[Web4lib] WorldCat.org Now Available!

[Oliver,Sonya]

Announcing the release of the new WorldCat.org <http://worldcat.org/>
Web site. 
 
This site---and a downloadable WorldCat search box you can easily add to
your Web site---opens the complete WorldCat database to the public, not
just the smaller data subsets utilized by Open WorldCat partner sites
such as Google, Yahoo! Search and others. WorldCat.org builds on the
success of OCLC's Open WorldCat Program that has elevated the visibility
of library materials on the open Web since the summer of 2003.
 
The main attraction of the new site is the WorldCat search box. Web
users can now search the entire WorldCat database with the method most
familiar to them: simple keywords. As in Open WorldCat, each linked
result leads to a "Find in a Library" information page. From there,
users can enter geographic information such as a zip or postal code,
receive a list of nearby libraries that own the item, and link right to
a library's online catalog record to initiate circulation activity or
access electronic content directly. Users can also create their own
WorldCat account and add book reviews, table-of-contents information and
notes to many WorldCat items, helping to personalize their library
search experience. 
 
>From WorldCat.org, any Web user or organization can also easily download
and install the free, WorldCat search box to their personal or
commercial Web page, allowing even more people to discover library
content through WorldCat. Libraries and other groups inside and outside
the OCLC cooperative are encouraged to add the box to their sites. We
believe that sharing the ability to search for library materials to as
many other sites as possible will help increase the awareness of
libraries as primary sources of reliable information and helpful
personal assistance. 
 
To try the new WorldCat search box and download the box to your own Web
site, visit the site at http://worldcat.org. 
 
Questions?  Contact your OCLC representative or regional service
provider <http://www.oclc.org/contacts/regional/default.htm>  for
additional information.
 
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303C .