OCLC, the non-profit consortium of libraries providing access services to library collections, has signed an agreement with FamilySearch to provide access to each other's databases.
OCLC and FamilySearch International, the largest genealogy organization in the world, have signed an agreement that will enrich WorldCat and FamilySearch services with data from both organizations to provide users with more resources for improved genealogy research.
Under this new partnership, OCLC will incorporate data from FamilySearch's catalog of genealogical materials into WorldCat, and FamilySearch will use OCLC cataloging services to continue to catalog its collections in WorldCat. FamilySearch will also use the WorldCat Search API to incorporate WorldCat results into search results returned by FamilySearch genealogy services.Good news!
Are there any specific collections in WorldCat that will now be searchable through FamilySearch? Which organization has the better search engine?
ReplyDeleteHi Bonnie:
ReplyDeleteWorldCat doesn't have digitized collections itself; it is a union catalog - aka a catalog of materials held in thousands of libraries in the U.S.
BUT you will get better search results once FamilySearch adds its holdings to WorldCat.
If I had to guess, I'd say WorldCat will have the better, more advanced, more customizable search interface.