OCLC searching cheat sheet

Music Cataloging at Yale Orbis and OCLC

Note: this page was created with music cataloging in mind.

Commands | Searches | Authority file searching | Other things to remember


Commands
command key(s)
help F1
send command F11
next screen or page up F4 or pup <F11>
previous screen or page back F5 or pdn <F11>
go to first screen hom <F11>
go back to previous screen gob <F11>
next record F9
next screen in submenu F9
return to submenu ctrol F9
previous screen in submenu shift F9
print record F12
export xpo

Searches
Phrase searches | Number searches | Search qualifiers
Phrase searches (See also Phrase searches from OCLC)
type sca/fin derived notes
personal name sca pn [last first] 4,3,1 Surnames with a Mc or Mac prefix: If the prefix is followed by an uppercase letter, search the prefix as the single letter m. If the prefix followed by a lowercase letter, include the entire prefix in the search key. If in doubt, search both ways.
Precede the derived search with a "[" to search the authority file.
corporate name sca co [name] 4,3,1 Precede the derived search with a "[" to search the authority file.
corporate name sca cn [name] 4,3,1 Precede the derived search with a "[" to search the authority file.
title sca ti [title] 3,2,2,1 For uniform titles (130), precede the derived search with a "[" to search the authority file.
subject sca su [subject] 5,3 Precede the derived search with a "[" to search the authority file.
Number searches (see also Numeric Searching from OCLC)
type sca/fin derived notes
LCCN fin in [LCCN] [number] sca/fin: include the entire number with or without the hyphen
derived: includes the first 2 numbers, hyphen, and the last 6 numbers.
Precede the derived search with a "[" to search the authority file.
ISMN fin nn [number]   sca/fin: include the initial "m"; do not include the hyphens
example: fin nn m008058417
ISSN fin sn [number] [number] sca/fin: include the entire number with or without the hyphen
derived: include the hyphen between the 4th and 5th digits
ISBN fin bn [number] [number] omit hyphens
Music number fin mn [number] mn: [number] include only 2 letters and up to 10 numbers (see also Music publisher number search from OCLC)
OCLC control number fin an [number] #[number]  
Search qualifiers (not used in searching the authority file)
type qualifier
format books: /bks     scores: /sco     recordings: /rec     visual materials: /vis     serials: /ser
cataloging source Library of Congress: /DLC
year of publication
mcdy: m=millennium c=century d=decade y=year
type of date: qualifier: example:
single year: /mcdy /2002
   single year and all later years: /mcdy- /2000-
   single year and all previous years: /-mcdy /-2000
   range of single years: /mcdy-y /2000-2
decade: /mcd? /200?
   range of decades: /mcdy-dy /1980-91
century: /mc?? /20??
   range of centuries: /mcdy-cdy /1880-920
millennium: /m??? /2???
   range of millenniums: /mcdy-mcdy /1999-2002

Authority file searching

The browse search is the best way to get to name/uniform title headings.

Type in the name, with a comma separating the last and first names.
If there are no other persons with that name, you can include an expanded term with no further additions to the search.
If there are other persons with that name, include at least the first year in the date portion of the heading with no comma before date.

The expanded term can be as little as the first initial of the title (excluding initial articles):

or as much as several words of the title (excluding initial articles):

When using more than one word of the title as the expanded term can be as little as the first initial of the title (excluding initial articles). Remove all commas or the search will take you to the end of the alphabet for the first word in your exanded term.

This search, with punctuation included:
sonatas, piano, h. xvi, 3
will take you to the end of Haydn's sonatas:
This search, with all punctuation, including those in the serial or work number, removed:
sonatas piano h xvi 3
will take you a specific point in the alphabetic index:

Other things to remember

If you will not be using OCLC for a substantial amount of time, logoff so that other catalogers will be able to access OCLC.