Working the A to Z List enhance journal access in the OPAC

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Working the A to Z Listenhance journal access in
the OPAC

• Janet Yanosko, Patrick Armatis
• http//library.umd.umich.edu

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Working the A to Z List

• The problem with finding journals
• Context
• Previous solutionlots of work
• What we came up with and how we did it
• Caveats
• Why its a good solution

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Finding Journals is Hard

• Article databases are difficult to begin with
• We dont make it much easier by requiring
  multiple searches to find the source journals
  
• Article linker for some databases
• Search the catalog
• Ok, now search the Online Journals List

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How UM-Dearborn handles multiple formats for
Journals

• One journal, one bib record (mostly)
• Decision was made long ago
• Librarians feel strongly about this
• Our students and faculty are used to it

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Consequently

• Importing large sets of MARC records
  iscomplicated
  
• Deduplicating is a problem
• Limits on staff time

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Why not changeuse multiple bibs for each format?

• Change? Whats that? (Just kiddingsorta)
• Convince librarians who see how patrons interact
  with the catalog that theyre wrong about how
  patrons interact with the catalog
  
• Federated search products deduplicate results
  why not the OPAC?

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Previous Solution

• Maintain web locations in OPAC for online
  access (mainly ProQuest, JSTOR)
  http//wizard.umd.umich.edu/search/i?SEARCH0014-1
  704
• Manually update holdings for online content
  providers
  
• Try to get patrons to search twice for every
  journal title once in the catalog, and again in
  the A-Z List

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Why this solution isnt ideal

• Screens are confusing
• Time consuming for cataloging serials staff
• Out of date quickly
• Has never been comprehensive
• Does not provide information about journals that
  do not already have records in the catalog
  
• Duplicates work done by Serials Solutions

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Our Solution

• Looked around for a model !
• Can we do something similar in the catalog for
  the Journal Title level of access?
  
• Can we quickly update all 856 fields each with
  slightly different links?

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How gather export data

• Create a list of records to which an 856 will be
  added
  
• Export OCLC numbers and 245a fields

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How manipulate data (MS Access)

• Replace punctuation and non-alpha characters with
  URL Encoded versions (e.g., 26)
  http//www.albionresearch.com/misc/urlencode.php
  
• Add generic LDR
• Insert OCLC into 001
• Insert title into 245
• Insert modified title into URL, replacing spaces
  between words in title with signs

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Sample record
LDR 01467cam 2200349La 45'0
001 ocm 10024072 245 10aIEEE design 26 test
of computers 856 4\uhttp//search.serialssol
utions.com/?V1.0N100LBL7GJ4YV9NST_MC
IEEEdesign26testofcomputerszCheck for U of
M Dearborn online access
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How convert data

• Use Terry Reeses MarcEdit 4.5 to convert text
  records to MARC recordshttp//oregonstate.edu/re
  eset/marcedit/html/index.html

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How load data

• Create Serials Solutions load table
• Protect all fields
• Match on OCLC
• Insert Serials Solutions URL
• Load file into catalog

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Gotchas

• Load caused all headings to show up in heading
  reports
  
• A to Z search sometimes required the word
  equivalent of punctuation symbols (e.g., and
  instead of )

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Gotchas

• Some extra cleanup needed for titles with the
  same base name but different sub names
  
• Physical Review A, B, C, D, E. 245a for titles
  is simply Physical Review. A, B, C, etc is
  stored in subfield n. Used MS Access to list
  duplicate titles, then manually adjusted them
• Perhaps 222 field would have worked better?

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If you cant bring the mountain to Mohammed

• We decided to add non-electronic journals to the
  Serials Solutions profile

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A little sleight-of-hand
http//wizard.umd.umich.edu/search/j
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A little sleight-of-hand
/screens/srchhelp_ssj.html
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A little sleight-of-hand
/screens/srchhelp_ssj.html

• The source code

value"http//search.serialssolutions.com/?V1.0L
BL7GJ4YV9NST_BC" checked onclick"document.en
try.SEARCH.focus()" All online, print, and
microfilm periodicals.
name"searching" value"http//wizard.umd.umich.e
du/search/j?SEARCH" onclick"document.entry.SEARC
H.focus()" In library (print amp microfilm)
only.
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A little sleight-of-hand
/screens/srchhelp_ssj.html

• Users dont have to figure out which page to go
  to for finding journals they decide at time of
  need which search to do
  
• Native catalog search is still available if
  people need it

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What our solution gets us

• Screens are will be less confusing
• Time consuming for cataloging serials staff
• Out of date quickly
• Has never been comprehensive
• Does not provides information about journals
  that do not already have records in the catalog
  
• Duplicates work done by Serials Solutions

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Next phase

• Cleaning out old info from database
• Check-in records, 850 holdings, database-specific
  web locations
  
• Item records? Were not sure yet.
• Not sure what to do about dropdown menus which
  offer periodical search OPAC and main web page

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Why is this a good solution?

• Patrons like it
• Reduction in work for
• Cataloging
• Serials
• Reference
• Systems
• Can avoid changing our record structure
• Inexpensive

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Why might this be good for you?

• Its fast, easy, and has low overhead
• Even if you employ some other solution, putting a
  Serials Solutions search in the 856 for
  print/microfilm records is a win-win
  
• Its something that can be done while considering
  other options