The new WorldCat Facebook application provides access to WorldCat searches and user-created lists from personalized pages within a Facebook account.
The application includes a home screen with the WorldCat search box, as well as quick links to WorldCat searches based on topics listed in a Facebook profile as personal interests. The application also includes:
a built-in, advanced WorldCat search;
a panel that allows users to invite other Facebook friends to install WorldCat;
a "Something to Read" panel that displays books recently added to WorldCat lists; and
a "Favorite WorldCat Lists" panel where users track their own lists or those of other WorldCat users.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an information format used by news-media sites, blogs and other Web services that are frequently updated. RSS feeds typically carry brief summaries of the information currently available at a specific Web location, so you can see what's new without having to view the site in a browser.
To subscribe to a list's RSS feed, users can view the list and click the RSS Feed button at top right. The displayed "Subscribe to Feed" page provided by AddThis.com links to a variety of free Web services that can monitor RSS feeds, including personalized home pages at Google and Yahoo!. A user simply selects one of the services, then either signs in to the service or creates a new user account.
Users of Web browsers with built-in RSS capabilities (such as Internet Explorer 7, Firefox, Opera or Safari) can click the View XML link on the AddThis subscribe page to monitor the feed directly from their browser. And users of other RSS-capable software can right-click View XML and copy the link location into their program's facility for adding feeds.
The RSS Feed button is the second AddThis widget available in WorldCat.org. It joins the Bookmark button that allows public WorldCat lists--as well as individual item records--to be added to popular Web bookmarking services such as Facebook, Digg and Del.icio.us.
Note that private WorldCat lists cannot be monitored as RSS feeds. Although the RSS Feed button is displayed when a private list is viewed by its creator, no information can be obtained through the feed.
Using list feeds on your library's Web site
Has your library created one or more WorldCat lists to promote a specific set of resources, such as recently-added books or videos, staff recommendations, or local authors? A number of methods enable display of a list directly on your Web site, with your updates to the list reflected in real time via its RSS feed.
Your technology experts can help you implement this feature.
More information on these methods is available at:
The featured collections for June are Nevada Test Site Oral History Project; PS Magazine, the Preventive Maintenance Monthly; and Division of Animal Industry's Brand books, 1849-1930. Included in the collection information below is a link to each organization’s record, if available, in the OCLC WorldCat Registry. OCLC’s WorldCat Registry allows libraries worldwide to manage and organize their data for vendors and third parties by creating and maintaining a comprehensive institutional profile in a single, Web-accessible location.
The Nevada Test Site Oral History Project documents, preserves and disseminates the remembered past of persons affiliated with and affected by the Nevada Test Site during the era of Cold War nuclear testing. A wide range of oral history narrators participated in the project and nearly 200 full-text searchable transcripts and multimedia clips are available in the digital collection.
PS Magazine is a collection featuring rare examples of the incomparable work of the late comic artist, Will Eisner. Also known as Preventive Maintenance Monthly, the magazine is a digest-sized publication focusing on preventive maintenance published by the US Army. This collection consists of 145 regular issues, 3 special issues and 14 index issues from the period of 1951 to 1970.
Brand books contain all livestock brands and earmarks registered with the State Department of Agriculture. Livestock is assumed to include all types of animals raised for pleasure or for profit. This collection contains digital versions of Brand books from 1849 to 1930.
These are just a few of the many extraordinary digital collections created by CONTENTdm users. To explore more collections, see CONTENTdm in action.
Summer Reading with WorldCat 6/20/2008 12:30:00 PM | Alice The Summer Solstice is upon us this weekend. The longest day of the year! Hope you have a fun weekend planned or already beginning, if you're across the pond. We're coming into prime strawberry season here in New Hampshire. Finally!
So in honor of summertime and reading everywhere, we designed a few WorldCat bookmarks. 8, to be exact. The idea is that whatever your summer reading programs are, you can add in the online component with WorldCat. Download and print more at a moment's notice. Enjoy!
Based in Amsterdam, Erasmus Boekhandel provides a wide range of library oriented services to academic and research libraries throughout the world. These include a New Title Service, Approval Plans, EDI, MARC records and a specialized Standing Order Department. Technical services are tailored according to the needs of each library. (Web site at: http://www.erasmusbooks.nl/)
Located in the center of Paris, Librairie Erasmus supplies books and journals from France and French-speaking Switzerland to academic and research libraries throughout the world. Bibliographic information for new and forthcoming scholarly publications is provided through the New Titles Service. Additional services include Approval Plans, EDI, Standing Orders and MARC records. (Web site at: http://www.erasmus.fr/)
MARC records are matched to existing titles in WorldCat or added to WorldCat if there is no matching record. The original records are cataloged in English and are added at Encoding level M, meaning that any library with a full level cataloging authorization may upgrade the original records. Some sample records from each site are: Erasmus Boekhandel matches: #174500580, #191659435 Erasmus Boekhandel new records: #228443552, #228443689 Librairie Erasmus matches: #186461469, #190965820 Librairie Erasmus new records: #228425263, #228425312
WorldCat Challenge 6/18/2008 2:38:00 PM | Alice Speaking of Challenges (see George's post, below), we've got the WorldCat Challenge game coming up at ALA. We'll be playing it in in OCLC booth 1448 and at the WorldCat.org meetings. It's going to be a fun game that pits expert searcher against expert searcher to determine the most savvy WorldCat.org librarian-user around. The best part, George determined, is that you get to yell, "WorldCat!" when you're done with your round, just like when you play Bingo. I think the best part is going to be giving the Overall WorldCat Challenge Champion their very own iPod Touch. It's even engraved. Brush up on your searching skills and come have some fun with us.
And...I was on the LITA ALA site this morning, to remember where all of us--the whole IAG gang--are supposed to be on Sunday afternoon for the LITA President's Program. (Hilton Anaheim, California Pavilion D, 4:00 - 5:00 pm). And then we'll all happily go straight to the Blog Salon in the Avila Room, same hotel.
Is it just me? Is it just this year? Seems like everyone is gearing up for a wonderful but action-packed time in California. See you there!
