Issue 4.13
WorldCat located at www.worldcat.org, is the world’s largest network of library-based content and services. WorldCat is a “master” catalog of library materials. It’s a way for you to locate a book, video or other item of interest and discover which libraries near you own the item. Individual member libraries in your community and elsewhere provide the actual services, such as loaning you a book or providing access to online articles.
A WorldCat record includes the ability to generate bibliographic citations for the displayed work. To copy or export a citation, click Cite/Export within the WorldCat item details. A pop-up window provides citations for the most common citation styles. (Make sure you disable or override any pop-up blocking toolbars or software when clicking the link.) Highlight and copy the citation you need and paste it into a word-processor document or e-mail. Make sure that none of the citation’s text formatting has been lost in the process.
I searched for local libraries on WorldCat and found several including the Washington County Library System, Dixie State College of Utah Browning Library, Washington County School District Libraries, and Washington County Library Santa Clara Branch.
WorldCat was created in 1971 and, as of last September, it contained more than 271 million different records pointing to over 1.83 million physical and digital assets in more than 470 languages. It is the world’s largest bibliographic database. The Online computer Library Center (OCLC) makes WorldCat itself available free to libraries, but the catalog is the foundation for other fee-based OCLC services.
You can learn more about OCLD at www.oclc.org. These websites can help you locate books that are available containing genealogical records. They can then be made available through inter-library loan or you could request photo copies of pages if that service is available at the particular library where the book is located.
WorldCat is a key resource for genealogists. There is no deeper catalog for finding historic newspapers, church histories, wills, manuscripts, maps and other important documents in the world’s libraries. You can find a focus on genealogy WorldCat quick reference guide at: http://www.oclc.org/services/brochures/212092usb_Focus_on_Genealogy.pdf
For more information contact Shanna Jones (435)628-4900 shannasjones@msn.com