NetLibrary and WorldCat

NetLibrary.
I’ve shown customers how to use it. It has not changed much since the OCL began access to the service. Unfortunately many customers do not ask about NetLibrary. Basically NetLibrary is fairly easy to use. The interface is clean and the links work well. A basic search led me to related topics. Clicking on show details when your find a book provides you with additional subject headings. They can help you narrow or expand your search. I like that you can sort your list by newest titles first.

Sometimes while searching for this web thing exercise I received this error message: “A problem has occurred while processing your request. The problem has been logged so that it can be corrected. We apologize for the inconvenience.” This happened three times. I’m not sure I got this message because there were no books that matched my search terms or the system was experiencing problems.

To improve NetLibrary, I would add a subject terms or thesaurus feature (tab) so users can find terms that are recognized by the system.

WorldCat
I like WorldCat because you can link to other library web pages easily. It is also useful to compare other library web pages, OPAC displays and material bib records.

Using WorldCat. I searched for His Illegal Self written by Peter Carey. Other than the OCL, the Burlington County Library (23 miles away) is the closed library that owns the title.

With the advanced search link, I tried keyword, title, author, and subject searches for various topics or titles. They all produced results. I also like the “refine your search” section to assist with narrowing your topic.

Yes, WorldCat will help my customers and me to complete a Request for Materials form. You can learn about item formats, the ISBN number, edition and publisher information and more when using WorldCat for items OCL does not own.