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OCLC Support

Are the OCLC numbers in a collection unique to that one item and format?

Applies to
  • WorldCat knowledge base 
  • WorldShare Collection Manager
Answer

OCLC cannot guarantee that OCLC numbers (OCN's) in any collection are unique to just one item format type. Historically, publishers used one OCN for a title, regardless of multiple formats.

To check if the OCN is used for one or more formats of an item, download the collection's KBART file, sort in Excel to get a list of OCNs, then check the OCN in either WorldCat, Connexion Client, or WorldShare Record Manager to see if there is only one format type.

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