Jessica Harris asked:

>1) What job titles and/or departments are responsible for uploading MARC
>records from your library's databases to the catalog? How many people are
>responsible for doing so? Paraprofessionals or Librarians?

In our case, it is loading to our database and exporting for clients
and bibliographic utilities. Records are put through MARCReport, and
missing fields (such as collation) supplied by an IT person who is
fully trained as a copy and original cataloguer, although his academic
training is in systems. The process is largely automated.

>2) How often do you update the MARC records for each database? Do you
>get email alerts whenever a database has updated their MARC records
>or do you manually check for updates?

We correct errors on a continuing basis, based on client notification.
We do annual database walks to account for MARC coding and LCSH
changes. We do a total reload is there is a major enhancement, e.g,
OCLC OCNs in 035, an URL for a cover image.

>3) Do you upload all MARC records from every full-text database? Do
>you focus more on ebooks than ejournals? Approximately how many
>databases do you or your staff upload MARC records for?

We load or create a record for every title published or distributed by
an e-publisher or aggregator client. Often the record for the
electronic resource is created from the record for the print resource,
using automated means.

>4) If your library does not upload records from aggregator databases,
>can you tell me the reasoning behind this?

See 3 above.

>4) What fields do you add or edit in the MARC records before
>uploading?

It varies with the client. The most commonly added fields are 300,
060 and 650 2 for medical materials, cut and pasted 505 and 520.

I suspect our methods are too detailed and complex for a library
loading large databases. Much of it is automated, however. If you
have an IT person able to program a quality check using (for example
MARCReport), great. It is a pity this is needed locally, but vendor
records vary greatly in quality.


   __ __ J. McRee (Mac) Elrod ([log in to unmask])
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