keyword index is default. If you do not include an index label, the system uses the keyword
index (kw:) as the default. See a description of the keyword index in "WorldCat index
descriptions."
Spacing.
o In Connexion, do not enter spaces between the index label and punctuation or between
punctuation and the search term. Example: kw:software.
Case. Index labels and search terms can be upper- or lowercase or a combination.
Stopwords. The system ignores common words in some types of searches. You can omit them
from search terms. See a list of stopwords for keyword searches and a list for derived name
searches in sections below that cover these search types.
Non-Latin scripts in searches. Use any supported non-Latin script for Worldcat searches in the
Connexion client interface. Currently supported non-Latin scripts include: Arabic, Bengali,
Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Tamil, and Thai scripts.
Treatment of initial articles in searches
Omit initial articles in the following types of searches:



Beginning of these searches:
o Title word and phrase browsing (index scanning)
Keyword searches: stopwords are not indexed. (See list of keyword stopwords later in this section.)
Title phrase (ti=) searches: The system automatically ignores English articles a, an, and the.
See a comprehensive list of initial articles on the Library of Congress Web site.
Notes:


If a word listed as an initial article on the LC Web page is the first word of a search but has a
different meaning (for example, ein or un used to mean one, or thé used to mean tea), include the
word in a search.
In cataloging, a second indicator of 1 or higher in a field indicates how many initial character
spaces to ignore for indexing, filing, and sorting.
2
Word, phrase, or whole phrase searches
Many WorldCat keyword and numeric indexes are searchable and browsable separately by words, phrases,
and whole phrases. Index labels and punctuation distinguish whether you want to find a word, phrase, or
whole phrase in an index, as shown in the following table:
Search
by ...
Word
Format of
index label
xx:
System finds
Word or number anywhere in
indexed field
Example
Publisher:
pb:dakota
Dewey Class Number: dd:616
Phrase
(Leftanchored)
xx=
Whole
phrase
(Leftanchored)
xxw=
Complete data in indexed
subfield
LC Class Number: lc:z5074.g8
Personal name phrase: pn=james, henry
Publisher phrase: pb=namgyal institute of
tibetology
Complete data in indexed field,
across all indexed subfields
Personal name whole phrase: pnw=james,
henry 1843-1916
Subject whole phrase: suw=library
science computer network resources
Note: Use the same index labels and punctuation for browsing.

In a Connexion command line search, precede with the Scan command (sca) and a space.
Example:
sca ti:buddenbrooks
Guidelines for word, phrase, and whole phrase searches
Word indexes:



Enter multiple words in a string (do not separate with Boolean and) to find any instance of any
term in a single index.
Example:
ti:asian crisis
Enclose more than one word in quotation marks to find the exact sequence of the words.
Example:
ti:"asian crisis"
Combine words with proximity operators with (w) or near (n) and an optional number (1 to 25) to
find the exact sequence of the words or the sequence with no more than the specified number of
words between. (See "Combine, qualify, expand searches" for more details.)
Example:
ti:asian w2 crisis
3
Phrase indexes:

Include all subfield data, or truncate using the asterisk (*).
Example: pb=namgyal institute*
Alternative: Browse for the phrase: [sca ]pb=namgyal institute
Use the scan (sca) command in a Connexion command line search





Retain periods in classification numbers.
Omit initial articles in titles.
Retain the first comma for personal name indexes if it is not the last element in the subfield.
Retain hyphens in dates.
Omit other punctuation.
Whole phrase indexes:


Enter all field data, or truncate using an asterisk (*).
Example: suw=library science computer*
Alternative: Browse for the whole phrase: In Connexion, enter sca suw=library science
computer. Follow the same guidelines for punctuation and initial articles as for phrase searches.
Combine word, phrase, or whole phrase searches in more than one index with Boolean operators.
(See "Combine, qualify, expand searches" for more details.)
Numeric searches
Searching for numbers–accession numbers, such as the OCLC control number or LCCN; standard numbers,
such as an ISBN or ISSN; or a class number, such as a Dewey or Library of Congress classification
number–is one of the most efficient ways to search.
A number search can retrieve a single record (for example, by its unique ISBN) or precisely related records
(for example, by class number). Numbers are usually unique to a single record or group of related records.
A number search is simply entering a number as a keyword. Follow these general guidelines to search for
significant numbers in records:

Type all numbers and letters.


Tip for entering ISBNs ending in x: If you use the number keypad, truncate the number using
the asterisk key (*).
Omit spaces.
Omit punctuation, except keep periods (.) in classification numbers.
Keyword searches
A keyword is any word that is part of a record's bibliographic information and is significant or descriptive
enough to retrieve the record(s) you need.
A word is any character(s) between two blank spaces:

Initials and abbreviations are words.
4

Words with characters attached by punctuation marks, such as an apostrophe, are not yet
normalized in the system (that is, they are not indexed together so that a search term with or
without the character retrieves the same records).
For now, you can enter both forms combined with OR to retrieve all appropriate records.
Example: To search the title index for l'étranger, type ti:etranger or letranger.


