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Identifiers

OCLC number

Also called: WorldCat number, OCLC control number

The identifier WorldCat assigns to a bibliographic record, useful for locating a specific copy of a rare or old item.

OCLC numbers identify records in WorldCat, the shared catalogue behind most library discovery systems. For a modern book an ISBN is more useful, but for items with no ISBN — pre-1970 books, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera — the OCLC number may be the only stable handle.

Chicago allows it in citations of rare materials. Otherwise it belongs in your notes rather than your references.

See also

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