OCLC searching cheat sheet
Music Cataloging at Yale [1] ♪ Orbis and OCLC [2]
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 [3] 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. |
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| 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 [4] 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. |
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| ISMN | fin nn [number] | sca/fin: include the initial "m"; do not include the hyphens example: fin nn m008058417 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 [5] 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 |
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| 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: |
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If you will not be using OCLC for a substantial amount of time, logoff so that other catalogers will be able to access OCLC.