[Milsurplus] Worldcat.org?

[J. Forster]

Here is a response I received, from a recently retired Reference Librarian:

"This, WORLDCAT, has been the tool for any librarian since the mid 1970's.
In the early years library cataloguers were the only people to view the
MARC record so I had to ask to see the record since I was a reference
research librarian working with you, the public.  "WorldCat is the world's
largest network of library content and services. WorldCat libraries are
dedicated to providing access to their resources on the Web". Note it is a
network. Libraries contribute their holdings to WORLDCAT via OCLC in the
old days.  I started my professional career BEFORE WorldCat in the dark
ages of wood catalogs with drawers and drawers hold 3x5 cards. Yes, we
even filed each card "above the rod" and some someone would check are
filing. Dropping a drawer of 3x5 cards and releasing the metal spewing the
cards over the floor was tantamount to dropping your oblong box of key
punched cards while waiting your turn in the computer center at midnight
or in the noisy room with fellow key punchers.

At least we had Pre-Prints, essentially a paper bibliography of library
holdings, to verify a book or ms and its location.  "Pre-prints" is a set
of large heavy books bound in light green published by LC, Library of
Congress,  duplicating and displaying 3x5 catalog entries for a book etc
and  large libraries holding the item. Some symbols I recall are HU, LC,
YALE, NYPL, BXM (Boston College) MIT.

Then the info on the 3x5 index card had to be transferred into computer
readable format! The conversion to the new MARC record took place in the
late '60's-'70's, one title at a time. We called it the OCLC or MARC
record, in the early days it would be - No OCLC record then check
PrePrints. I actually met and heard one of the authors of the MARC/OCLC
format record speak at ALA.  http://oclc.org/bibformats/en.html. I used to
know most the "fields" and refer to them by number, like author, subject
etc .http://oclc.org/bibformats/en/introduction.htm

 Of course, paper bibliographies were our backbone or staple to locate
foreign items in foreign universities. I used the British Museum Catalog,
the French and German library catalogs, again all in paper format taking
up shelves and shelves of space. Think about updating them!

Although I was not born digital I am one of many librarians who moved from
wood catalog drawers to WORLDCAT on my computer in a matter of a few
years. Just before I retired in 2010, I was reading my email with
reference questions etc, ordering foreign books online from Casalini Libri
in Italy or Aux amateurs in Paris and usually had a least 3-5 screens open
on my monitor at a time.

OCLC is an American invention! "

Best,

-John

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Hi,

I just stumbled on Worldcat.org. It's new to me.

It seems to be something like a meta search engine for libraries
worldwide. I know little more about it, but it seema useful.

FWIW,

-John

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