For hyphenated words:
o Substitute a space for the hyphen (system treats as two words). If searching a word index
rather than a phrase index, enclose the two parts of the hyphenated word in quotation
marks to find the words together in sequence.
Keywords can be combined in searches. Type a string of words to search a single index for any
instance of the words in indexed fields (enclose words in quotation marks to find the words
together in exact sequence) or combine with Boolean operators (and, or, not) to search multiple
indexes.
Examples:
ti:asian crisis
ti:asian and su:crisis
Stopwords for keyword searches
The system ignores the following common words in a keyword search statement:
a but
an by
and for
are from
as had
at has
be have
he
her
his
if
in
into
is
it
its
not
of
on
or
she
so
than
that
the
their
there
this
to
you
was
were
when
which
with
would
To use any of these words as search terms, enclose them in quotation marks.
Example: To search for the title And Then There Were None, which includes three stopwords, type
ti:"and" then "there" "were" none.
Browsing
Browsing scans an index with the intent of finding a matched term or the closest matching term, rather than
retrieving records. Selecting a term in a browse results list then retrieves the relevant record(s).
Browse WorldCat using:


A word that appears anywhere in indexed fields and subfields.
Or
An exact phrase (complete subfield) or whole phrase (complete field), starting with the first word
and including all words (but excluding initial articles in titles). The phrase you enter is matched
character by character, from left to right, against the characters of the phrase in the index you
specify.
The system returns a list of terms showing a match or the closest match, along with terms that
5
precede and follow the matching term. When you open an entry on the list, you see the record or a
list of records retrieved for that term.
Follow these general guidelines for browsing:



Include up to 60 letters, numbers, spaces, or these characters: ( ) &
Omit initial articles and non-English equivalents from titles (as listed on the Library of Congress
Web site).
Include hyphens or substitute a space (system treats as two words).
Example:
sca td:asymmetrically distributed finds both titles, Asymmetrically-distributed variations... and
Asymmetrically distributed information....

Do not use qualifiers, wildcards, or combined terms for browsing.
Tips for browsing


Truncation. Browsing provides automatic truncation without using the truncation symbol. Type
only as many characters or words as needed.
Example: To browse for the title Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, type tiw=let us now praise
famous
Browse for titles.
o Use the title phrase index (ti=) to browse for title/subtitle combinations. The title browse
index includes 245 ‡b.
o In Connexion: Use the title whole phrase index (tiw=) to browse for a title proper
(cataloger-constructed title access point). The index excludes 245 ‡b.
6
Selection of indexes from OCLC documentation
WorldCat indexes are described in alphabetical order. Some indexes include word, phrase (complete
subfield), or whole phrase (complete field) versions, or a combination of these. See "Types of searches" for
a detailed explanation of word, phrase, and whole phrase indexing.
Asterisks next to index names. Asterisks indicate qualifier indexes used mainly to limit search terms.
In Connexion some values and codes for qualifying searches can be entered by simply preceding with a
slash instead of an index label and colon (:) or equal sign (=).
These charts have been simplified to include only Connexion information. OCLC’s own documentation
covers all OCLC services, including FirstSearch and WorldCat Resource Sharing, which have different
indexing and searching capabilities.
(For additional indexes see OCLC’s Searching WorldCat Indexes)
Cataloging source* (cs=)
*Qualifer index
Search by ... Label
OCLC
institution
symbol
cs=
Fields and
subfields
indexed
040 a c
Guidelines and examples



Available only for searching.
Use a single OCLC institution symbol per search.
Use to limit searches.
For institution
records:
Symbols in the Example:
Admin field
cs=ocl
Note on Library of Congress records: To retrieve records
contributed by the Library of Congress or by specific LC cooperative
7
programs, use Cooperative programs index (dl:) with value y (dl:y).
Character sets present (vp:)
Search by ... Label
Character set vp:
symbol
Fields and subfields
indexed
Records are retrieved
based on the following
data:
Guidelines and examples



066
Available only for searching.
Non-Latin scripts in records can be viewed in the
Connexion client interface.
Enter a symbol for a character set. Those currently
supported are:
o vp:ara (Arabic)
o vp:ben (Bengali)
o vp:cjk (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean)
o vp:cyr (Cyrillic)
o vp:dev (Devanagari)
o vp:gre (Greek)
o vp:hbr (Hebrew)
o vp:tam (Tamil)
o vp:tha (Thai)
Example: To view Cyrillic records for items published in
1985:
Type vp:cyr and yr:1985
Cooperative programs* (dl:)
*Qualifier index
Also called the "DLC restrictor" or "Source" index.
8
Search by ...
Code or value for Library of
Congress/specific LC
cooperative programs as
cataloging source
Label
dl:
Fields and
subfields
indexed
Records are
retrieved if they
contain the data
below
Guidelines and examples



008 Srce c
040 c DLC
040 a DLC
040 a DLC/other
data
040 a Other
data/DLC
042 a lcderive
042 a lccopycat
042 a lccopycatnm
042 a lcode
042 a pcc
042 a lcnccp
042 a premarc
042 a lcac
042 a lc
042 a lcd
042 a msc
042 a nsdp
042 a nst


