See how to report broken links to OCLC and how to troubleshoot missing and errant links.
Report a broken link to OCLC
Contact OCLC Support with the following information, if you have it:
- Your institution’s name
- OCLC symbol or Registry ID
- URL to the item
- OCLC number of the item, if available
- Collection ID of the collection from which the item appears
- (Optional) Proxy credentials to access your resources*
*If you are unable to provide test proxy credentials, OCLC might need to conduct a screen-sharing session with your library to troubleshoot.
Report a broken link to library staff
If you enable the "Report a broken link" form so that it appears in your WorldCat Discovery interface and A to Z list, both patrons and library staff can report broken links to your library. See Enable "Report a broken link" and receive emails for more information.
Caution: OCLC does not receive the emails sent to your library.
Troubleshoot missing or errant links
Verify that full-text links are enabled
Enable full-text links in OCLC Service Configuration:
- Sign in to OCLC Service Configuration.
- Navigate to the WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat Local > Full Text and Open Access Links.
- Check Links from the WorldCat knowledge base to full text content. This will automatically select the settings for links to appear on the detailed record and on the brief record on the search results page. If for some reason you do not want links in search results, adjust the Search Results setting.
Check your settings
Verify settings in the WorldShare interface, Metadata > Collection Manager > Institution Settings.
Proxy settings
Review the Proxy settings checklist. Note that if the title with the errant link is from an open access collection, you might need to disable the proxy setting within the collection's settings in Collection Manager.
- Check your proxy settings for off-campus access
-
Proxy Type
- Navigate to Institution Settings > Proxy and authentication > Proxy.
- Select Proxy:
- None (default)
- EZproxy
- III WAM Proxy
Base URL
- EZproxy users:
- Enter your Base URL. Example of a EZproxy base URL: http://ezproxy.oclc.org/login?url=
- III WAM Proxy users:
- Enter the Hostname. Example of a III WAM Proxy hostname: sys.lib.proxy.edu
Caution: Do not include a space after the Base URL.
Username and Password
(Optional) Enter your Username and Password. Providing username and password information is used by OCLC for de-bugging purposes only.
Provider settings
- See if a provider-specific identifier is needed for links to resolve
-
Find information about Provider Settings in WorldShare Collection Manager.
About linking IDs
Collections from certain providers require identifiers specific to the provider in order for links to resolve to full-text. The ID is often included in the URL you use to access the provider's platform. For example, if you have an ID "XXX" from a provider:
- You might access the provider's platform with the URL: http://XXX.provider.com
- In Collection Manager, "XXX" would be the ID needed for Provider ID / Customer ID settings and once entered, the ID would be:
- Automatically included in MARC records if outputting records from Collection Manager. For example: =856 40$uhttp://XXX.provider.com/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=12345$zClick for resource
- Referenced in corresponding links in your discovery interface. For example: http://XXX.provider.com/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=12345
- First, see the table below to see if you have a collection from a provider that requires a linking ID. If your provider is listed, continue with the steps below. If you do not know your ID, contact your provider before you proceed:
- Navigate to Institution Settings > Provider Settings.
- Select your provider from the drop-down list.
- Enter the identifier from your provider.
Note: In special situations, you might need to override a linking ID for a particular collection. For help, see Collection-level settings in knowledge base collections, Use Proxy.
| Providers that require an ID |
Setting is always required |
Setting is only required when custom linking has been set up with the provider |
Vendor Specific Linking ID |
| Askews and Holts |
x |
|
VLeBooks Organisation ID |
| CSA |
|
x |
Base URL |
| China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) |
|
x |
Base URL |
| EBSCO A-to-Z |
x |
|
Customer ID |
| EBSCOhost |
|
x |
Authentication Type |
| EBSCOhost EJS (EBSCOonline) |
|
x |
EBSCOonline Customer Code
|
| Elsevier |
|
x |
Scopus Partner ID
Expert Consult ID
|
| Factiva |
x |
|
Factiva XS-ID |
| Gale Cengage |
x |
|
Location ID |
| Get It Now |
WorldCat Discovery libraries configure Get It Now as an unmediated service which allows end users to purchase articles immediately. See How to configure Get It Now (unmediated service) for instructions.
WorldShare ILL libraries configure Get it Now as a mediated service.See Purchasing articles from Get It Now for instructions.
|
ILL Email Address
Bill to Email Address
Institute
Order Source
|
| IRIS Education |
x |
|
IRIS Education Library ID |
| Infobase |
x |
|
Infobase Library ID |
| JSTOR |
|
x |
OpenAthens Domain Name |
| Kanopy |
x |
|
Kanopy Library ID |
| LOCKSS |
x |
|
Base URL |
| LexisNexis |
|
x |
LexisNexis MIP |
| MD Consult |
|
x |
|
| National Library of Medicine |
|
x |
Outside Tool User Name |
| Naxos Digital Services Ltd |
x |
|
Naxos Library ID |
| OCLC |
|
x |
|
| Odilo |
|
x |
Base URL |
| OverDrive |
x |
|
Base URL |
| Ovid |
|
x |
Base URL |
| ProQuest |
|
x |
ProQuest account ID |
| ProQuest Ebook Central |
x |
|
ProQuest ebook Library ID |
| ProQuest Safari |
x |
|
ProQuest Safari UI Code
O'Reilly Connection String for SAML SSO Access
|
| Psychotherapy.net |
x |
|
Psychotherapy.net Library ID |
| Recorded Books |
x |
|
Library ID |
| Skillsoft EZproxy Domain |
|
x |
EZproxy Server |
| Springer |
|
x |
Base URL |
| Swank Digital Campus |
x |
|
Swank Library ID |
| Teton Data Systems |
x |
|
Group Alias |
| The HistoryMakers |
x |
|
Site ID |
| VIP |
|
x |
Base URL |
| Vandeplas Publishing |
x |
|
Vandeplas Publishing Custom URL Path |
| Westlaw Campus |
|
x |
Westlaw Site ID |
| e-libro |
x |
|
e-libro ID-channel |
Make sure the correct collection is selected
- Search in Collection Manager. See Tips for using the search field.
- Verify that the correct collection and title is selected in the knowledge base.
Verify the format and coverage
Verify that the title-level format is one that will surface links:
- Journal, Full Text (The following values will not surface links: Print, Selected Full Text, Abstracts, and Indexed. Only Full Text titles will surface links.)
- e-Book
- Audio
- Image
- Video
Verify that your coverage information is represented correctly. Coverage can include:
- Dates, Enumerations, or both
See KBART values and formatting for information on how to represent coverage information.
Check title metadata
OCLC number
Verify that there is an OCLC number and that it is correct. Verify that the OCLC number in the knowledge base matches that in the WorldCat record.
Standard Number
Verify that there is an ISSN/ISBN and that it is correct. Verify that the number in the knowledge base matches that in the WorldCat record.
If the Standard Number is incorrect, report it to OCLC Support.
