OCLC's Searchable PRISM Databases

Scope

• Which PRISM database you are in is indicated in the upper-right-hand corner of the OCLC PRISM window.

  

Online Union Catalog (OLUC or OL)

• A huge database that contains 45-million-plus bibliographic records of books and other items owned by member libraries.
  • Each record has an associated location record that tells which libraries own a particular item.
• These bibliographic records are used for:
  • Cataloging
  • Resource sharing functions
    • Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
    • Union Lists (UL).

OCLC Authority File (AF)

• This consists of records of authorized or standardized forms of
  • Names
  • Titles
  • Subject Headings
• Variant forms that are not authorized are also listed.
• The AF records are created by the:
• Library of Congress (LOC or LC).
• National Coordinated Cataloging Operations (NACO) participants.
• These bibliographic records are used for:
  • Insuring the quality and standardization of names, subject headings, and titles in your records.
  • Insuring that there are consistent forms of names, subject headings, and titles in libraries around the country, thus facilitating such functions as searching for reference and interlibrary loan.

Name-Address Directory (NAD or ND)

• This consists of contact information about:
  • Libraries
  • Publishers
  • Professional associations
  • Vendors,
  • Other organizations in the information field.
• This information facilitates such activities as resource sharing (eg: interlibrary loan), acquisitions, research, and professional development.

Other Directories

• These may include
  • Harvard - Records from the Harvard University Library.
  • BIP - Books in Print from Bowker
  • nFirst - Records from the NetFirst Internet cataloging project.

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