Available only for searching.
Use to limit searches to records
produced by the Library of Congress
(LC) or LC cooperative programs.
May enter either as slash qualifier: /dlc
Or
With index label and value y: dl:y
y is the only valid value.
If selecting a value from a list, select
DLC.
Note: To retrieve records contributed by a
specific library, use Cataloging Source phrase
index (cs=) (see description above) and an
OCLC-assigned institution symbol.
Corporate/Conference name (cn: or cn= or cnw=)
Search Label Fields and subfields
by ...
indexed
Word
cn: 110 a-e n u
111 a c d e n q u
710 a-e n
711 a c d e n q
Phrase
cn=
110 a-d n
111 a c d e n q
710 a-d n
711 a c d e n q
Guidelines and/or examples


Available for searching and browsing.
Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali,
Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek,
Japanese, Korean, Tamil, and Thai scripts are currently
supported.
Example:
cn:caedmon
 Available for searching and browsing.
 Supports non-Latin script searches.
 Do not include commas
9
Whole
phrase
Examples:
cn=caedmon records
cn=herdman hills & mangsen (finds Herdman, Hills &
Mangsen)
 Available for searching and browsing
 Supports non-Latin script searches.
 Do not include commas.
cnw= 110 a-d n
111 a c d e n q
710 a-d n (d n are
included only if they
occur left of first subfield Example:
t or k)
cnw=general motors cancer research foundation
711 a c d e n q (n is
included only if it occurs
left of first subfield t or
k)
10
Corporate/Conference subject (nc: or nc= or ncw=)
Search Label
by ...
Word
Phrase
Whole
phrase
nc:
nc=
ncw=
Fields and
subfields
indexed
610 a-c d n p
611 a c d e n p
q
Guidelines and/or examples


Available for searching and browsing
Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali, Chinese,
Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Tamil,
and Thai scripts are currently supported.
Example:
ncw=orthodox eastern church/rec
Country of publication (cp: or cp=)
Search Label Fields and
by ...
subfields
indexed
Country cp: 008 15-17
code or
044 a c
name
Phrase
cp=
Guidelines and/or examples


In Connexion, available only for searching
Enter MARC code or name:
o 2- or 3-letter country code
Or
o Name of country
See http://www.loc.gov/marc/countries/cou_home.html
on the Library of Congress Web site for codes and names.
Use mainly to limit searches.

Descriptors (de: or de=)
Search Label
by ...
Word
Phrase
de:
de=
Fields and
subfields
indexed
600 x
610 x
611 x
630 x
648 x
650 a b x
651 x
654 x
655 x
Guidelines and/or examples



de: is available only for searching
de= is available for searching and browsing.
Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali, Chinese,
Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Tamil,
and Thai scripts are currently supported.
Example:
de=history and criticism/2005/dlc
11
Format/Document type (dt=)
Search by ...
Format/Document
Type code
Label
dt=
Fields and
subfields indexed
Presence of both
Leader/06 (Type)
and
Leader/07 (BLvl)
Guidelines and/or examples






Available for searching only.
Use with index label and punctuation.
This index determines groupings for search
results, where record groups correspond to
primary document type.
To limit results by a format/document type, enter
and dt= followed by a format code.
Examples:
pn:twain, mark and dt=vis
To exclude a format/document type, enter not
dt= followed by a format code.
Examples:
ti:buddenbrooks not dt=bks
This index is the only WorldCat index that does
not cover institution records. It covers master
records only.
Note: If you use a guided or advanced/expert search,
selecting indexes and other parts of a search rather than
typing a full syntax search:

In a Connexion guided search, select a format (or
select Any) from the Format list to limit a search
to that format.
Guided search drop-down list in Connexion:
[Any]
Books
Computer Files
Continuing Resources
Integrating Resources
Maps
Mixed Materials
Scores
Serials
Sound Recordings
Visual Materials
BKS
COM
CNR
INT
MAP
MIX
SCO
SER
REC
VIS
Narrower categories are available in Material type (mt: or mt=)
12
Genre/Form (ge: or ge=)
Search Label
by ...
Word
Phrase
ge:
ge=
Fields and
subfields
indexed
600 v
610 v
611 v
630 v
648 v
650 v
651 v
654 v
655 a b v
Guidelines and/or examples


Available for searching and browsing.
Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali, Chinese,
Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Tamil,
and Thai scripts are currently supported.
Examples:
ge:novel
ge=spanish literature
ISBN (bn: or bn=)
ISBN = International Standard Book Number
Search Label
Fields and
by ...
subfields indexed
Word
bn: 020 a z
Phrase
bn=
Guidelines and/or examples




Available only for searching
Using index label is optional if ISBN is the first or only
element of full syntax search in Connexion command line
Omit hyphens if no index label.
Omit or enter hyphens with index label.
Example:
To search for 0-85109-130-x
Type 085109130x or bn:085109130x
ISSN (in: or in=)
ISSN = International Standard Serial Number
Search by ... Label Fields and subfields indexed
Word
022 a y z
in:
Phrase
in=
Guidelines and/or examples
 Available only for searching.
 Always include hyphens.
Example:
To search for 0018-165x
Type in:0018-165x
13
Keyword (kw:)
System uses as default index if you omit an index label from a search.
Search Label Fields and subfields
by ...
indexed
Word kw: Same fields and subfields
as the following indexes:





Name word
index
Title word index
Subject word
index
Notes word
index
ISBN word
index
In addition, indexes:
034 b c d e f g
052 a b
255 a b c d e
008 Date 1 Date 2
Guidelines and/or examples




