THE 10 MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO SEARCH WORLDCAT ON FIRSTSEARCH - A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR SCHOLARS AND PRACTITIONERS

This article identifies the most effective methods of teaching patrons how to search the WorldCat database on FirstSearch. Through the use o f training seminars and examples drawn from real-life reference questi ons, the authors have identified specific training goals to insure tha t users become competent searchers, Among the topics discussed are how to identify labels using the h label command; the use of the limit co mmand; the Wordlist and bound-phrase searching capabilities; precision searching using- the w and n operators; how to identify English-langu age translations of foreign literary works; and searching for material s other than books, e.g. theses, dissertations, and illustrated materi als, It is concluded that the WorldCat database provides an impressive bibliographic resource that should be accessible to every library, Th e recent search enhancements of the FirstSearch system also are highli ghted and suggestions for further improvements are provided.