WorldCat, the world’s largest library catalog, allows you to search the collections of thousands of libraries around the world. WorldCat was developed in the early 1970s by the Online Computer Library Center, an Ohio nonprofit originally dedicated to the establishment of a computerized network for the state’s libraries. Today, WorldCat connects the libraries of the world and offers hundreds of millions of records, making almost any published book findable. WorldCat is not limited to just books, however, and can be searched for multimedia, journal articles, and other materials found in library collections worldwide.
Why might you use WorldCat?
- WorldCat can be used to locate a hard-to-find book.
- It also can be used to gauge the amount of published material on a given topic, and is a useful resource to include in any comprehensive search.
- If an item you need is not available at Lewis Library, WorldCat can be used to find the nearest library where it is available.
While the WorldCat database is publicly available at worldcat.org, Lewis Library provides access to a subscription version – FirstSearch – that features much better search functionality, as well as seamless integration with our interlibrary loan service [1]. UNTHSC students, faculty and staff members can access this subscription version of WorldCat from the Databases A-Z List [2].