Monitor reported library reach
Monitor reported library holdings
Check WorldCat and a few key library catalogs on a schedule to see how many libraries report holding each edition, and record the counts so you can see the trend.
Why it matters
Holdings are the closest thing to a library sales report an author can get without paying for one, and they show where outreach and reviews were followed by copies. They also give you honest numbers for award entries, grant applications, and the next book's proposal, as long as you quote them the way they are true: the count, and the date you checked it. WorldCat shows holdings reported by participating libraries. It is useful evidence, but it is incomplete, can lag by months, and may count institutions or systems differently from branches. Do not treat it as a sales total or a complete adoption count.
Your part
- What you do
- Monitor. Check again on a schedule, or after something changes.
- Who normally owns it
- Author. Author monitors; libraries report
- When
- Monthly after launch for the first few months, then quarterly (Monitor reported library reach: quarterly after publication, then once a year)Checked September 14, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
How to do it
The full walkthrough
A holding is a library's statement that it owns a copy. WorldCat aggregates holdings reported by member libraries, so the number of libraries listed against each record is a rough, lagging count of who has the book. It is not complete (not every library reports to WorldCat, and digital lending copies are often not reported) and it is not fast (holdings appear when a library catalogs, which can be months after purchase), but it is public, free, and the only broad measure there is.
Monitoring means searching WorldCat for each edition (by OCLC number, once you have them) and recording the holdings count with the date. Add a few specific catalogs you care about: your home system, the systems you approached, and any large system whose purchase would be notable. For digital editions, check the library lending apps directly, since those holdings are usually invisible in WorldCat.
Monthly in the first few months after launch, then quarterly. The numbers are most useful as a trend and as a way of seeing whether outreach led anywhere. A jump after a trade review or an award is information; a flat line is also information.
On any path this is the author's job. Publishers rarely track holdings for individual titles, and when they do they use paid tools you do not need. A self-published author will often see holdings begin with one local library, and that is where they usually begin.
Common mistakes
- Treating WorldCat holdings as complete or current, or quoting the count as a sales total or a complete adoption count.
- Expecting digital lending copies to appear there.
- Checking once and not building the trend.
- Reading a low early count as failure when cataloging lags purchase by months.
Identifiers for Monitor reported library holdings
Set a status on any record and it joins this step. All book identifiers.
| My status | Identifier | Why this matters | Yours |
|---|---|---|---|
| WorldCat The shared library catalog where member libraries report which books they hold, free for anyone to search. | Catalogers reuse records from here, so an error in one record tends to spread, and a missing record, a duplicate, or one record that mixes two formats makes your book harder for a library to order correctly. No author on any route can edit a record. Traditionally and hybrid published authors normally send the correction to the publisher's metadata team or distributor, and a self-published author normally goes to their platform, or to a library that holds the book and can report the problem. Record the OCLC number for each edition, note any error, and remember that public holdings counts are incomplete and delayed. | Add your OCLC number | |
| OCLC information for authors OCLC's short help page explaining how library records for your book are made and who is able to change them. | Reading it before you write to anyone saves you sending a correction to a party who cannot act on it, which is the usual reason nothing happens. It is guidance and not a form: there is no way to add a book to the shared library catalog by asking, and there are no author profiles there. Every route does the same thing here, which is read first; normally a metadata error goes to the publisher's metadata team for a traditionally or hybrid published book and to the platform or distributor for a self-published one, while a duplicate or merged record goes to a holding library or to OCLC. Identify the party that can act, then send a request naming the record number, wrong field, correct value, and supporting source. | Nothing to record |
What done looks like
- Each edition's WorldCat holdings count recorded with the date, monthly at first and then quarterly.
- A few specific catalogs checked for the systems you care about.
- Digital holdings checked in the lending apps, since WorldCat rarely shows them.
- Counts kept as a trend in the Book Identity Sheet.
- Changes noted against what happened (a review, an award, an outreach push) where the timing suggests the two are connected, described as a sequence rather than a cause.
Evidence. Done means someone says the work happened. Verified means you checked the confirmation, link, or public record yourself.
Sources and last checked
- Official source
- Official source (opens in a new tab)
- Last checked
- September 14, 2026
- How confident we are
- Verified
Rules and deadlines change. We last checked this information on September 14, 2026. If you see something that needs updating, please tell us.