Available for searching and browsing.
Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali,
Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek,
Japanese, Korean, Tamil, and Thai scripts are currently
supported.
For 052 a and b:
o Subfield a is indexed separately.
o Each subfield b combined with subfield a is
indexed separately.
Indexes single word only, but you can combine more
than one keyword search.
Examples:
kw:space and yr:2000-4
kw:space and kw:aeronautics
14
Language* (la: or la=)
Search by ...
2- or 3-letter
code or language
name
*Qualifer index
Label Fields and subfields
indexed
008/35-37
la:
Guidelines and/or examples


Available for searching and browsing.
See list of language names and codes on the
Library of Congress Web site. Look under Name
Sequence.
2-letter codes are in ISO 639.
Use to limit a search to records with one or more
languages (see more in "Combine, qualify, expand
search terms" below ).
041 b d e f g


041 a if indicator 1 =
0
041 2 if indicator 2 =
7
Note: When you do a guided search in Connexion and
select a language from a drop-down list, the system uses
this la: or ln: word index.
Examples:
2- or 3-letter
code
la=
008/35-37
Retrieves records
based only on 008
language code
la:eng or la:english
 Available only for searching.
 Searchable only by code; see URL given above
for location of code list.
 Use to limit a search to records with one primary
language (see more in "Combine, qualify, expand
searches" below ).
Example:
la=apa
Note: Code zxx is a valid language code in records for items that have no associated language (for example,
scores or sound recordings with no sung or spoken text).
LC class number (lc: or lc=)
Search by ... Label Fields and subfields indexed
Word
050 a
lc:
Phrase
lc= 055 a if indicator 2 = 0-5
090 a
699 a if indicator 2 = 0





Guidelines and/or examples
Available for searching and browsing.
Enter all numbers and letters.
Include periods.
Omit all other punctuation.
Omit spaces.
Example:
lc:ps3515.e37 and yr:1999
15
Material type* (mt: or mt=)
Search by ...
Label
3-character code or name mt:
See selected list of codes
and names below, in
alphabetic order by name.
*Qualifier index
Fields and subfields
indexed
Values in Type (Leader/06),
BLvl (Leader/07),
Field 007,
Field 008,
other fields
Guidelines and/or examples




See "Format and material
type values indexed," for a
comprehensive list of
values.
For complete list see
OCLC documentation
Available only for searching
Use to limit searches to a specific
type of material.
Type a name or code exactly as
given in the list, except not case
sensitive.
See complete list of material type
names and codes in OCLC
documentation
Example:
To find The sound of music in CD audio
Type ti=sound of music and mt:cda
Or
Type ti=sound of music and mt=cd audio
Notes:
mt=

See also Format/Document type
index for limiting searches by
broader types (de=; see OCLC
documentation)


Available only for searching.
Allows you to search for material
type names composed of more
than one word.
Command line searching allows many more Material Types to add as qualifiers to searches.
A full list is found in OCLC’s Searching WorldCat Indexes.
Guided search drop-down list in Connexion:
[Any]
Biography
CD audio
Computer game
DVD video
Fiction
Government publication
Juvenile (all types)
Thesis/dissertation
VHS tape
Web access
bio
cda
cgm
dvv
fic
gpb
juv
deg
vhs
web
16
Partial list of additional mts:
CNP
MOT
LPS
MIC
MFL
PER
Conference publication
Film
LP
Microform
Microfilm
Periodical
(subset of dt=bks)
(subset of dt=vis)
(subset of dt=rec)
(subset of dt=bks)
(subset of mt=mic; subset of dt=bks)
(subset of dt=ser)
Broader categories are available in Format/document type (dt=)
17
Name (au: or au= or auw=)
Search Label Fields and subfields
Guidelines and/or examples
by ...
indexed
Word
au: 100 a-d j q u
 Available for searching and browsing.
110 a-e n u
 Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali,
111 a c d e n q u
Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese,
245 c
Korean, Tamil, and Thai scripts are currently supported.
505 r
508 a
Example:
511 a
550 a
au:sagan
700 a-d j q u
710 a-e n
711 a c d e n q
720 a
770 a
773 a
780 a
785 a
787 a
800 a-d q u
810 a-e n
811 a c d e n q
Phrase au= 100 a-d j q
 Available for searching and browsing.
110 a-d n
 Supports non-Latin script searches.
111 a c d e n q
 Retaining first comma is optional.
700 a-d j q
710 a-d n
Example:
711 a c d e n q
720 a
au=sagan, carl
Or
Whole
phrase
auw= 100 a-d j q
110 a-d g n
111 a c d e g n q
700 a-d j q
710 a-d g n (d g n
only if left of first
subfield k or t)
au=sagan carl
 Available for searching and browsing.
 Supports non-Latin script searches.
 Retain first comma and hyphens in dates.
Example:
auw=sagan, carl 1934-
711 a c d e g n q (g n
only if left of first
subfield k or t)
800 a-d j q
810 a-d g n (d g n
only if left of first
subfield k or t)
811 a c d e g n q (g n
only if left of first
subfield k or t)
18
For narrower name searches:
Personal name (pn: or pn= or pnw=)
Searches
100 a-d j q u
700 a-d j q u
Corporate/Conference name (cn:
Searches
110 a-e n u
111
710
711
search and browse
or cn= or cnw=)
search and browse
a-e n q u
a-e n
a-e n q
(For additional examples see OCLC’s Searching WorldCat Indexes)
Notes (nt:)
Search Label
by ...
Word
nt:
Fields and
Guidelines and/or examples
subfields
indexed
500 a
 Available for searching and browsing.
501 a
 Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali, Chinese,
502 a
Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Tamil,
504 a
and Thai scripts are currently supported.
505 a r t
508 a
Example:
511 a
518 a
nt:letterpress
520 a b
521 a
533 a b c d e f n
534 a t
536 a-h
538 a
545 a
550 a
753 a b c
19
Publisher (pb: or pb=)
Search Label
by ...
Word
Phrase
pb:
pb=
Fields and
subfields
indexed
260 b f
261 a b e
262 b
533 c
Guidelines and/or examples


