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New Features in WorldCat Local

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We’re always working to make searching for stuff easier for you. As of this week, we’ve added two new functionalities to our WorldCat Local interface:

  • Availability. This option is shown under each brief citation in the initial display. Click on it to see both the shelf location and the availability of your item.
  • Under ‘Libraries to Search’ we’ve added the ability to specify each of the four Dalhousie Libraries. Note that this feature limits to the print holdings of each library and all the electronic resources available at Dal (there is currently no way to search for just electronic resources at one specific library).

Hope you find this helpful! We’re continuing to refine the WCL interface so watch for more new features in the coming months.

Video on How to Search WorldCat

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Got three minutes? Watch this video on how to find library materials with WorldCat, our online catalogue.

WorldCat will link you to the Dalhousie Libraries’ catalogue, the Novanet catalogue, and also to libraries from around the world. It indexes books, articles, scholarly journals, videos, music and more!

We have lots more useful tutorials online, take a look!

WorldCat Offers Mobile Browser Views

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WorldCat.org now supports mobile browser views on Apple iOS and Android platforms, which means if you have those phones you no longer need to install or maintain an app. Optimization for other smartphone browsers such as Blackberry and Windows 7 Mobile as well as feature phone support is coming soon.

On worldcat.org/m you can search for library materials, see cover art (if available), e-mail a link or citations and get location-based holdings information for nearby libraries. You’ll also see map/directions, and visitor information such as hours and phone numbers. Connect directly to the library’s online catalog to see if the material is available.

Test out the site by trying some of the suggested searches and let us know what you think!

Know Thy WorldCat

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Okay, so you’re pretty comfortable using the search box on our homepage. But are you aware of all the value-added features this user-friendly “discovery tool” has to offer you? WorldCat Local:

  • is accessible on mobile devices
  • is forgiving with searches and offers suggestions – “Did you mean…?”
  • offers relevancy-ranked searches
  • searches across multiple sources such as online catalogues, databases, full text journals, digital collections, etc.
  • allows you to mark, save, email and view citations in selected formats, or export individual citations or lists to RefWorks or EndNote
  • contains user-contributed reviews, ratings and cover art for some items
  • allows you to sign up for a free account to create personalized lists and bibliographies and to contribute reviews
  • lets you choose the interface language: Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, or Spanish (at bottom of search pages)
  • provides links to Amazon or other third parties if you wish to purchase your own copies

JSTOR Archive Added to WorldCat

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WorldCat, the Libraries primary search interface, has just added the JSTOR Archive to its search results. JSTOR is a premier, interdisciplinary journal archive with more than 4.5 million records from 1,000+ academic journals. Having the JSTOR Archive in WorldCat benefits scholars and researchers in the humanities, social sciences and sciences alike. Note that JSTOR requires an authorization to access the full-text content.

Find out more about what’s in the JSTOR Archive now!

New Search Interface for Dalhousie Libraries

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The Dalhousie Libraries have launched a refreshed homepage to profile new and popular services. Our page now features WorldCat Local, our new library search engine, which provides expanded Web access to local, regional and worldwide library resources. When you use WorldCat Local you will see results from Dalhousie followed by holdings in Novanet Libraries, Atlantic University Libraries and finally libraries around the world. You will also see articles from several major databases integrated in your results, all sorted by
relevancy.

WorldCat Local works with the Novanet interface, which you can continue to use and will see when you access services like patron account functions, placing holds, Novanet Express, and Reserves.

Information about WorldCat Local can be found on our FAQ page,
and we also offer Basic and Advanced instructional videos on how to use it most effectively.

Also profiled on the homepage are our very popular subject LibGuides under “Subject Guides,” and our news blog. To keep up to date with library news subscribe to our blog!

We welcome your feedback on our new catalogue interface and the new look of our homepage. Please send us your comments to www.library.dal.ca/Contact/Kellogg/Reference/Comments/

Search Dal Libraries and Beyond!

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Noticed a change on our homepage?

The Dalhousie Libraries have acquired WorldCat Local, a new discovery tool which provides expanded Web access to local, regional and worldwide library resources. When you do a search, items available at Dal are shown at the top of the search results, followed by items held in Novanet Libraries, Atlantic University Libraries and finally libraries around the world.

WorldCat Local provides a single interface for searching books, articles, digital items and other materials, as well as document delivery options. Other attractive features include relevancy ranking, book cover images, downloading digital content, and the ability create lists, RSS feeds, saved searches and more. Plus you can use it on your handheld!

Please note that WorldCat Local is an enhancement to Novanet, which will continue to be used for patron account functions, placing holds, Novanet Express, and Reserves.

We’re beta testing this exciting new tool and welcome your feedback on it. Please give it a try at www.library.dal.ca and let us know what you think!

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