Union Lists : National Union Catalog [NUC], Pre-56 Imprints

National Union Catalog [NUC]: Description

Published between 1968-1981, the NUC encompasses 754 volumes and approximately 13 million discrete records.
As the title suggests, NUC includes records from items published up to 1956.
While it is generally assumed that OCLC's Worldcat nearly duplicates the content of the NUC, making it irrelevant in todays electronic age, recent studies show that as much as 28% of NUC's contents may not be included in WorldCat* (that equates to more than 3.5 million items).
- (See: Beall, Jeffrey & Karen Kafadar. "The Proportion of NUC Pre-56 Titles Represented in OCLC WorldCat." College & Research Libraries 66, no. 5 (September 2005): 431-435

The NUC is best used for "known item" searches, or for locating all publications by a particular author (published before 1956). It is poorly suited for researching a particular subject area.
Before using the NUC, it is wise to read the introduction to volume 1 (xi-xix). This covers the scope, organization and peculiarities of the NUC.
Contact your Subject librarian if you need further help with this resource.

The NUC is located in the Main Reference Collection [2nd Floor], Call Number Z881.A1 U518