Available for searching and browsing.
Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali, Chinese,
Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Tamil,
and Thai scripts are currently supported.
Examples:
pb:vintage and yr:1950-5
pb=vintage books and yr:1950-5
Publisher location (pl:)
Search Label
by ...
Word
pl:
Fields and
subfields
indexed
260 a e
261 f
262 a
533 b
752 a-d
Guidelines and/or examples


Available for searching and browsing.
Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali, Chinese,
Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Tamil,
and Thai scripts are currently supported.
Example:
pl:stockholm
Series (se: or se= or sew=)
Search Label
by ...
Word
Phrase
Whole
phrase
Fields and
subfields
indexed
440 a n p v x
se:
se= 490 a v x
533 f
sew=
534 f
760 a s t x y
762 a s t x y
800 a-e g k m-t
v
810 a-e g k m-p
r-t v
811 a c-e g k n
pstv
830 a d f g k mp r-t v
Guidelines and/or examples


Available for searching and browsing
Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali, Chinese,
Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Tamil,
and Thai scripts are currently supported.
Examples:
se:fairies
se=rainbow magic
sew=rainbow magic the jewel fairies
20
Subject (su: or su= or suw=)
Search Label
by
Word
Phrase
Whole
phrase
Fields and
Guidelines and examples
subfields
indexed
su: 600 a-e g j k m Available for searching and browsing.
t
v
x-z
 Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali, Chinese,
su=
610 a-e g k m-p
Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Tamil,
suw=
r-t v x-z
and Thai scripts are currently supported.
611 a c-e g k n
 Retain first comma in name, if the comma is not the last element
p q t v x-z
of a subfield.
630 a d k m-p
r-t v x-z
Examples:
648 a v x-z
650 a b v x-z
su:horror and yr:1990 and mt:rec
651 a v x-z
653 a
654 a b v x y z su=french language and su:instruction and yr:1990
655 a b v x-z
suw=french language self instruction and yr:1990
suw=english language textbooks for foreign speakers chinese and
yr:1990
For narrower subject searches:
LCSH
(hl: or hl= or hlw=)
search and browse
Searches
same 6xx fields & subfields as su (above), but only if indicator 2 is 0
Personal name subject (na: or na= or naw=)
Searches
600 a-d j q
search and browse
Corporate/Conference subject
nc: or nc= or ncw=)
Searches
610 a-c d n p
611 a c-e n p q
search and browse
Genre/Form (ge: or ge=)
Searches
search and browse
Descriptors
(de: or de=)
Searches
600-654 v
655
abv
search only
600-648 x
650 a b x
651-655 x
(For additional examples see OCLC’s Searching WorldCat Indexes)
21
Title (ti: or ti= or tiw=)
Search Label Fields and subfields
by ...
indexed
Word
031 d t
ti:
100 t
110 t
111 t
130 a d f g k m-p r-t
210 a
214 a
222 a b
240 a d f g k m-p r s
242 a b n p
243 a d f g k m-p r s
245 a b f g k n p
246 a b n p
247 a b n p
440 a n p
490 a
505 t
700 g k m-p r-t
710 d g k m-p r-t
711 g k n p s t
730 a d f g k m-p r-t
740 a n p
770 a s t
773 p s t
780 s t
785 s t
787 s t
800 g k m-p r-t
810 d g k m-p r-t
811 g k n p s t
830 a d f g k m-p r-t v
Phrase ti=
031 d t
130 a d f g k m-p r-t
222 a b
240 a d f g k m-p r s
245 a b f g k n p
246 a b n p
505 t
730 a d f g k m-p r-t
740 a n p
Guidelines and/or examples



Available for searching and browsing.
Supports non-Latin script searches. Arabic, Bengali,
Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese,
Korean, Tamil, and Thai scripts are currently supported.
If you type more than one word, the system searches for
any incidence of any of the words anywhere in an
indexed title field (spaces act as and).
Examples:
ti:existentialism and mt:bks and yr:1900-55
ti:"mr and mrs" and yr:2000




