WorldCat Discovery features
WorldCat Discovery helps your library have a greater impact. Smarter searching with easy access to local and global resources—in all kinds of formats—inspires bold ideas. Every WorldCat Discovery feature and enhancement, small or large, is influenced by input from library staff and end users. We combine this feedback with a methodological approach to testing, a mix of technology and library expertise, and a broad view beyond the library community.
With WorldCat Discovery, you can:
Reach across your collections with a single search
Enable simultaneous searching across formats and collections instead of consulting multiple services and interfaces. A single search box retrieves results from WorldCat and a central index of 3,156 e-content collections. Database recommendations guide searchers to additional content beyond the central index to deliver access to as much of your library's valuable licensed content as possible.
Control your search experience without complexity
Task-based relevance algorithms and sort options work together to deliver a flexible user experience that lets searchers select the tool that matches their specific needs. We continue to refine and expand the algorithms to address essential search paths. Search boxes with pre-set filters save time for your users by limiting search results by format, date, location, and other qualifiers.
Make your library available all the time
People often think of accessing library resources when they're not in the physical library. Make it simple for them to find the information they need anytime through a responsive interface that works well on phones and tablets. Day or night, across town or across the globe, your users can easily search your catalog, link to the full text you provide for them, and find the information they need.
Increase your e-book collection
Give your users access to more e-books than any other discovery service. The WorldCat Discovery central index provides your library with 40 million e-books from sources that include Overdrive, ebrary, and MyiLibrary. It also includes e-collections from content providers representing thousands of publishers, including ProQuest, EBSCO, Gale, and Elsevier. And it's still growing. An integrated link resolver and A-to-Z list help ensure your users can always access the e-resources they find.
Reveal open-access collections in search results
Expand your research collections with more than 122 million open-access resources included in the central index from familiar sources, such as HathiTrust, Oxford University Press, Project Gutenberg, and more. Include these freely available resources in WorldCat Discovery searches to give users access to more content without impacting your budget.
Give your staff the support they need
Staff views include information that supports staff workflows, including OCLC numbers, OCLC symbols, and MARC records. Staff—and library users—also benefit from integrated, user-initiated interlibrary loan requests. Staff also get free training whenever is convenient, including instructor-led or self-paced classes, video tutorials, and documentation, all specific to WorldCat Discovery.
Take the next step. Request the information you'll need to order WorldCat Discovery.Get started
WorldCat Discovery helps people easily find and get resources available at your library and in libraries worldwide through a single search of WorldCat and familiar, authoritative e-content collections. It also connects users to your collections via popular websites where people typically start their research.
Service availability
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Available everywhere (features differ by locale)
Learn more
Download the WorldCat Discovery brochure
Download the brochure (US Letter)
Download the brochure (A4)
Upcoming events
Watch this space for more upcoming webinars
On-demand webinars
Check here for WorldCat Discovery events.