Using the framework of the recent WorldCat Quality report and a sample of titles that circulated from PittCat, quantitatively assesses the user's success rate starting in Google Books and switching into a specific library catalog using the "Find in a library" feature and OCLC WorldCat holdings information.

1. Global Council
Webinar
January 27,
2011
Karen Calhoun
Prepared for ULS Technical Services and Systems
Staff and OCLC Visitors
February 1, 2012

2.  Library Professionals
◦ Catalogers
◦ Librarians of all types
 General Web Users
◦ Expert searchers
◦ End users (I just want to get stuff)
 Machines (cross-system connections)

4. Get it
Discover it here
there
High traffic sites Holders of
content
LIKE GOOGLE
SCHOLAR LIKE PITT ULS

5.  Our catalogs continue to be used.
 65% of information requests originate off-
campus; the other 35% originate on campus
mainly during class hours
 External sites drive a lot of traffic to our
websites. Google is the top referrer.
 Page 4.
http://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/48258/3
/DiscoverabilityPhase1Report.pdf

6. Success (quality) in navigating from
discovery to delivery relies on:
• Basic bibliographic data elements
• Reliable holdings data
• Accurate linking data that stitches
different systems together (often, this
data is numeric)
• Authentication (for licensed content)

7.  Data quality issues affecting the end user’s
discovery and delivery experiences
 Putting the world in WorldCat
 Managing duplicates
 “Parallel records”
 Reproductions and reprints
 Holdings “scatter”
http://www.oclc.org/reports/worldcatquality/214660usb_WorldCat_Quality.pdf

8. 10 library holding symbols
are on this record (but not
 Less visibility and utility of library assets
Pitt’s)
represented in WorldCat
 OCLC numbers less effective in “switching”
users from records in WorldCat to records
in local catalogs
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/254256771
(This is the record that Google Books links to)

9. 244 library holdings are on
this record (including Pitt’s)
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57640223

10. GLIMIR = Global LIbrary Manifestation
IdentifieR
• Uses algorithms to cluster records for parallel
records and for reproductions
• Ameliorates “holdings scatter”
• In practice this means …
• Cleaner displays of search results
• Better linking to local catalogs WHAT?

12. Google Books PittCat
(via WorldCat)

13.  Sample of titles that circulated the week of
October 16-22, 2011 (3,760 items)
 Thanks to Barbara H. , Elvia A-R. and Heidi C.
 How successful is the user at starting with
Google Books and getting to PittCat holdings and
services?
 Focus on printed books
 At 90% confidence level, margin of error of these
results is + or – 5%

14. Start in Google Books
Find holdings in WorldCat
End in Pitt’s catalog

15. Circulations 221
Examined
Found in Google 92.3%
Books
English Language 90.1%
Content
Top reasons not found in Google Books: non-English; this edition
not found; non-book

16. “Find in a library link” 94.0%
present in Google Books
“Find in a library link” 6.0%
missing

17. ISBN is present* 96.6%
Item was digitized 23.5%
in GB Library
Project
*Percentage of ISBNs present would have been much
smaller if sample had been drawn from collection as
at large, rather than from items that circulated.

18. Pitt is in WCat library 78.8%
holdings list
Link to PittCat is 74.4%
successful*
Top reason for Pitt’s not being in WCat library holdings list:
issues with representation of Pitt holdings in WCat
Top reason for unsuccessful conversion to PittCat from
WCat holdings list: absent/non-matching ISBN in Pitt record
*If user is searching from inside Pitt network (on-
campus), link to PittCat is successful 94% of the time.

19. “You are connected to the Univ of Pittsburgh
network” … provides option to do on-the-fly ISBN search
of PittCat.

20.  Google Books provides good coverage of
English-language materials that circulate at
Pitt
 Google Books provides the “find in a library
link” most of the time
 There is room to improve the representation
of Pitt’s holdings in WorldCat
 The quality of the data supporting linking and
delivery is as important, if not more
important, than the data elements supporting
discovery