Available for searching and browsing.
Supports non-Latin script searches.
Omit initial articles.
Indexes title alone, title and subtitle together, and
subtitle alone.
Example:
ti=canterbury tales
ti=canterbury tales composd for the entertainment*
Whole
phrase
tiw= 031 d t
130 a d f-h k-p r-t
222 a b
ti=composed for the entertainment*
 Available for searching and Supports non-Latin script
searches.
 Omit initial articles.
 Indexes title only (cataloger-constructed). Does not
index title and subtitle combined or subtitle alone.
240 a d f-h k-p r s
Example:
245 a f g k n p
tiw=let us now praise famous men
22
246 a b n p
440 a n p
700 f-h k-p r-t
710 d f-h k-p r-t (d g n
only if to the right of
first subfield k or t)
711 f-h k l n p s t (g n
only if to the right of
first subfield k or t)
730 a d f-h k-p r-t
740 a h n p
800 f-h k-p r-t v
810 d f-h k-p r-t v (d g n
only if to the right of
first subfield k or t)
811 f-h k l n p s t v (g n
only if to the right of
first subfield k or t)
830 a d f-h k-p r-t
Uniform title (ut: or ut= or utw=)
Searches
130 a d f g k m-p r-t
240 a d f g k m-p r-s
243 a d f g k m-p r-s
700 g k m-p r-t
710 d g k m-p r-t
711 d g k n p s t
730 a d f g k-p r-t
search and browse
(For additional examples see OCLC’s Searching WorldCat Indexes)
23
Year* (yr:)
Search by
Year(s) of
publication
*Qualifier index
Label Fields/subfields
indexed
yr: 008/07-10 Date1
046 c
Guidelines and/or examples




Use to limit searches.
Enter either as a slash qualifier or enter with index
label and colon.
Example:
ti=huckleberry finn/1994
Or
ti=huckleberry finn and yr:1994
To exclude a year or years, use not yr:
Example
su=september 11 terrorist attacks not yr:1994
Enter single year or range of years or specify as shown
in the following examples:
o Single year: ti=huckleberry finn and
yr:1994
o Decade:
ti=huckleberry finn and yr:199?
o Century:
ti=huckleberry finn and yr:19??
o Single year and all later years:
ti=huckleberry finn and yr:1999o Single year and all earlier years:
ti=huckleberry finn and yr:-1960
o Range of years:
ti=huckleberry finn and yr:1980-3
ti=to the lighthouse and yr:1899-940



If the year has fewer than four numbers, add leading
zeroes to make the date four digits long.
Example: yr:0099
For unknown dates (code u), substitute zero.
Example:
In Date1, 19uu: type yr:1900
For no date, enter zeroes.
Example: mt:dvd and yr:0000
24
Combine, qualify, and expand WorldCat searches
(abridgement of: Searching WorldCat indexes: Combine, qualify and expand)
Combine searches
Use the Boolean operators shown in the following table for combining search terms to narrow or broaden
searches:
Boolean
operator
and
or
not
What the operator does
Example
Finds all terms anywhere in a
su:wom?n and ti:history and gc:new york and
record.
yr:1970Finds any single term or all terms. pn=woolf, virginia or pn=woolf, leonard and
yr:1900-50
Excludes the term that follows
ti=civil war not su:battle not gc=united states
not.
Use the following proximity operators to indicate relationship and, optionally, position of search terms in
relation to each other:
Proximity
operators
with
(or w)
What the operator does
Finds both terms, in the order typed, with no words
between.
Example
ti:aluminum w wiring
Alternate:
Enclose phrase in quotation
marks: ti:"aluminum wiring"
ti:aluminum w2 wiring
near
(or n)
Followed by a number (1 to 25), finds both terms, in the
order typed, with no more than the specified number of
words between.
Finds both terms, in any order, with no words between.
ti:moon n eclipse
Followed by a number (1 to 25), finds both terms, in any ti:chicken n3 egg
order, with no more than the specified number of words
between.
Nesting. Boolean searches can be nested using parentheses.
Example:
ut:(civil w1 war) and (battlefield w1 command*)
Include an operator as a keyword in a search. To use and, or, not, with, or near as part of a search
statement, enclose it in quotation marks to prevent the system from treating it as an operator.
Example:
To search for the title Neighbors Near and Far which includes near and and, normally treated as
operators, type ti:neighbors "near" "and" far.
25
Guidelines for combining searches




Type operators between search terms to combine them.
Do not use Boolean or proximity operators and, or, not, with, or near for browsing (scanning
indexes).
Do not use proximity operators with or near for derived searches.
Do not truncate a music publisher number or government document number in a combined search;
type the complete number.
Qualifiers
You can qualify keyword searches to make a search more precise. You cannot qualify browse terms.
Qualifiers limit searches by specific attributes. Qualifiers limit searches by specific attributes. The
following WorldCat search qualifiers can be preceded by a slash (/) or by an index label and colon (:):




Format (type of material) (mt: or /[format]). Slash qualifiers can be used for the following MARC
formats only: Books (mt:bks or /bks), Computer Files (mt:com or /com), Continuing Resources
(mt:cnr or /cnr), Integrating Resources (mt:inr or /inr), Maps (mt:map or /map), Mixed
Materials (mt:mix or /mix), Scores (mt:sco or /sco), Serials (mt:ser or /ser), Sound Recordings
(mt:rec or /rec), and Visual Materials (mt:vis or /vis).
Year(s) of publication (yr: or /[year]).
Microform or not microform (mf:mic or mf:nmc or /mf or /nmc).
Cataloging source (Library of Congress) (dl:y or /dlc).
The following qualifiers can be preceded only by an index label and colon (:):



