What is a cluster of records?

When we have multiple formats (e.g. online, print) of a single resource such as a book, we make every effort to present a single search result for the book, rather than presenting multiple search results for each format.
This single search result is a cluster of records, one of which is chosen as the representative version (usually the one that is online) for the search result page.
The cluster can be expanded by selecting the link labeled "Check for online and print access" which will open a list of each record in the cluster.
Records are clustered when they have certain elements, such as ISBN, that match. To learn more about the MARC data elements used to evaluate which records will cluster, please visit Record clustering configuration details.
At this time, only records from Alma (including CZ) and ReCAP partners are eligible to be clustered.
There are 2 indications in the search results that indicate the result is a cluster:
1. The presence of the link "Check for online or print access"
2. The icon or cover image is repeated 3 times, overlapping

Which record from a cluster is presented in the search results page?

The record that matches "best" to the search terms is the one that is chosen to represent the cluster in the search results, with a preference given to the online format.
The representative record is selected dynamically and may change based on which filters (facets) you choose.
If the representative record is the online format, and you filter your search to items held at Widener, the record in the search result will change from the online format to the print.
Regardless of which record is presented in the search results, the records in the cluster itself remain the same, and can be viewed after expanding the cluster to see the list of records in it.

When filter values are generated, only the record presented in the search result page (the representative record) is evaluated when determining what values are displayed in the filters.
The exceptions are the Show only, Resource type, Location, and Language filters. Values under these filters represent all records in a cluster.
For example:
- If the online record is presented in the search results, and the print record has subject headings that the online record does not, you may not see the unique subject headings from the print record in the Subject filter.
- If the unique subject heading from the print record appears in other search results, it will still appear as a value in the Subject filter. In this scenario, when choosing the unique heading as a filter, you will retrieve the cluster even if the online version was used in the search result, and the record used to present the cluster will switch from the online version to the print version.
Generally this behavior is not problematic, as each version of a record often has the same subject headings, authors, etc., or other search results have values that appear in the other versions in the cluster.

Select the link "Check for online or print access" to view all records in a cluster.
If you click on the title of the resource from the search result page, it will open that record only, not the cluster.

Once you open a cluster, the search results will change to a list of records from that cluster, with the header "Showing list of versions."
Use the button in the upper left labelled "Back to result list" to return to the search results.
Alternatively, you can use the X in the "List of versions" button on the right under the Active filters header, the same way you would when un-selecting a facet.