The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) is a global library cooperative that supports thousands of libraries by making information more accessible to researchers. Based in Dublin, Ohio, it was originally founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center.
The Robert E. Stokes Information Commons at Wilberforce University, and the Reverdy C. Ransom Memorial Library at Payne Theological Seminary, together use OCLC's Worldshare Management Services (WMS) to manage their libraries. This joint managerial venture is called the Wilberforce-Payne Unified Library.
Our new Discovery Tool is not a library catalog in the traditional sense.
Searching a library catalog means search results only reflect what a given library has in its collections; whereas this tool searches libraries worldwide to facilitate discovery of items relevant to your search, whether or not they are held by the Wilberforce-Payne library.
Toward the top right-hand corner of the Discovery screen, you will notice a Sorted by menu. Take note of the sort options Library and Best Match.
Library is the default sort. This means search results that are accessible via the Wilberforce-Payne library filter towards the top. Our holdings are given priority in your search results.
Best Match sorts by relevancy regardless of access. This means you may discover items that directly match your search yet are not held by Wilberforce-Payne.
OCLC's Discovery Tool has a unique feature that allows users to find items by location.
Click on an item's title to display its full record then scroll down to Availability where you will see a Search Location box. Enter an address or zip code to see an items' availability in your area.