Material type (mt:). To qualify by any MARC-defined material type, use the index label and the
appropriate 3-letter code.
Internet/non-Internet (mt:url or not mt:url).
Language (la:). To qualify by language, use the index label and the appropriate 3-letter MARC
code (or the full name of a language). For example, la:spa or la:spanish)
Qualify Command Line searches
Type qualifiers as part of a Command Line Search in the Search WorldCat screen:
Action
Slash qualifiers:
In the Search WorldCat screen, under Command Line Search, type an index label, a colon, and a
keyword/numeric or derived search, followed by a slash and then a qualifier (no spaces).
Notes:


Slashes can be used only with format (for the MARC formats only), year, microform, and source
qualifiers. Internet and language qualifiers must be used with an index label followed by a colon.
Slash qualifiers must be the last elements of a search.
Examples:


Keyword search in the Command Line for a map of Scotland:
su scotland/map
Derived search in the Command Line for the title Gone with the Wind in book format published in
the year 1980:
26
gon,wi,th,w/bks/1980
Qualifier index labels:
Instead of slashes, follow the search with a space, the Boolean operator and, a space, a qualifier label, a
colon, and a qualifier value.
Example:

Keyword search in the Command Line for the subject Navajo in materials published in 1980 or
later:
su:navajo and yr:1980-
Guidelines for qualifying searches







Use slashes or index labels with the following four types of qualifiers: type of material (MARC
formats only), years, microform, or source (/dlc).
Use index labels only to qualify a search by any MARC-defined material type, Internet/nonInternet or a language (slashes are unavailable).
You can use only one qualifier of each type in a search, for a maximum of six qualifiers per search.
Slash qualifiers must appear in the last position within the search statement.
Qualifiers with index labels (followed by colons) can appear anywhere in a search.
Type qualifiers in any order.
For keyword searches, you cannot qualify by no date
Qualify guided searches in the Keyword/Numeric Search area
Qualify searches in the Keyword/Numeric Search area of the Search WorldCat screen by selecting from
lists or typing in a text box:
Action
In the Search WorldCat screen, under Keyword/Numeric Search, after you enter search term(s) and select
indexes, select one or more of the following qualifiers:

To qualify by language, in the Language list, select a language.
Limit or expand the list of languages: By default the system lists nine of the most commonly
used languages in WorldCat records. To expand the selection to a comprehensive list of languages,
click the More Languages button. The button text becomes Fewer Languages. To return to the
short list, click the Fewer Languages button.





To limit by format (MARC formats only), in the Format list, select Books, Computer Files,
Continuing Resources, Integrating Resources, Maps, Mixed Materials, Scores, Sound
Recordings, or Visual Materials.
To limit by any MARC-defined material type, in the Mat. Type list, select the type you want.
Limit or expand the list of material types: By default the system lists only the material types
most commonly used in WorldCat records. To expand the selection to a comprehensive list of
MARC-defined types, click the More Material Types button. The button text becomes Fewer
Material Types. To return to the short list, click the Fewer Material Types button. (+ & -)
To exclude or limit to internet resources, in the Internet list, click Not Internet or Internet,
respectively.
To limit to materials cataloged by the Library of Congress, in the Cataloging Source list, select
DLC.
To exclude or limit to microforms, in the Microform list, click Not Microform or Microform,
27

