Database Tutorials

WorldCat is a collection of electronic, print and digital information resources in libraries around the world. As a Widener student, faculty member or staff member, you have access to the largest resource-sharing community in the world. 

If you need a resource Wolfgram Memorial Library does not have direct access to, check WorldCat. Chances are the resources is available from one of the other participating libraries. To get the resource, simply request the item using InterLibrary Loan.

Library Home Page ► A to Z Database List ► WorldCat

Once you are logged in you will see the advanced search page. From here you have many options to refine your search:

1. Use the Search For section to add your keywords, title of the work, author of the work, etc. and in the adjacent drop-down, click on the corresponding term. For example, if you added the title in the first field, than select Title in the drop-down. 
2. Use the Limit To section to add a Year, limit to a Language and/or limit the Number of Libraries you want to search.
3. Use the Limit Type To section to specify the type of resource you are looking for, such as Books, Visual Materials, Maps, Sound Recordings, Articles, Musical Scores, etc. 
4. Use the Subtype Limits section to further specify the resource type. Here you can choose the Audience (juvenile/ not juvenile), Content Type (Fiction/ non-fiction, biography, dissertation, musical recording), and/or Format Type (large print, Braille, microform, CD, VHS, DVD).
5. Click Search to generate the results. 

Once you conduct a search, you will see the following information on the search results page:

1. At the top of the page you will see a list of icons. Here you have options to: 
   • View Related Subjects. This will display related subject headings, which can help in developing your search.
   • View Related Authors. This will display related authors that have written about the topic.
   • Limit your results to create a more specific search. You can limit by Author, Subject, Date, Type, and Language.
   • E-mail Bib: Share the search results via email.
   • Print the search results
   • Export citation information to RefWorks or EndNote
   • Get additional Help navigating WorldCat.
2. At the top of the page you will see several tabs displaying the number of items per item type within your search. You can click on these results to view only books, visual items, sound recordings, articles, and more. 
3. On the main search screen, you will see the full list of items. You can limit these by Audience, Content, and Format. The display list shows the basic bibliography information, as well as how many libraries have the item. 
4. If we have the item in our collection, you will see Widener University next to the library holdings. This means you have access to this item through the library. Click on the item Title for more information. 

Click on the title to view the detailed record of the item and to request the item. 

1. The first section lists the basic bibliography information as well as a brief summary of the item. 
2. Under Get This Item, you will see the options you have to request the item. 
   • If you see Widener University displayed, this means Widener has this item in our collection. Click on Search the Widener University Library catalog to find the item and check it out from the library. 
   • If you don't see that the library has the item, you can request the item using Interlibrary Loan. Click on Request Through ILLiad to request the item. Note: you will need to create an ILLiad account if you don't already have one. Review our ILLiad Guide for more info.
3. Next, the more detailed bibliography information, including the abstract is displayed. 
4. Next, you will see the Subject Headings for this item. You can click on these subject headings to conduct a new search.