WorldCat: A “Google” for Library Catalogs

Sometimes you may just want to read a good book without buying it from your local book store.  Worldcat.org can help you find that book in a local library.

The online search engine is a library’s equivalent to Google.  WorldCat searches through the electronic card catalog databases of more than 10,000 libraries world-wide and can locate a particular book, CD, or video and its proximity to you based upon your zip code.

Collections can be searched via author’s names, book titles, ISBN , publication date, and many other methods.

However, the website’s functionality does not end at searching for a book.  The website also offers the option of creating a works cited page (bibliography) in five different formats, including MLA and APA.  After following a brief tutorial, your citations page can be exported to Microsoft Word or any other word processor.

To start searching to collections of all of Hampton Road’s libraries visit worldcat.org.

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