respectively.
To limit by publication years, in the Years text box, type a year or range of years.
Default for all qualifiers: Any or [blank]
List of qualifiers and values
Qualification by
(Qualifier Label)
Format, type of
material (mt:)
Available limits
MARC formats:
Books (bks)
Computer Files (com)
Continuing Resources (cnr)
Integrating Resources (inr)
Maps (map)
Mixed Material (mix))
Scores (sco)
Serials (ser)
Sound Recordings (rec)
Visual Materials (vis)
How to enter
Command Line Search area
To limit by the MARC formats:
Enter as slash qualifier or use the index label
with the following values:
/bks or mt:bks
/com or mt:com
/cnr or mt:cnr
/inr or mt:inr
/map or mt:map
/mix or mt:mix
/ser or mt:ser
/sco or mt:sco
/rec or mt:rec
/vis or mt:vis
To exclude a format, use not:
not mt:cnr
Keyword/Numeric Search area
To limit by the MARC formats, in the Format
list, select the format you want.
Material type (mt:)
All MARC-defined material types To limit by any MARC-defined material type,
use the index label and the 3-letter code;
mt:vid
To exclude a material type, use not:
not mt:vid
Keyword/Numeric Search area
To limit by any MARC-defined material type,
in the Mat. Type list, select the type you want.
Years of publication
(yr)
(m=millennium,
c=century, d=decade,
y=year)
Single year [mcdy]
Command Line Search area
Decade [mcd?]
Century [mc??]
Enter as a slash qualifier or with index label
and colon:
/1994 or yr:1994
Single year and all later years
[mcdy-]
To exclude a year or years, use not:
not yr:1994
Single year and all earlier years [- Keyword/Numeric Search area
mcdy]
In the Years box, type a year or range of years.
28
Range of years:
[mcdy-y]
[mcdy-dy]
[mcdy-cdy]
[mcdy-mcdy]
Microform or not
microform (mf:)
Examples:
No date (derived and numeric
only)
199?
19??
1995-1995
1980-3
1880-91
1880-920
1880-1920
Microform
Command Line Search area
Not microform
Enter as slash qualifier:
/mf (microform) or /nm (not microform)
Or enter the index label and one of the
following two values:
mf:mic or mf:nmc
Keyword/Numeric Search area
In the Microform list, select Microform or
Not Microform
Source (dl:)
Library of Congress/Program for Command Line Search area
Cooperative Cataloging
Enter as slash qualifier: /dlc
Note: To retrieve records
contributed by a specific library, Or enter the index label and value: dl:y
use the Cataloging Source phrase
index (cs=) and an OCLC symbol. Note: When the qualifier is used with the index
label, the only value is y.
Keyword/Numeric Search area
In the Source list, select Any or DLC.
Internet (mt:)
Internet
(Limit results to records for
Internet resources)
Non-Internet
(Exclude records for Internet
resources)
Command Line Search area
Use the index label and one of the following
two values:
mt:url or not mt:url
(Unavailable as a slash qualifier)
Keyword/Numeric Search area
In the Internet list, select Internet or NonInternet
Language (la:)
A language you specify. (Limit
results to records that describe
works in a selected
language.)Any: no language
specified
(Results can include records for
works in any language.)
Command Line Search area
Use the index label and the three-letter MARC
code or the name of the language spelled out:
la:spa or la:spanish
(Unavailable as a slash qualifier)
29
Keyword/Numeric Search area
In the Language list, select a language. (Click
the plus (+) or minus (-) sign next to the list to
toggle between a complete list of languages or
a list of the nine most used.)
Expand or focus searches using wildcards and truncation
Use the following wildcard and truncation symbols to expand or focus searches:
Symbol
#
(number sign)
?
(question mark)
Or
?n (question mark
followed by a number
from 1 to 9)
*
(asterisk)
Function
How to use
Wildcard Replace one character in a search.
Wildcard Replace any number of unknown
characters.
Example
wom#n retrieves woman and
women
encyclop?dia retrieves
encyclopedia and
encyclopaedia
Or
re?4tion retrieves recreation,
Followed by a number, replace the refraction, relaxation, etc.
specified number of unknown
characters.
Truncation Add to the end of a word to retrieve connect* retrieves connect,
variant endings.
connection, connectivity, etc.
Result: The system retrieves up to 300 matches to search terms when you use wildcards or truncation.
Guidelines for using truncation and wildcard symbols


Precede a truncation or wildcard symbol by at least three characters.
Truncation can be used for Bengali, CJK (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), Devanagari, Tamil,
and Thai scripts only. For other supported non-Latin scripts, use browsing for automatical
truncation.
30
Connexion searches arranged by MARC field
(for complete list see : Searching WorldCat indexes: List of fields and subfields indexed in tag order)
020
bn:
022
in:
040
cs= (qualifier)
043
gc: gc:
050
lc:
100
pn: pn= pnw= or au: au= auw= (broader) or kw: (broadest)
110
cn: cn= cnw= or au: au= auw= (broader) or kw: (broadest)
111
cn: cn= cnw= or au: au= auw= (broader) or kw: (broadest)
130
ut: ut= utw= or ti: ti= tiw= (broader) or kw: (broadest)
240
ut: ut= utw= or ti: ti= tiw= (broader) or kw: (broadest)
245
ti: ti= tiw= or kw: (broadest)
[tiw= doesn’t index subfield b]
246
ti: ti= tiw= or kw: (broadest)
[tiw= does index subfield b]
260
$a pl:
$c yr: (qualifier; based on 008 field)
$c kw: (based on 008 field)
300
none
440
se: se= sew= or ti: tiw= (broader) or kw: (broadest)
[se searches search $a $v $x]
490
se: se= sew= or ti: (broader) or kw: (broadest)
[se searches search $a $v $x]
5XX
nt: or kw: (broadest)
600
na: na= naw= or su: su= suw= (broader) or kw: (broadest)
610
nc: nc= ncw= or su: su= suw= (broader) or kw: (broadest)
(always include hyphen)
dl: (qualifier; for coop programs; dl:y = /dlc) Use OCLC symbols
http://www.oclc.org/contacts/libraries/
$b pb: pb=
$x searched by de:
$v searched by ge: (also searches 655 $a)
$z searched by gc: (also searches 043)
31
611
nc: nc= ncw= or su: su= suw= (broader) or kw: (broadest)
650
su: su= suw= or kw: (broadest)
$x searched by de:
$v searched by ge: (also searches 655 $a)
$z searched by gc: (also searches 043)
651
su: su= suw= or kw: (broadest)
$x searched by de:
$v searched by ge: (also searches 655 $a)
$z searched by gc: (also searches 043)
700
same as 100
710
same as 110
711
same as 111
730
same as 130
830
se: se= sew= or ti: tiw= (broader) or kw: (broadest)
[se searches search $a $v $x]
Link to some of OCLC’s Connexion documentation:
http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/connexion/client/cataloging/
32