Q: "I'm wondering how many institutions ... contribut[e] records for their manuscript collections to WorldCat."
A: We create MARC records in the local ILS and the records are sent to OCLC/WorldCat with other MARC records from our institution.

Q: "... take the extra step of..."
A: Our staff do not work directly in OCLC, so contributions to WorldCat are not an "extra step" for us, although this may entail some extra steps for the systems office.  However, I think this also means we do not get OCLC cataloging credit for those records.

Q: "If you do or do not, could you tell me why or why not?"
A: One reason is that it provides extra access without requiring an extra step.  Another is ArchiveGrid.  No doubt someone from OCLC/WorldCat/ArchiveGrid could weigh in on how the data in ArchiveGrid populated and any connection with WorldCat.

Q: "Has it always been that way or has it changed?"
A: We've been sharing our MARC records for a long time.

Q:"If you do, who is responsible for that step (you, cataloging dept, etc.) and how do you ensure that WorldCat records remain up to date?"
A: The updates made in the ILS are sent to OCLC.  There is no extra step.

Kate

---------------

Kate Bowers
Collections Services Archivist
Harvard University Archives
Cambridge, MA 02138
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voice: (617) 384-7787 
fax: (617) 495-8011
web: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:archives

-----Original Message-----
From: Michele R Combs [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 3:33 PM
To: Archives & Archivists (A&A) List
Cc: Encoded Archival Description List ([log in to unmask])
Subject: [archives] Archival records in WorldCat?

Hello collective wisdom --

I'm wondering how many institutions take the extra step of contributing records for their manuscript collections to WorldCat.  If you do or do not, could you tell me why or why not?  Has it always been that way or has it changed?  If you do, who is responsible for that step (you, cataloging dept, etc.) and how do you ensure that WorldCat records remain up to date?

Thanks

Michele

+++++++++++++++
Michele Combs
Lead Archivist
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University
315-443-2081
[log in to unmask]   
scrc.syr.edu 
library-blog.syr.edu/scrc



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